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Every four years, the United Methodist Church hosts a special event for UM youth. The next event will be held July 25-28, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Learn more

Youth 2023 will bring together thousands of young people from across the country for fellowship, worship, and fun. The values underlying this event align closely many of the foundations of camp and retreat ministries:

• Provide Sacred Places Apart

• Nurture Christian Faith & Discipleship

• Extend Christian Hospitality & Community

• Develop Principled Spiritual Leaders

• Inspire and Equip Lives for Love & Justice

As a partner in ministry, UMCRM is working with Discipleship Ministries to make it as easy as possible for youth to attend both camp and the Youth 2023 event next summer. In the past, this event extended over a weekend, which interfered with two weeks of summer camp. This year the Youth 2023 planning team intentionally scheduled the event during the week, limiting its impact on our summer camp season.

Here are a couple of ways that camps can help families and churches give both of these opportunities to their youth: 

•  Schedule senior high camp during a week that does not overlap with Youth 2023 (July 25-28). This prevents youth from needing to choose between camp and the event. 

• Offer Youth 2023 as a trip camp! Many small UM churches don’t have enough young people or resources to attend Youth 2023 as a youth group. By offering it as a camp event, all youth from your Conference will have the chance to attend. Price and run the event as you would any other trip camp. You could even add an additional day or two at camp to prepare for or debrief the Youth 2023 experience. 

Another of our UMCRM foundations is to “Partner with United Methodist Churches & Agencies.” While some youth will inevitably need to choose between the national event and a week at camp, Youth 2023 is not in competition with camp. Our camping ministries and the offerings of Discipleship Ministries (such as Youth 2023) build upon each other in a young person’s discipleship journey. We are called to work together in developing disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Youth 2023 is a fantastic opportunity to live out this partnership and create the space to get as many young people to this event AND to camp.

View the media kit for graphics to use in your communications

There are also ways for you to be actively involved in the event. Check out the

This spring, the UMCRM Association had the joy of distributing $2.5 million in Ministry Impact Grants, funding 86 different United Methodist camp/retreat ministry projects with a focus on future sustainability. 

Learn more about the 2022 Ministry Impact Grants 

Recently, Sea Islands Camp (SC) and Wesley Woods Camp (IA) shared about how their Ministry Impact Grants have come to life in tangible ways. 

The Barnum Equestrian Center at Wesley Woods Camp & Retreat Center in Iowa is a trauma-informed, connected community of staff and professionals who work alongside participants in a deeply connectional horse program. Staff training provided by the Natural Lifemanship Institute is rocking the barn to its core, bringing immensely positive outcomes for people and opportunities for ministry growth. Ministry Impact Grant funding has enabled five staff persons to access training and advanced courses in Natural Lifemanship principles. 

Through this trained leadership, six middle and high school students have already participated in the 6-week Relational-MESH program in partnership with the Indianola School District. Teachers and parents are reporting positive impacts on their students in the program. As word spreads about R-MESH, waiting lists are filling for programs to be offered in the fall. The greatest challenge is scheduling enough programs to meet demand! Healthy relationship principles facilitated by the trained Lifemanship leaders are also enriching Wesley Woods’ summer camp horse programs. Continued future growth is ahead for equestrian-based ministry in this special setting.

When the South Carolina Annual Conference acquired the property that would become Sea Islands Camp & Retreat Center in 2019, its capacity was small, and as the ministry vision for the site took shape, it became clear that more lodging would be needed to host the guests and campers who would come to experience God’s love in this unique coastal setting.

This 2019 blog post tells the origin story of Sea Islands

The 2022 Ministry Impact Grant is enabling the site to double its capacity with 32 new bunks. It is a joy to open the gates to a whole new population of campers!

My almost teen daughter Kate just returned from a week away at summer camp. She has been to this particular camp – Mingus Mountain – at least once a year since she was 10 weeks old, with the exception of the summer lost to pandemic (thanks, Covid!). I have taken her, or encouraged her to attend, camps that I was a part of; but for the last several years, going to camp has been high on her list of things she has to do, and the past two years she’s attended camps I wasn’t involved with.

When she started to tell me about her experience, she didn’t tell me about the curriculum chosen, the lessons taught, or the content of the week. I know and trust that there were solid foundations for such, but those aren’t what makes camp a highlight for her. Nor was it the zip line or high ropes’ “leap of faith” – which she tried for the first time this year! – that held her attention and came gushing out. And as much as she loves getting out of sweltering desert heat for a week in the cool pine trees, that wasn’t what she had to tell me about.

