Sadness, excitement, fear, relief, anticipation, anxiety, hope … these are all emotions that camp and retreat leaders have expressed when I’ve asked them, “How are you feeling about making the hard decision to not hold traditional summer camp this year?” Many expressed the surrealness of feeling all these emotions at the same time. As I’ve interacted with United Methodist camp/retreat ministry staff over the past three months, the feeling that I have had most often is the feeling of inspiration. I am inspired by the tireless efforts camp leaders put into the decision-making process. I am inspired by the outpouring of support from our camper families, volunteers, and donors toward our ministries that have needed to cancel or modify summer camp. I am inspired by the way our community of United Methodist camp and retreat leaders have come together to support one another. And most of all, I am inspired by the way all of our summer camps have gotten creative in providing ministry experiences this year. 

UMCRM member ministries are learning new ways to provide clean/safe spaces. They are spending weeks preparing and shipping “Camp in a Box” materials. They are figuring out how to implement cohort camping and recording videos for virtual camp experiences. They are reaching out to serve their communities with meals, masks, and other symbols of Christ’s love. The creativity and adaptive leadership on display inspire wonder at the quality leaders that God has called into camp and retreat ministry. 

During these past several months, every Director, Board member, and staff member worked hard to gather, synthesize, and interpret information for their context. We leaned into our mission and calling, weighed risk, agonized over contingencies and outcomes, and prayed for guidance. No matter where we landed in our decision-making about Summer 2020, none of us are alone in those decisions.

Of the 170 UMCRM ministries that were anticipating a 2020 summer camp season, we have learned  that: 

• 139 have canceled traditional summer camp programming

• 19 have modified or shortened traditional summer camp programming 

• 6 are planning to hold a full traditional summer camp program, 

• 2 sites have decided to suspend their operations indefinitely 

Each and every decision made during these months required courage. God called us into unfamiliar territory, and our UMCRM community members stepped up to the challenge. As the journey continues, the call for courageous leadership remains. The road ahead will bring with it additional challenges and hard decisions. We will continue to feel sadness, excitement, fear, relief, anticipation, anxiety, and hope; perhaps all at the same time. Whatever lies ahead of us, I feel confident that our community will continue to inspire and lift up each other as we journey together. The UMCRM Association will be here to help share resources, show up for one another, and pool our collective courage and creative energy for the benefit of all.

Leadership can be challenging and sometimes lonely, even during the easiest of times. That is why the National Gathering of United Methodist Camp & Retreat Leaders is so vital to so many of us. In January of this year, the Design Team met at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado to begin putting together a gathering that would help all of us elevate the ministries we steward. The team began lining up some amazing speakers, workshops, worship experiences, and a vendor party to top all vendor parties. Then Covid-19 hit.

As the weeks turned into months, we still held onto a glimmer of hope that we might be able to find a path to host our planned January 2021 event. Over the past several weeks, a task force was formed to explore the various options available to us. Ultimately, the UMCRM Association Board unanimously accepted the recommendation to postpone our National Gathering until 2022. The postponement also brings with it the need to relocate where we gather. We will share more details of the 2022 Gathering with you as they develop.

While we have pushed pause on gathering together as a full UMCRM community for nineteen months, it is “pause” and not “stop.” Even as you read this, a team of volunteers is being formed to explore new and innovative ways to meet your needs for education and networking over the coming year. We can’t wait to see where the Spirit will lead us!

Kim Bell & Matt Williams, National Gathering Co-chairs

With great excitement, I anticipated the virtual meeting with Vice President Pence scheduled for May 28, 2020. I was invited to join the call by Tom Rosenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Camp Association (ACA,) and Henry DeHart, Chief Operating Officer of ACA. They were convening a “leaders’ call” during which camping professionals would discuss with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force the challenges that “threaten the ability of camp professionals to provide essential summertime learning experiences… in this unprecedented economic crisis.” The Vice President and his team wanted to learn about how they could help us “preserve the continuity of our camps and respond to the educational needs of children, youth and young adults in this pandemic.”

So I got ready. Dressed better than usual from the waist up (in the new normal of working from home,) and to appear more professional, I followed the instructions to log onto the call early to get in the queue for the meeting. Much to my surprise and amusement I found the instructions to a conference call rather than a Zoom call! I giggled at myself for the vanity of getting dressed up and proceeded to log into the number, punch in the meeting code and record an announcement of my name.

After a roll call of those present, Tom Rosenberg spoke about the camp industry and identified perspectives represented on the call, including faith-based camps, non-for-profit, for-profit, those serving special needs campers, day camps, and overnight camps. He also spoke of the impact of the camp experience and the fact that each summer, camps in America serve over 20 million children and youth.  

Vice President Pence then introduced those who were on the call with him, including Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, and Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy of the Treasury Department Dr. Michael Faulkender. Pence extended his gratitude for our efforts in what we provide for families across the United States. He shared that he was a counselor at a summer camp in Louisville, Kentucky, and that even today, as a father, he appreciates us for what we do.  

