It’s always fun to be the “new kid,” right? Where do you sit at lunch? Who are the cool kids? As one of the newer conference camping executives, I definitely arrived at the UMCRM Executive Summit and the OMC Great Gathering feeling like the new kid. What I discovered instead was a community that welcomed me with open arms. Camp people, after all, tend to be a little nerdy—and probably not who the world would label as “cool”—so naturally, I felt right at home.

What stood out most was the deep love shared for camps, for the outdoors, and for the incredible diversity of people who experience these sacred places across our connection – both in our UMC context and in the broader community of mainline denominational camp ministries. We are people with a deep call to ministry—one that doesn’t always look like traditional ministry or fit neatly within the institutional church. That calling is as unique as each camp and retreat center. Though we find ourselves in different places financially, physically, and culturally, we come together around a shared understanding of the profound importance of camp as sacred space—past, present, and future.

I cannot say enough about the holistic richness of the Great Gathering. The worship was deeply meaningful and served as a powerful reminder that impactful worship is rooted in intention, not spectacle. Again and again, we were reminded that camp plays a vital role in faith formation, leadership development, and in helping people discern God’s call in their lives.

One insight that stayed with me came from keynote speaker “Dr. G” Gilboa. It centered on the difference between danger and discomfort. As camp leaders, we walk a thin—but courageous—line: guiding children and youth (not to mention young adult leaders and camper parents) through discomfort while maintaining safety. In a world where discomfort is often mistaken for danger, camps remain places where managed risk is not only expected, but embraced. In many ways, the disruption of leaving one’s comfort zone is why people come to camp—to step away from daily life, to be changed, and sometimes to discover how they might help change the world.

I believe this willingness to lean into discomfort and disruption is at the heart of who we are as camp people. I’m often asked about the relevance of camps in today’s church, and my response is simple: camps don’t fit comfortably into our traditional ideas of church—and they shouldn’t. Instead, camps can continue to serve the wider church by being faithful disruptors, inviting people into deeper, sometimes uncomfortable questions, and helping push us toward new expressions of faith and spirituality. The feeling of risk is intentional, and moving through it helps us grow.

While taking on my new leadership role over the past several months has brought change, risk, and a departure from my own comfort zone, I am finding that the values I share with my fellow camp people help to keep me grounded. We welcome “the new kid” and the ones who are different, we seek after God in unexpected places, we create experiences that are as safe as possible while inviting challenge and managed risk. Reinforcing these values among 450+ camp people at the Great Gathering underscored the fact that none of us do this work alone– we can lean on an amazing, diverse community of support and inspiration as we face ministry challenges and navigate the wilderness of a changing church and world.

Rev. Katie Lamoureux joined the Mountain Sky Conference in 2025 as the Coordinator of Camps and Campus Ministries. She’s also the half-time pastor of Fruita United Methodist Church on Colorado’s Western Slope, and a mom of 3. She loves coffee dates, waterfalls, trail running, a good 90's movie, punk rock music, the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Cowboys.