“I met so many new friends,” she excitedly volunteered, and went on to describe interactions with other campers, with her counselor, and with staff and volunteers on site. She expressed joy for new friendships, empathy for the sequestered sick counselor, appreciation for the patient nurse, and admiration for all her camp leaders who created space for and invited her to take part in new things. Repeatedly, she mentioned someone and asked “do you know them?” As an introvert who would sooner curl up alone with a book, it was tiring for me just listening to the amount of personal interactions she took part in over the week. She, on the other hand, was beaming, energetic, joy-filled.

Camp friends, I am sure that not everything has gone exactly the way you would like this summer. And yet, there will be thousands of children and teens like my own who come home with joy in their hearts and praise on their lips because of the space you create for relationship building. Self-esteem will grow, faith in God will be nurtured, hearts will know healing, and the world will be transformed for the better, one camper at a time, because of you and your work.

This parent, who is only hearing about camp second-hand, is appreciative to you and all that you are doing. While I anticipate they are never easy, may your summers be meaningful; may they be rich with God’s blessing; and may you end the days with gratitude knowing you have been a means of God’s grace working in the world.

Rev. Ron Bartlow is a former Camp & Retreat Ministries exec in the Desert Southwest Conference. He currently serves as Senior Pastor at St. Paul's UMC in Tucson, Arizona and chairs the UMCRM Association Board of Directors. He is only getting a vicarious camp experience this summer through his seasoned camper children.

Dear Camp & Retreat Ministry community members,

In recent weeks, the vibrance of spring has been shadowed by unthinkable tragedy. The world and our country are grieving. The continually growing number of violent actions against innocent children and blessed communities is heartbreaking. The reports of shootings in New York, California, Texas, and other states across the country cloud our news coverage and every social media outlet. This note to the United Methodist Camp and Retreat community is not to retell the stories you’ve seen on the news, but to call us together into prayer and action. 

Pray for the families of those directly impacted by the tragedy. Then pray for personal strength, taking time to process your own grief and anxiety about recent events. Then, pray for your eyes to be opened to the actions that you can take to bring light and hope to the world. Pray, but also do. 

One important thing you can do is to continue doing what you have been called to do as a ministry leader. There is now a new urgency for camp and retreat ministries to provide holy space for the diversity of God’s people to come and feel loved, not afraid. There is an urgency for us to provide sacred places apart from the realities of society for young people to explore hard questions; for campers to process and lead conversations. Those who are preparing to come to camp or be on retreat are in need of a respite away from the evils of the world; they need to be in a community of unconditional love and acceptance. By making space for love and healing, you enable the Holy Spirit’s work in this grieving world. 

As the month of May comes to a close, the impending summer camp season draws closer. For camp leaders, this time of the year is already filled with excitement, stress, anticipation, and overwhelm. The circumstances of recent tragedies layer anxiety on top of anxiety. Make your mental health a priority. 

For urgent leadership and spiritual support, call the UMCRM Leaders Hive Support Line - 724-766-9783.

Young adult summer staff and the campers that are preparing for camp will soon arrive. They will bring with them the wounds from living through the pandemic. Now they will also bring fresh heartbreaking grief from living in a world that isn’t as safe from gun violence as it should be. Here are a few resources to help prepare for managing grief and trauma this summer:

• Tips and videos for helping children with grief by David Kessler, an expert on grief and loss.

• Camp culture and care for summer 2022 (begin around 18:10). Excerpt from a recent Community Conversation by Tracey Gaslin, Executive Director of Alliance for Camp Health. 

• Free handout on how caregivers can support grieving kids by Dr. Chris Thurber

Take time to develop or review your emergency response plan.

• Camp Security Information from American Camp Association

The UMCRM Association exists to be a resource and connection point for you. Thank you for being a community of people who pray and who keep saying “yes” to God. We’re all in this together.

May God’s peace prevail, 

Jessica Gamaché, UMCRM Association Director

umcrm.org

What is the soundtrack of your summer camp season? Is it largely the same as it was 50 years ago? The sound of rustling trees, children's laughter, waves lapping the shore, buzzing insects, screen doors slamming, clanging cookware, lawnmower, cheering, dinner bell, lifeguard's whistle... many of the background sounds of camp have stood the test of time. But what about the music? 

Singing is an integral part of most camp experiences, especially at church camp. We have traditions of sung meal graces, songs for worship, songs for campfire. Some of us sing on hikes and even for announcements. There's always singing at our talent shows and end-of-camp performances. Guitar accompaniment and a cappella songs (including the rowdy "repeat after me" variety) have been standard fare from our camps' earliest years.