Vice President Pence appeared well informed about the difference camps make on lives in the “great outdoors” and our plight over the last few months during the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke about the efforts toward opening up America and referenced the CDC Guidelines and the ACA Field Guide as supplements to state and local laws.

Dr. Deborah Birx spoke and acknowledged camps’ abilities to respond to this pandemic and support children coming to camp. She talked about being a camper back in the day and the impact she experienced. Dr. Birx is supportive of camps and confident that we already have health and wellness protocols in place to deal with communicable diseases. She noted that most have medical staff supporting our summer camp operations. She also spoke about referring many of her patients over the years to summer camps, as she knew first hand our ability to serve even campers with serious medical needs. Dr. Birx recognized camps for the “extraordinary work [we] do.”  

Dr. Michael Faulkender talked to us about the economic impact the pandemic was having nationwide, the camping industry being no exception to the economic damage. He also told us that on May 24^th, the Treasury Department “fixed a disparity in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)” in that they added the 12-week period of May 1-September 15 as another look-back period to determine maximum loan amounts. This added period took into consideration the “high season” of the camping industry. Faulkender also anticipated that there would be another round of legislation for families and small businesses.

After about an hour and several questions posed to the Vice President and his team, Vice President Pence closed the time together by saying, “The best thing to do is get our camps back open….”  To that, we all agreed, and Tom Rosenberg thanked the team for their time, insight, and input. 

I can’t help but believe that this conversation with Vice President Pence, Dr. Deborah Birx, and Dr. Michael Faulkender was time well spent. On at least two occasions, VP Pence made note to include items of interest in a meeting agenda he and this very team were attending after our call. At the very least, I believe that the camp industry was put squarely on their radar and that the numbers affected each year by the camp experience are enough to get their attention for further conversations down the road.  

I want to thank Tom Rosenberg and Henry DeHart for organizing the call and including me in the invitation. I, along with many of my colleagues, am deeply appreciative of ACA’s advocacy in Washington and their efforts to include the voices of camping from across the United States in conversations like this.  

Dail Ballard is the Executive Director of the North Carolina United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries, Inc.  She oversees Camps Chestnut Ridge, Don Lee, and Rockfish.

View the White House's "Readout from the Vice President's call with Summer Camp Owners and Operators"

Bob Giesy (1940-2020) dedicated his life to sharing a sense of joy and a love for outdoor recreation and for Christ with generations of young people. 

In 1964 Bob was sent by the General Board of Global Ministries of The UMC as a US-2 to serve as a group worker with inner city boys at the Wesley Community Center in St. Joseph, Missouri. Through the US-2 program he also met his wife of 53 years, Rosemary.

From 1966-1969 Bob continued serving as a group worker with inner city youth, now at Wesley House Centers in Nashville, TN. Then from 1969-1971 he became Executive Director of Camp Widjiwagan, Nashville YMCA.

In 1971 a childhood friend from Houston, TX and UMC minister, Glen Langston, recruited Bob to Virginia, where he became Executive Director of Camp Highroad in Middleburg. There he was an early practitioner of the decentralized, small group camping model. 

From 1980-1982  Bob was President of the Chesapeake Section of the American Camping Association. Following that time, Bob served for 13 years as Superintendent of the Rockville (MD) Civic Center Park. 

In 1995 Bob returned to United Methodist Camping, where he served as the first Executive Director of Camp Alta Mons in Shawsville, VA, and where he became known for spinning Willie Jack folktales.

Following his retirement in 2006, Bob and Rosemary moved to Charleston, SC just in time to become grandparents to four active grandkids. He continued to lead group games and tell stories to friends, family and the non-profit organizations he supported. He was an enthusiastic member of Bethel UMC in Charleston, SC.

We're grateful to God for Bob's well-lived life of service and for his lasting contributions to outdoor ministry in the United Methodist tradition. 

Read Bob Giesy's obituary here.

Rev. Gary Heaton reflects...

It is difficult to conceive how God used Bob Giesy to mold my experience of the Body of Christ. His faith, devotion to family, and passion for outdoor ministry were generously shared with generations of people whose faith journey led them to camping.   

My first exposure to Bob was through a camp counselor, Ron Robey, whom Bob trained and instructed in the the art of Small Group Camping. Bob was among a devoted group of Camp Directors who adopted the Small Group camping philosophy championed by John Ensign, author of the classic "Camping Together as Christians." That philosophy was passed from John to Bob to Ron to me, and I continued to pass it on through my own ministry. Ron answered the call to leave public school teaching to become a career UM Camp Director and I answered a call into ordained ministry that kept me deeply invested in camping.

All across Virginia, generations of campers, counselors, and colleagues were blessed by Bob's infectious smile, corny stories, and confidence in how the Holy Spirit works through a relationship with the out-of-doors. Ron Robey, John Hall, Barry LeNoir, Jen Burch, and Russell Davis (just to name a few) have all been touched by the wake of Bob's leadership in UM Camping and Retreat Ministry in the Virginia Conference. Bob introduced me to my future wife Beth at Camp Highroad and years later I was privileged to hire his daughter Rachel as a camp counselor at Camp Alta Mons. Over the years, I learned many things by watching Bob, and some of his wisdom took time to come to light. For instance, Bob would hire people who did not have outwardly perfect qualifications for working summer camp. He hired me when I was a bit too young to work at residential camp; he hired my wife Beth when she was a little unsure of working for a church camp; he hired John Hall as maintenance staff and he grew into a Program Director. Bob seemed to find people to work at camp who might be out of step or maybe challenged by some social, physical, or emotional liability. Yet time and time again Bob's wisdom was proved amazing by how the summer camp staff would come together into a cohesive and highly functional whole. (1 Corinthians 12!)  His gift was a keen understanding of the interdependence of the Body of Christ and the way the Holy Spirit works over time in an outdoor setting. I am sure there are many more names that I have left out who were touched by Bob Giesy's life and ministry (you know who you are). I mostly want to express sympathy to Rosemary and the girls and my gratitude to them for sharing their wonderful father and husband with United Methodist Camping and Retreat Ministry. We are blessed to be part of that family. 

Gary E Heaton

Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Charlottesville, VA

UMCRM community members have been sharing memories and celebrations of Jack Porter this week. 

From Jane Petke, Co-Director at Suttle Lake Camp (OR):

"Jack and Ruth Porter served alongside of Daniel and I the summer of 2003, supporting us and the camp as we anticipated the birth of our first son.  I remember fondly one evening as the campers gathered in the parking lot after the first day's fire drill.  

Jack had the circle of campers look up around the circle at each other, asking, "What do we breathe in?"  The campers responded, "Oxygen!"  Then he asked, "What do we breathe out?".  The campers responded, "Carbon Di-Oxide!".  Then he had the campers look up at the tall trees surrounding them, asking "What do the trees breathe in?"   "Carbon Di-Oxide!" then asking "What do the trees breathe out?  "Oxygen!"  Then he simply said, "Isn't God good!"   I am thankful for the mentor that Jack was to me and so many camp leaders."  

From Sandy Sisson: "This is one of those times where you want to push the heart and sadness together...yes, truly a wonderful soul. It has been years ago, but I still count meeting Jack Porter as a privileged path crossing. While attending Southeastern UMC Conference Recreation, Camp, Retreat Gatherings at Sumatanga {week long events of learning/sharing/affirmation}, I was blessed experiencing workshops and his wisdom - fellowship campfire times. He made a difference in my chosen ministry vocation and personal life."

From John Erdman: "It was such an honor to follow in Jack’s footsteps at Wesley Woods and a real blessing to get to know him. He was always so positive, kind and passionate about camp and the young people we served."

From Randy Pasqua: "I am privileged to be from Holston Conference where I experienced as a teenager Jack’s leadership on retreats at Camp Wesley Woods, and then as a young pastor with ambitions for Outdoor Ministry. I am part of his camping leadership legacy that has grown from his deep love for God, for this world, but especially for us. He taught us how to listen deeply to each other as he did to us. He taught us to smile and laugh (particularly at ourselves) and find the joy in most all circumstances.  He introduced us to Jack Tales, stories of the adventures of Jack and his brothers and their life in the Appalachian Mountains. He modeled many of the antihero characteristics of Jack as he embraced life as it came, and looked after us with deep compassion and love. He always found a way to help us become the hero of the story rather than himself. This Christlike spirit is the foundation that Jack established for us to carry on as he ventured into the wider world of United Methodist Camping. And then we have been doubly blessed to have Jack back among us in his retirement years. Smiling, encouraging, and leading with a story of hope, possibility and love."

From Jan Thomas:  "I remember meeting Jack and Ruth at the first national gathering I attended in 1976. He told me that he was the director of Wesley Woods in Tennessee, which I had never heard of. Who knew that I later would be the director there and would live in the house that he built? Our paths crossed often through the years, and it was always a joy. His was a life well-lived."

From Lee Padgett: "...truly great servant...I remember Jack took me rappelling for the very first time during the SEJ annual recreation lab the week after Easter years ago. He had that genuine sweet gentle spirit that drew you in."

From Camp Tekoa (NC):  Jack was the Executive Director of Camp Tekoa in the 1980s-90s. He was a beloved fatherly figure to campers and staff for many years. Under his leadership, Tekoa reached thousands of children in the name of Christ and formed the faith of hundreds of young adults, many of whom are in ministry today. Jack served local churches in our area alongside his ministry at Tekoa out of his deep love of pastoral ministry.