A recent article from Nelson Strickland on the Summer Camp Society blog got me thinking about how the soundtracks of our camps get changed and updated. In "Five Simple Ways To Step Up Your Music Game This Summer," Nelson, a former DJ turned full-time camp pro, challenges camp leaders to think outside of our usual boxes in choosing music for camp. He reminds us that recorded music can be a powerful way to set a mood and bring people together. Unlike the soundscapes mentioned above, recorded music is a somewhat newer addition to camp life. Depending on your site, sometimes music is played to set the tone for a large-group gathering. Maybe staff listen to music while working in the kitchen or shop. Perhaps your program includes a camp dance. Is there music for cookouts, swim parties, or dining hall meals? Is music played on the bus? Who gets to choose those tunes? Who decides what's "church camp-appropriate"? Are counselors allowed to play music in cabins or in program areas? If your camp plays music in any of these ways, Nelson invites us to expand our playlists. Are there familiar TikTok songs that work for camp? Do your playlists include music from other cultures? If you have international staff, let them curate a collection for you! What's comforting, happy music for your campers? – is it K-pop or hip-hop? Trying new things and being inclusive are generally-shared values at our camps, but does that extend to our musical choices? Nelson's "Five Simple Ways" introduced me to unfamiliar genres of Lo-Fi and Kidz Trap. What else might we be missing? 

Just as we're challenged to expand our playlist repertoire for recorded music, I also encourage summer camp leaders to review the standby songs we sing. As you know, "we've always done it that way" isn't a great reason to keep doing it the same old way. Here are some questions to spark conversation with your team:

• Are there some traditional songs that no longer meet the cultural and educational goals of our ministry? 
• Are there lyrics that feel insensitive these days? 
• Do the religious songs we sing reflect the theology we actually want campers to learn? 
• How can we introduce new favorites that reflect cultural literacy and align with our camp's mission? 

Camp Dickenson in the Holston Conference curated a fun Spotify playlist that provided some camp-nostalgic listening during the pandemic in 2020. Check it out here  If your camp has publicly-accessible playlists, please link them in the comments below.

Pictured: Author Jen Burch sings with campers at Camp Alta Mons (VA), circa 1992.

2020 turned our lives upside down. And it turned the world of camping upside down. It opened the floodgates that were already on the verge of breaking. Those gates? Hiring summer staff. Already we had seen a notable trend of summer staff giving one or two quality summers, but we were finding it harder and harder to get those “lifers” (people who spend all of their college summers at camp, even some prior if they came through our developmental program). Staff hiring and recruiting now played such a pivotal role, as turnover was increasing with every passing summer. Pre-pandemic, we had to contend with requirements from school (e.g., mandatory internships, summer classes, and studying abroad). These school requirements factored in with staff pay and the need to find someone to sublet apartments they were already contractually obligated to, required extra effort on the part of camp leaders; still, hiring was hard but manageable. 

Anytime we go to a career fair, developmental hangout, or just see fellow camp people in the outside world, one of the first questions that seems to be asked is “how is hiring going?” Summer camps are similar to a lot of the workforce, having a rough time finding staff willing to work and commit to the time we hope for. To adapt, camps are being flexible, hiring for partial summers, reworking programs in order to run with fewer staff.  However, these strategies are not necessarily sustainable or a healthy practice, and are contributing to turmoil and turnover like never before seen in the camping world, even for year round staff. This all sounds grim and tough, and quite frankly, it is. Camps are setting records with camper registrations and gaining traction through marketing efforts, but it’s challenging to envision having the full staff required to serve a growing camper population.

Camp Tekoa (Western NC) was able to find a new light and hope for encouraging retention once we have staff, in addition to being a powerful recruiting tool. That light? ALUMNI!!! Alumni are the backbone of camp. They are the ones we admire, learn from, and who continue to move forward to carry out the mission of camp. Each of Tekoa’s alumni has impacted hundreds of kids while their own lives are forever changed. Alumni are the reason we have some staff today. They are the reason those “lifers” who grew up as campers decided to give back and work on staff at their home camp. Alumni have a passion for camp that they love to share. In order to fundraise and endure the brunt of the pandemic, our camp relied heavily on reconnecting relationships and leaning on our enduring supporters. This experience led us to realize that our alumni are the reason we still run today; they are the ones we will piggyback off of for generations to come. This realization led us to the logical next step: connect summer staff alumni back to camp in a physical and spiritual way.

With this realization, and considering the staffing shortage we were facing, we decided to invite former staff to return to camp during staff training. They would reconnect with current staff in order to create a positive experience, increase retention rates, and help us to recruit new staff. Our Alumni Panel gathered people from various backgrounds. Together in one place, an accountant, a banker, youth leaders, a program director at a retirement home, and several teachers all were able to share about how their time at Tekoa has helped them with life after school and enriched their professional lives. We hoped that hearing their stories would help to eliminate the stigma that “camp isn’t a real job.” Yes, camp is fun, but it is also transformational. We used the personal connections with alumni to show the importance of camp and how the summer staff experience is worth so much more than the monetary value. Hearing encouraging words from our veteran staff helped ease nerves for current staff, to feel more comfortable for the road ahead that summer. The Alumni Panel experience also provided personal connections with someone in their line of work who shared the common factor of being transformed at Camp Tekoa. Due to the overwhelmingly positive outcome, we expect to continue offering this enriching program for years to come. 

Be inspired by a few quotes from alumni about their time at camp:

“I became a teacher. I was not intimidated when responsible for a large group of kids and I never ran out of activities to do with them. It’s also super helpful to know how to let go and be confident in front of any group of people”

- Julie Noblitt, former camper and counselor

“I just graduated from Law School! Tekoa (and John Isley) taught me how to be efficient while also going with the flow”

- Jo Harcombe, former ropes course facilitator

“When I couldn’t figure out a way to work as a FGL forever so I became a doctor instead. Tekoa summers taught me to take risks and what it feels like to do something you love. Also, how to lead a group and to be a person the vulnerable rely on and look up to.” - Dr. Lindsey Prewitt, former counselor

“I currently work as the Volunteer Coordinator at Henderson County Habitat for Humanity. Tekoa inspired my desire to do mission-based work. My time at Tekoa helped to uncover a passion for people and a drive to get community members involved in something larger than themselves”

- Kayler Debrew, former backpacking resource and counselor 

“I started my fourth (and final) year of medical school with hopes to specialize in anesthesia. As an FGL at Tekoa making quick bonds with campers and providing parental trust and reassurance parallel the patient population about to receive surgery and entrusting they will be kept safe and comfortable”

- Lucy Howard, former counselor and Logistics Coordinator

Special thanks to Camp Tekoa’s Program Intern, Will Busch, for sharing this story. “WillyB” is well-known for his loud singing of "Brown Squirrel" and his creative program planning for family groups. His passion has been being a Family Group Leader (FGL) because he believes that is where the magic of camp happens. Will studied Sports Management at Western Carolina University. He can be found around camp planning schedules, creating social media or slinging some disc golf discs (every shot is a hammer!)

In mid-February, the UMCRM Association received word that it was granted one million dollars from an anonymous family foundation to distribute to United Methodist Camps & Retreat Ministries in the U.S. The goal of the gift was to enable individual sites and ministries to take one significant step in the 2022 calendar year toward long-term impact and sustainability. What a joy to be invited to invest in a thriving future for camping and retreats in the United Methodist tradition! As nonprofit organizations, many of the 183 UM-affiliated sites in our network do big things with small dollars, creatively stretching shoestring budgets while continuing to innovate to meet the needs of today’s youth, families, church, and communities, maintain and develop historic properties, and support the church’s transformational mission. As camps and retreats rally to return from Covid shutdowns, minister with a changing church, and provide sacred places of renewal in challenging times, it is rare to be invited to dream big and imagine what might be possible for our ministries’ future. The 2022 Ministry Impact Grant was just that invitation. 

When it was announced that UMCRM had secured the grant of $1,000,000, our members responded with enthusiasm, submitting proposals totaling $4,000,000! The review team realized that meant that only 25% of the projects could be funded. Faced with the prospect of saying “no'' to the majority of applicants, the grantors were moved by the vision and hope represented in those proposals. The compelling and wide-ranging requests received from United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries from across the country provided a window into the vast reach of our sites and programs and the untapped potential for impact. We serve a God of abundance, a Christ who served multitudes with simple loaves and fishes. Hope, vision and generosity of spirit are contagious. The UMCRM Association’s advocacy provided inspiration and context for the ministry impact that might be accomplished through offering more “yes”es. In the process, we were able to secure an additional $1,500,000, more than doubling the original gift, for a total of $2.5M from the granting foundation! The UMCRM Association is thrilled to distribute the grant funds in the coming weeks to the projects listed below. Collectively, United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries will broaden our impact in reaching more people with the love of Christ for a thriving future. Praise to the God who multiplies loaves and fishes. May we be worthy stewards of the great gifts entrusted to us. Stay tuned in the coming months as projects are completed and together we celebrate all that these ministries have been able to build and accomplish.