Jack was known for his hilarious and engaging stories, his gentle chuckling laugh and his kindness to every person that knew him. He had a twinkle in his eye as he worked and played at camp, modeling for us all how to share the love of God with children. You might find him climbing a tree or scaling a rock or possibly scratching notes on a piece of cardboard for the next new ropes course element he'd thought up. He would never leave a piece of trash on the ground (after all he grew up in Scouting) and he would never leave a smidge of leftovers in the fridge (he had been spotted eating many varied concoctions and interesting combinations of food). The Camp Tekoa experience of today was formed under his leadership and vision.

Outside of Camp Tekoa, Jack was well-known in the Christian camping community. He revitalized several sites, assisted smaller locations in developing programs and constantly sought ways to support the greater camping community.

May we all remember the fun skits he performed with his beloved wife, Ruth, the Jack Tales stories he committed to heart and the beautiful echoing of Jack's voice across the lake at candlelight. Camp Tekoa exists today because of his deep love, sacrifice and call to ministry.

We know many more UMCRM folks have delightful memories of Jack. Feel free to add yours in the comments below!

Donations in Jack's honor may be sent to the Porter Scholarship Fund for sending children and youth to camp. Make checks payable to Holston Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries and write Porter Scholarship Fund in the memo line. Mail to Mary Thompson, CRM Executive Director, 262 Bart Green Dr., Gray, TN 37615.

UMCRM Weekly Community Meeting

2:00 pm Pacific, 3:00 pm Mountain, 4:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Eastern

Each Monday (until further notice) UMCRM will host a Community Meeting on Zoom – a time to check in with one another, provide mutual support, and share ideas. All who provide leadership in some way (staff, board, volunteers) in United Methodist-affiliated camps are welcome. Here’s the link

Resource Library

Why reinvent the wheel? Check out documents (sample policies, email communications, and more) shared by UMCRM members. Contribute yours by emailing to LibraryAdmin@umcrm.org  

Log into the Library

 UMCRM Virtual Day Camp

Camp leaders are resourceful, fun, and creative. While we dream of the campfires, hikes, games, and other together-in-person adventures we’ll return to eventually, UMCRM community members are creating an online, virtual resource for campers of all ages to access from home. The free Virtual Day Camp will be up starting next week, with new content regularly added for as long as we need to be “virtual.” Let us know if you would like to contribute content. We will have a social media teaser available for you to share with camp families in the next couple of days. Join the UMCRM Facebook Group for timely updates.

I feel honored to nominate Dave Cook, Wallowa County resident for the award of “Unsung Hero 2019"! I met Dave Cook 8 years ago when he was retiring as Wallowa Lake United Methodist Camp Manager and my husband and I were taking over as Camp Directors. Funny thing is, Dave Cook is not “retired”, he is employed as a “volunteer” who works more than full time serving this community as well as the world, to enrich lives and make this world a better place.

Dave Cook lives our camp mission statement. He is a person dedicated to providing quality environments of hospitality and learning, to help persons grow in wisdom and healthy self-esteem. He helps people develop lifestyles of loving interdependence with each other and all creation. He helps affirm and expand people’s faith and their service in God’s world. Dave Cook volunteers thousands of hours at this camp and throughout the community. He is at camp working almost every day unless he is out of town or volunteering somewhere else. He is here rain or snow, heat or cold. He often rides his bike 14 miles round-trip from his Joseph home to camp. Dave builds and builds and builds….building after building has been built under his guidance and many have been totally renovated or remodeled by him. He often works alone, appearing without us even knowing he is here, until we see his bike, car, cinnamon twists from Valis or his smiling face. His energy is contagious so when he invites others to volunteer they almost always say “yes” and work side by side with him. He wants no attention or “fuss” made over his countless hours of labor. If asked, he will drop whatever he is doing and help with something else, including heavy labor moving metal bunk beds or climbing on roofs…jobs meant for much younger people. He has spent endless hours teaching young people how to do what he does. He has helped more than one Girl Scout earn her highest Gold award, teaching them how to build a mountain chapel, a river chapel, put in trails and tear down a hazardous building. There is no end to his patience!

This camp would not be what it is in this community without Dave Cook’s years of service! But in order to understand “why” that is so valuable to this community and to the world, you need to know “who” he has affected by what he does at this camp. Every year, this camp is a sacred place serving amazingly diverse groups and peoples. People with mental struggles, people needing healing, people with devastating emotional scars, people who are alone who need community, people who are lost, people in poverty, people who are unaccepted, people who come to learn and grow, people celebrating… celebrating families, marriages, births, deaths. This camp is a place for quilters to make quilts for veterans, for young people to gain confidence and self-esteem, a place for Nez Perce (Niimiipuu) brothers and sisters to gather on their homeland. This camp is where musicians learn to play. It is where people are fed food and love in community. It is where leaders come to refresh and where peace is plentiful. It is where people are outside, away from everyday stresses, learning from nature and quiet along with programs and people. It is where college students come to know each other, a place of diverse people living in community. Dave Cook not only volunteers quietly, he gives quietly. His wife, Ingrid, and he have donated two cabins to this sacred place along with giving a number of other generous financial gifts throughout the community and world. Dave Cook never complains or says an ill word towards anyone. He doesn’t question why someone needs help, he is there, ready to work. When an older woman neighbor needed a tree cut down, he was there. When pavers and building needed to be done at “The Place”, the new community building at Joseph United Methodist Church, he was there. When a person in the community needed a new metal roof, he was there. When an elderly struggling couple needed firewood cut so they could heat their home, he was there. When Mid Valley Theatre needed someone to build sets for their productions, he was there, building sets for over 10 years, each one taking countless hours of time, creativity, and determination.

As much as Dave Cook helps in the Wallowa County Community, he also helps his neighbors around the world. Every year, he organizes a group of people to travel to Salt Lake City for a week volunteering at the “Depot” to put together disaster relief kits, school kits, layette kits, sanitary cleaning kits etc….to be sent all over the world through UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee On Relief). On his own initiative, Dave Cook started a scholarship program for high school students from his high school, Fredonia High, in Kansas. He has made numerous trips through some of the worst weather, to get to Kansas to set up this scholarship program, put together brochures and mailings, set up and attend meetings, solicit funds and oversee the entire program to make sure it succeeds!

Every Sunday at Joseph United Methodist Church Dave does what is called the “Mission Moment” where he shares ways the congregation can help with needs throughout the community and world. Dave Cook is a bright light in what can often be a dark world. He gently spreads messages of hope and kindness. He lives to serve, and spends his life being an example of what it means to be a hero. He is my hero! Dave Cook inspires me to be a better person. He inspires me to give and keep giving, even when I’m tired. Dave Cook deserves this award and deserves to know what a hero and example he is to so many throughout this community and the world! Please select Dave Cook for the Wallowa County Unsung Hero Citizen of the Year! He deserves it every year in my book!

Blessings, Peggy Lovegren

Unsurprisingly, Peggy's nomination inspired the Wallowa County Chamber to award Dave with the "Unsung Hero" honor.  Dave was honored at the Citizens' Award Banquet this weekend. True to form, he was too busy to be present as he was in Salt Lake City volunteering with UMCOR. Dave Cook, you are an inspiration to us all!

The forward-thinking philosophy and inspired generosity of one individual is changing the lives of many. Throughout his life, the Reverend Solomon Graydon Cramer could see that the ministry happening at United Methodist summer camps across the country was preparing the church’s young leaders for lives of impact through discipleship. As a testament to his belief in the power of camp, Rev. Cramer built up his legacy by endowing a portion of his will to ensure future generations of young people could benefit from the camp experience. Since 2017, the Solomon Cramer Fund has been sending more young people to camp by granting scholarship funds to deserving conference camp programs. In those three years, United Methodist camps have received well over $50K in scholarship grants for young people participating in a variety of innovative programs that reach beyond the traditional ways of doing camp. 

Scholarship grants from the Solomon Cramer Fund encourage us to consider the breadth of our ministries by focusing on four priorities:

1. Experiences that minister with youth living in poverty
2. The intentional development of young people for spiritual leadership and/or leadership with Camp & Retreat Ministries
3. Camp experiences that collaborate with local churches and agencies in processes of faith formation
4. Providing opportunities for diversity within ministry participation and leadership

Special consideration is given to Camp & Retreat Ministries that focus on more than one of the priorities and that are launching new programs/opportunities. 

The 2019 Solomon Cramer Fund grant recipients were: Camp Don Lee, Camp Chestnut Ridge, Camp Wrightwood, Jumonville, Loucon & Aldersgate Camps, York City Day Camp/Susquehanna Conference, and Uskichitto Retreat Center.

These grant recipients exemplified the legacy of Rev. Cramer in the programs and projects supported by the Fund. Here are a few highlights from the 2019 recipients:

• Camp Loucon and Aldersgate Camp (KY) used their grant to provide an additional 20 young people with the experience of camp through their mission site partners including The Foundry, Grace Kids, Ida Spence Mission, and the Redbird Missionary Conference.  

• Camp Don Lee (NC)  brought together their Leadership In Training youth with local UM churches and AME Zion churches to offer a traveling day camp program that “provides a safe place for children to experience God and God’s creation.” 175 children were reached through the program.

• Jumonville (PA) fully funded an additional 10 participants in their HOPE Camp program, bringing foster children and those with an incarcerated parent into “a safe environment to be encouraged, loved, and challenged to grow in their spiritual, social, and personal lives.” 

• The Lead From YOUR Strength program at Camp Wrightwood (CA) brought together young people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds for an intentional time of discernment, self-awareness, and leadership development.