The Solomon Cramer Fund was established to provide scholarships for youth to attend United Methodist camp experiences. Annual Conferences, camp ministry sites, and/or programs are invited to apply. 

The deadline for grant application submission is March 18, 2022. Award recipients will be notified by April 1st. All approved grant projects must be completed by October 31, 2022. 

In order to maximize the impact of scholarships for youth to attend Conference-related camps, the funds will be distributed to Conferences or ministry organizations to use for scholarships rather than directly to individuals. The recommended priorities of the scholarship grants will be for camp experiences that focus on one or more of the following dimensions:

1. Minister with youth living in poverty

2. Intentionally develop young people for spiritual leadership and/or leadership within camp/retreat ministry

3. Camp experiences that collaborate with local churches and agencies in processes of faith formation

4. Opportunities for increasing racial/ethnic diversity within ministry participation and leadership

Special consideration will be given to United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries or groups collaborating with their local UM camp/retreat ministries to launch new programs and opportunities related to the priorities above. Grants may also be given to existing programs that are adding new components that engage youth in ways directly related to the priorities of the fund.

The funds received by a Conference or camp/retreat ministry must be used solely as scholarships for youth to attend the specific camp experiences outlined in their application for the scholarship grant.

Each applicant for a grant must submit the official application form and send an evaluation within 30 days of the completion of the project for which the funds are granted. A completed evaluation is required in order to remain eligible for future grants.

Grant recipients will be sent a “Good Faith Agreement” outlining the terms of the grant. A signed “Good Faith Agreement” must be returned before the grant award can be distributed.

Proposals will be evaluated on their direct application to the priorities of the fund. Grant requests that are approved may or may not receive full funding depending upon the amount of funds available in a given year and the number of requests received. It is not intended that a grant from this fund will cover 100% of the cost, but assist with other funding sources to enable attendance.

Important considerations as you prepare your application:

1. Grants are usually in the $500-$3,500 range so that the greatest number of applicants can be assisted.

2. Use these funds to challenge local donors. Applications that consider a Solomon Cramer Award to be a “challenge” or “matching funds” are looked upon favorably. In other words, it is preferred that the grant not be an initiative’s sole source of funding.

3. When possible, the grant committee seeks to use the Solomon Cramer Grants to leverage the ministry goals of UMCRM in developing leaders especially among currently underserved and underrepresented ethnic populations. The Association would like to follow up with newly-identified leaders in camp/retreat ministry. Successful applicants minimally agree to forward names and contact information of identified leaders so they may be added to UMCRM’s S’more Mail and made aware of regional and national training and educational opportunities and scholarships. 

Contact UMCRM Development Chair Jeff Parsons with questions: jeff.parsons@umcrm.org  989-883-2501

If you could fund one project this year to elevate the future sustainability and impact of your camp/retreat ministry, what would it be? 

All United Methodist camp and/or retreat ministry organizations are invited to submit a grant proposal for funding through the new 2022 Ministry Impact Grant. Secured by UMCRM, this $1,000,000 in foundation grant funding is to be used to move our ministries toward lasting missional impact. Knowing that each of our ministries is different and the needs at each site are unique, grant proposals are not limited by amount requested nor for what purpose. One site may need funding for leadership development, while another may need a capital improvement project, consultation on a master site plan, etc. 

For help discerning the type of project that might bring the most value to your organization, join next week's 2-hour UMCRM Community Conversation on Monday, February 14th. Kathy Trotter, former camp/retreat and nonprofit consultant and strategic visioning specialist, will help us think through project possibilities by determining how to measure sustainability for continued impact.

While project types are not limited, there are a few requirements to keep in mind as you consider applying for a 2022 Ministry Impact Grant:

• All grant funded projects must be completed during this calendar year. Any funding that is not spent by December 31st, 2022 must be returned to the Association. 

• All proposals are due by midnight on Tuesday, March 8th. 

• Proposals must be no longer than one page and submitted as a pdf through the Proposal Submission Link. Proposals longer than one page will not be considered.

• A Project Report will be required at the completion of all grant funded projects.