The March 15th application deadline for the 2020 round of Solomon Cramer Grants is quickly approaching. This is an incredible opportunity for your ministry to provide a camp experience for young people regardless of their ability to pay. A Solomon Cramer Grant could be the pathway for a young person to learn of God's love for them, hear their call into ministry, or grow in leadership at your site this summer. The partnerships and projects you try this year might open new doors for service and collaboration in your Conference and community. Imagine something new. Apply today!

The week of the SEJ gathering was a time of immense learning, wonderful fellowship, and spiritual conversations. It was evident that the sessions were thoughtfully planned and led by extremely competent members of the camping community. I especially found this week helpful as a newcomer to the UMCRM world. I feel as though anyone in the camping field would have really benefited from the SEJ gathering.

In addition to the sessions, I learned much during the time of fellowship with other attendees of the gathering. Then, on top of all the other wonderful experiences offered, the worship time presented us with a mindset on how to approach our ever-changing environment by leaning into God.

During the first whole group session, we were given three points as a takeaway by Jack Shitama, Executive Director at Pecometh Camp and Retreat Center and author of Anxious Church, Anxious People: How to Lead Change in an Age of Anxiety. The points are to 1) remember your camp’s purpose, 2) put your employees first, 3) think big, but act small. All of these points centered around the idea that change is going to happen, but with these three things, we can adapt easier and be more successful. Personally, the biggest takeaway I had was not to let the fear of the unknown keep your camp from growing, which goes along with the "think big, act small" point.  

In our next large group session, led by Russell Davis, Executive Director of North Georgia Camp and Retreat Ministries, there was an emphasis on being an adaptive leader. This session was more of a group discussion rather than just a typical presentation. In small groups, we discussed the differences between varying mindsets of leaders, which allowed us to understand better how we lead and if we should re-evaluate that. 

Then our last session brought a 

more historical approach to help us understand how to make disciples based on biblical examples, which was led by Chris Wilterdink, Director of Young People's Ministries at UM Discipleship Ministries.

In addition to the large group sessions, we were able to attend three different workshops of our choosing. I attended workshops on trauma informed care, volunteer engagement, and experiential activities and how they are used to make disciples.

Amy Foley from Camp Hope Worldwide led the trauma informed care workshop. This workshop brought a unique perspective of how, within the structure of having campers for one week, we can make a lasting impact to help these campers learn to self-regulate. We were presented with many small actions we can take at our camps that would allow our campers who have experienced trauma to feel safe with us at camp.

Jessica Gamache, Association Director for UMCRM, led us in volunteer engagement. We focused on how to get volunteers and then how to keep them. We were given three points for getting them and three more for keeping them. When looking at how to get volunteers, the points are to inform, inspire, and invite. The three points for keeping volunteers engaged are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. My biggest takeaway was always to remember to leave a potential volunteer with a call to action.

Our fellowship time was provided in the form of structured evening events and in free time. We were able to enjoy a silent disco where we all jammed out to our favorite songs while showing off our great camp dance moves. We also saw how talented our peers are in an open mic night. Then my favorite event, game night, allowed us to have some friendly competition with each other. During these times, the leaders of the sessions would also hang around, which provided a great time to ask any follow up questions we had while building a connection with them.

Finally, our worship was a time where God was so clearly present. We were taken on a journey through the seasons of change during the sermons by Joya Abrams, which matched so well with the worship portion. I believe we all left the SEJ gathering feeling refreshed and reassured that no matter what is going on in our lives, work, or even in our denomination, God is still working, and we can still rely on Him and His goodness.

Haleigh Davis has served as a counselor, volunteer, and intern over her time in camping. She served specifically with Camp in the Community (TN) as the intern from 2016 to 2018. Prior to her return as the Assistant Director at Camp in the Community this year, she served at Emerald Youth Foundation as a Youth Ministry Coordinator. We welcome her into the UMCRM fold and appreciate her contributing this post from her experience at SEJ! 

My Unfortunately Unique Path as a Program Director

One of the first things I did as a newly hired Program Director for Lakeshore Camp and Retreat Center was to go to the UM National Camp Leader Gathering in 2001, held at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado. I had graduated college a month before and was stepping into a newly formed Program Director role without much certainty about what it would be like or how long I would be in it. The National Gathering was a great way to plunge right into the United Methodist camping world. 

My boss told me to seek out other Program Directors, engage them, pick their brain, learn for myself. I met a lot of people in the course of a week. I returned to Tennessee and started the job in earnest, a 23-year-old who was really just going on 6 years of summer staff experience. Fast forward two years later to the next National Gathering, and I am feeling much more confident, more connected to people, more in touch with what year-round camp work means, but no expert by any stretch of the imagination. Many of the people I met two years ago were absent. Many Program Directors were noticeably younger than me (I was 25). Fast forward two more years. At this point, I’m an elder statesman of Program Directors at the National Gathering. There are only a handful of people my age, and part of why we are close is because there’s this feeling we are the only survivors of something. 

Among this small group of old (late 20s/early 30s) Program Directors, our discussions more frequently landed on our colleagues who were not returning and why they had left their positions. It became more and more clear to us that many camp Program Director positions were not designed for longevity, to the detriment of our colleagues and the camps they used to serve. 

Fast forward again to the current day. I am beginning my 5th year as a Director at Camp Magruder, a UM Camp on the Oregon Coast. I worked for 13 years in program before stepping into a director role, which is pretty unusual in our line of work. This wasn’t for lack of opportunities--I felt like my calling was still program. I realize though, I was lucky to sustain that kind of longevity. As I look at my camp now through a director lens, and as I think about other camps, it seems crucial to our success and my sanity that my department heads, particularly my Program Director, stick around 5-10 years. 

The Road Trip to Restore Faith in Camp

I met Sam and Sara Richardson when they stayed at my camp on an epic adventure they were taking. The Richardsons were (are!) camp people who had just left their camp to take an extended road trip in a grandfather’s RV, visiting faith-based camps, volunteering in exchange for food and a spot to park. They wrote about and vlogged their adventures along the way, seeing much of the country and getting a better taste of faith-based camping than just about anyone I knew. 

When I asked them about my suspicion that most Program Directors are set up for burnout, they told me that at one camp where they’d worked the Program Director position was referred to as the Professor of the Dark Arts (a reference to the Hogwarts position that is occupied by a new person in every Harry Potter book). 

I would interview them again as I put together my workshop, and I learned this was their story, too. Sam was Program Director for two years before he and Sara got married. Once married, he stayed less than two years at camp before the lack of work-life balance burned him out. By the time he left the job, he wasn’t there psychologically. They told me that their trip had partially been to revive their passion for camps.

A Revolving Door

I found we made similar observations about camp Program Directors. They are typically an all-star summer staffer, just out of college. They know summer camp intricately and passionately. They have very little experience with full-time employment, healthy work-life balance, and long-term visioning. They often end up working at a year-round pace that mirrors their 3-month summer pace. Though they work long hours whenever necessary, their time off policy is dictated by rigid conference-wide standards not designed for camp life. And once a new family member enters the picture, it becomes clear there is no room for a personal life if it is not had at camp.

As I thought about this more, though, I recognized that camps are losing overall by a revolving door of Program Directors. If Program Directors last anything less than 3 years, a Director is almost constantly hiring and training someone new. The program itself is frequently unstable because campers and staffers are constantly getting used to a new personality in that role. There is never a chance to follow a long term vision for growth, because it is constantly being paused or rerouted.  

I surveyed 50 Program Directors and 22 Directors across the country in faith based camps to compare some data with my hunches. I asked questions about support, average tenure, thoughts about the future. I concluded that most camps surveyed don’t reach or barely reach the number of years generally agreed on for a Program Director to establish a sustained program and culture. Most Program Directors would describe their training as “trial and error as I lived into the role.” While nearly all Program Directors in the survey reported working over 60 hours a week during peak season (17% reported over 100 hours a week), about 60% of Directors report providing a specific number of vacation weeks that don’t take hours worked into consideration. 

We Can Do Better

Young camp professionals who are entering their first full-time job and desperately passionate about camp work should consider the best ways for them to extend this work they love for many years. That means engaging leadership in how training will be executed, who will do it, how long will it take, and how will success be measured. It may mean asking for training if there are inadequacies. That’s going to mean thinking about the work as a year-round marathon and not a summer-long sprint. It will mean considering if the proposed workload and benefits will adjust to home life with a spouse and children. Will there be adequate time to recharge the battery after summer? 

Of course, Directors should be thinking of all these things ahead of their newly hired year-round Program Staff. One of the biggest areas needing improvement, based on the surveys, is in training and support. This is an incredible time investment from planning to execution to follow-up. But, the cost for a Director to lose a Program Director every few years is subtly keeping the wheels of large sections of camp spinning in the mud. A Director needs to be aware of:

• Time spent hiring and training new full-time Program Staff

• Time spent covering inefficiencies from new staff person

• Time spent covering challenges from poor/recovering/rebuilding staff cultures

• Time spent addressing complaints over inefficient camp system from campers, parents, guests

• Cumulative effect on Director of having less time to devote to administrative tasks, being inefficient from a constant state of catching up

• Spiritual toll of having less time to be immersed in the joyful camp life crucial to enjoying this work

Camp systems set up like this are a wasteful use of resources and run counter to most camp missions. Simply from a pragmatic approach, they make the work of a Director more difficult. It may not be obvious, but it takes a great toll. 