In order to remove bias from the selection process, the selection of approved proposals will be done by a small group of United Methodist camp/retreat ministry advocates and representatives from the granting foundation. This group’s priority is to ensure the funding makes as broad of an impact as possible. They will be looking for the following information in the proposals:

• A summary and timeline of the project.

• Amount required to complete the project and the total amount being requested.

• The outcomes or impact that this project will have on the long-term effectiveness of your organization.

While UMCRM cannot guarantee that all project proposals will be funded, this opportunity comes as a blessing to our whole community. When any of our ministry organizations are strengthened, we are all strengthened. When our ministries thrive, camps and retreats will be able to continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are excited to see what will grow from this investment in the future of these ministries entrusted to our care.

Please direct questions about the grant to UMCRM Association Director Jessica Gamaché. 

It’s February – solidly in the middle of off-season for bees in Iowa. The honeybees that remain in Iowa are tucked in for the winter, clustered together and slowly flexing their wings to keep their hive warm, each taking their turn rotating to the outside of the cluster to allow others further inside the cluster to warm up. They’re slowly working their way through the honey stores they put up for the winter, just waiting for a warm enough day to go out for a cleansing flight, to catch a bit of sunlight, and maybe to find an early bud from which to source some nectar or pollen.

My bees don’t get that slow season. As other beekeepers are preparing their hives to over-winter in sometimes sub-zero temperatures, my husband is preparing our bees for a trip out west. Our bees, during the typical off-season, gather with other hives from all across the country in California to pollinate almonds! Instead of being tucked in for the winter, they’re busy going from one blossom to the next in acres of almond orchards. And instead of just beginning to stretch their wings in April, they’re coming back to Iowa full of the nectar and pollen they collected, just bursting at the seams and ready to grow.

That gathering of honeybees reminds me some of the UMCRM National Gathering that was held this fall in Pennsylvania. Fall is typically our off-season, so we gather with our friends from all across the country to work on a shared mission: to resource, advocate, inspire, and network to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of camp and retreat ministries! And when we return home, we’re bursting with ideas to grow our camps and make them better and stronger to serve our campers.

If almond farmers didn’t bring in bees from all around the country to pollinate their trees, the world would sadly have many fewer almonds. And if we didn’t all come together through UMCRM, we wouldn’t be as easily able to share ideas, learn from one another’s successes and failures, and may not bear as much fruit.

Our individual camps are similar to individual beehives – each one can stand alone and function on its own. It will bear fruit, or rather, honey, without interacting with other hives. But the reality is that we do interact and help each other to grow. When a hive is looking weak, a beekeeper can go into another hive and take a few frames of brood (soon-to-hatch bees) and move them into the weaker hive to help it grow. And so it is with our association: when our camp and retreat ministries need new and refreshing ideas, we can visit our camp friends and bring revitalized ideas back into our own spaces.

Each hive has one queen. That queen is responsible for laying up to 1500 eggs per day in the summer while the nectar is flowing. If the queen is damaged or dies, the entire colony may collapse. But as long as the hive is queenright (meaning the queen is present), that one bee can keep the hive happily humming along all year long. Come fall, the colony begins to pare down the number of bees in the hive. Fewer are needed to get through a long, cold winter. But those that remain must be hearty to begin to re-grow the hive in the spring.

The queen is like the leadership of your camp – maybe not just the director, but the whole team. It’s important to have healthy leadership to keep camp growing and thriving. The core leadership team is much like the smaller cluster of bees that takes the queen and hive into the wintertime. They’ll spend all of the off-season diligently working through the projects that need to be accomplished, so that when spring rolls around, they’re ready for summer staff to arrive and campers to be on site.

Now about those 1500 eggs the queen lays each day – nearly all of those are the female worker bees. In the summertime, those bees live only about 45 days. They literally work themselves to death. Each bee will bring in approximately 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her entire life! The worker bees will go through many phases in their short lives: janitor, nurse, construction worker, undertaker, security guard, and breadwinner. Do you ever see your campers go through many phases in the short time that they’re with you? Perhaps going from shy to homesick to building confidence to not wanting to leave? We see similar types of campers each week as the camp population turns over. As the summer goes on, our skills refine and grow to better meet the needs of our campers.

I believe our association and our camps are all just as sweet as honey! May we all come to appreciate the beauty and blessing of these wonderful insects God gave us. We can learn a lesson or two from these sweet creatures.

Shannon Bardole-Foley has been camp registrar and fundraising assistant for Iowa United Methodist Camps for 4 years. She also keeps Russian honeybees with her husband, Jason, who produces queen bees for a living.