Imagine With Me if You Will

The dream I want all camps privileged enough to hire a full-time Program Staff to aspire to is something like this: 

• A 10-year Program Director

• Stability in training seasonal staff, a summer camp culture that self-perpetuates

• Generations of campers growing into seasonal staffers who know and trust said Program Director

• Director (after time investments early on) devotes more mental energy and time to big picture, director stuff without interruption

• As Program Director masters basics (scheduling, standards, training, support) more time opens for new program developments and broadening camp skills

• A great amount of trust develops from top to bottom for camp program’s integrity and dependability, and a stable group of campers/guest groups return annually

• Program is able to incorporate more effectively in a site’s long-term master and missional plan

• A Program Director who has matured into professional and family life through the work. Personal growth enhances program and program enhances personal growth 

• When it is time to hire a new Program Director, there will be time for an exit plan, to hire and train side-by-side, creating a smooth transition and taking weight off Director’s shoulders to do all the training exclusively

• A Program Director leaves on a high note rather than reaching a breaking point. They leave for new challenges, new adventures, deeper callings, or new ways to help the organization. The exit is graceful and doesn’t leave a rift in camp circles that must be repaired

This will not just happen because a camp wants it to, so the  person who supervises this Program Director will need to plan for sixth months for training to be a major time commitment every week. The Program Director will need to be prepared to advocate for these things and have honest conversations about them. I believe, though, the payoff in the following years will save time and energy with interest and make the life of camp more meaningful and sustained. The clock is ticking! Based on my research, one-third of the camps surveyed are less than two years away from losing their Program Director if nothing changes. Over half of the camps have less than two years if their Program Director’s family situation changes. Directors and Program Directors, we can do better. Your life can be easier. Let’s do this.

Troy’s Suggestions On How To Get There

• Create a system of work that’s more results-based than hours-based, that incorporates involvement, completion of projects, and success of seasonal staffers.

• Define ranges of hours for a Program Director that are realistic to Director’s actual expectations and the demands of the work in its particular season to give a framework, but emphasize the work is still more qualitative than quantitative. 

• • Explain why hours differ, the pros and cons of involvement, rest, connection, disconnection. Talk about the rhythms you hope to see during summer/retreat seasons

  • Set specific hour ranges on where the Program Director’s hours should average (ex. Summer - 70 hours per week, Fall - 35 hours, Winter - 30, etc.)

• Director helps Program Directors choose times for vacation their first year that align with the need for rest and the rhythms of the seasons. Make sure they are getting away enough and not becoming chained to the work. I think it is good to schedule a trip of some length before summer and one after as well. 

• Director is greatly involved in goal setting, particularly for non-summer work to help get Program Director on board with the newer aspects of the job (if the Program Director is former summer staff). Helps Program Director recognize a hierarchy of objectives and how to pace and balance work. In the second year, Director backs away and grants more autonomy, still periodically checking in to evaluate progress.

• Camp makes space for a social life and tends to the fact that this person may be dealing with a very lonely form of culture shock. If a new Program Director is a former summer staffer, they are now supervising nearly everyone they might be friends with. Encourage opportunities to socialize with other permanent staff. Director should take seriously requests to be with peers, even if it occurs during busy season.

• Director starts training Program Director to accomplish tasks and train subordinates in such a way that they will have time for a significant other, even before a significant other enters the picture. Have them practice handing off responsibilities to subordinate staff, volunteers, etc., before there is an absolute need for it. Be available to monitor these handoffs in the early stages. 

• Evaluate paternity/maternity leave policy, and create a generous one. Make a plan for a Program Director’s absence proactively, before you need it. This could give you many more years with a Program Director.

• Create a camp culture that works like a healthy family, rather than a corporate, ladder-climbing, overly quantitative system. If life and camp can merge in a healthy way, work will be less of a burden and more of a lifestyle. We want good boundaries between work and home, but we want joy and community to be free-flowing between the two.

• • Gather as a staff to share a meal periodically outside of the dining hall

  • Open your home for visits (while protecting your own personal time)

  • Do recreational activities as a staff

  • Invite staff member to community happenings you are a part of

  • Take time during work day every now and then to digress into conversations not related to work

  • Encourage staff to pull together to help other staffers with major tasks; use it as a bonding opportunity

  • Get to know your staffers’ families

  • Be open to share what you are doing when you take time off, and why

• Director should be a consistent voice to identify the Program Director’s next challenge, not always leaving it to them to explore/name/realize where their new challenge will come from. A long-term Program Director needs new challenges, new skills to develop, new projects to engineer. Burnout sometimes comes from lack of challenge rather than overwork. 

Cheers to developing healthy working environments for all! If you would like to converse with others around this topic, please comment below. To talk to me directly, email troy@campmagruder.org. Let’s make all our lives easier and better.

Troy Taylor is Camp Director at Camp Magruder, living a charmed life on the Oregon Coast. He first got paid for camp work in 1997. When free, he indulges in running, beach bonfires, movie snobbery, the Chicago Cubs, poetry, walking long distances in the woods, and silently staring off into the distance. He's learning to surf to be a good role model for his two year old daughter. He's excited to see all the ways today’s kids will make the church into something new. Read about him every week on his personal blog: The Adventures of Troy Taylor.