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I called it “The Giving Tree,” partly because of my affection for Shel Silverstein’s book of the same name, but mostly because it gave me a sacred place for spiritual rest. A bulky beech tree with huge low branches, it grew magnificently on the edge of a creek running through our camp property.  A perfect home-in-the-woods setting and a sacred place for those who sought respite beneath its branches. Then it was gone. A raging rainstorm sent its runoff rushing down the creek bed, undercutting at the turn where the Giving Tree had found its strength to grow so perfectly. My heart sank when I discovered it.  My favorite sacred place would never be the same.

The theory of global climate change was beginning to make its way into the consciousness of nature-loving persons, but it seemed distant from the mission of the churches in the southeast. I fumed.  The annual conference had a work area on just about everything you could think of at the time.  Everything that is, except caring for God’s creation.  God called it “good.”  God placed the man in the garden to “tend it and keep it”, yet the church had no one assigned to give leadership in caring for it. “WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?” was my outcry.

As I fumed over my self-induced nature lover’s indignation at the church’s lack of ecological faithfulness, God whispered to me. “You’re the camp guy, dummy.  You know – the one called to outdoor ministry. The church has its leader. What are YOU going to do about that?” Ouch! Previously, I had understood my calling as the Caretaker of Sacred Ground. It was how I came to understand my role in Camp and Retreat ministry early in my career.  Suddenly, guided by an environmental conscience I believed to be the work of the Creator’s Spirit, I would now add the role of leading the Memphis Annual Conference as a voice for doing ministry with ecological integrity.

As should be true of all leadership, it begins at home. Leading with integrity means leading from experience and by example. My heart was moved to be more environmentally aware and active in preparing my own site to be an example ecological integrity in ministry. Lakeshore would become a standing witness to the call to care for creation, or bust.

We still have a long way to go, but we have come to be recognized by our Annual Conference as a leader in this area over the years since the loss of my beloved Giving Tree. There have been many battles in my faith community as I have sought to be a witness. Resistance to change is always an obstacle when presenting a longstanding culture with new ideas. During a 45 minute debate on the Annual Conference floor over a resolution I wrote to establish a Creation Care Task Force, a woman stood up and announced her love for nature and called herself an “original nature mother.” But she argued that environmental concerns had no business in the church. The church, she believed, should only concern itself with saving souls. It took us two years and two 45-minute debates to establish a Creation Care Task Force.

We who lead in calling the church to care for God’s gift of creation, especially those of us blessed to be in an outdoor ministry, must persevere in the face of resistance. We have to keep recycling, even when guests continue to throw trash in the recycle containers. We must stay steadfast in washing mugs for coffee, even when Styrofoam remains coffee’s best friend. When we are faced with the argument that the cost of being environmentally friendly is too high, we have to persist in the reality that the cost of not caring for God’s creation is much, much higher.

Among my many efforts to lead was to eliminate the sale of water in plastic bottles. Such a simple measure was apparently a big deal to our guests who prefer plastic over the water fountain and a reusable bottle as their vessel of choice. We now offer donated reusable water bottles that say “Harlem Globetrotters” on them, and fruit flavored ice water from a dispenser for their drinking pleasure.

My latest effort was to initiate Meatless Mondays into the life of summer camp.  Oh my!  For many of the summer staff and campers, you would think I had declared an 8 pm lights out.  We are, after all, a meat eating people.  If I hadn’t told them it was meatless Monday, they would probably not have noticed, but then there would have been no witness to the meat industry’s huge impact on our environment.

From the spirit-led witness of my Giving Tree to the simple installation of Meatless Mondays, the battle to be faithful wages on. Even my own resistance to change requires a lot of grace sometimes.  I am certainly a long way from Wesleyan perfection. I want to invite all my brothers and sisters in outdoor ministry to join in, or faithfully persevere in, the work of caring for the Creation.  We (especially we!) see God at work in the natural world more than most. We are caretakers of sacred ground. What a glorious witness it can be!

Leanndra Padgett was the very first youth representative on the National Camp and Retreat Committee (NCRC), beginning in 2007. She will complete her term with the UMCRM Governance Board in 2015. Leanndra is now a senior at Georgetown College in Kentucky, and will graduate in May with an English degree, certification to teach English to grades 6-12, and a Biology minor.

How were you called into C&R ministry?

I was literally born into camping ministry, as my dad was a full time director at Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center in Kentucky for the first 21 years of my life. I volunteered from a young age and always knew that I wanted to work on summer staff when I was old enough.

The things that made me want to be a part of camping were the presence of God, people, natural setting and fun! I have felt the presence of God, heard testimony of lives changed and learned lessons from the Lord often while at a campfire or elsewhere during worship and prayer at summer camp. I was also inspired by the wonderful influences of the summer staff who provided godly role models from a young age. They showed me strong, healthy relationships that attracted me and made me want to take part.

Describe your greatest blessings in this work.

I love environmental education. It is very rewarding to introduce campers to something new about nature and help them appreciate it. The same is true of horseback riding. There is nothing like seeing a "tough" kid humbled by the power of a horse and then gain confidence as they learn to listen and work together. I am always amazed by the gentleness the animals bring out in the most difficult of campers.

What's been one of your greatest challenges?

It can be hard to live at a camp and have to share it with others! Sometimes, you just don't feel hospitable. It is easy to forget that Camp belongs to everyone and is home to others even if they visit less often.

Where have you served?

1992-spring 2013, Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center, Ravenna, KY, Camp Kid + Volunteer

2007-present, NCRC/UMCRM Committee

Summer 2010, Aldersgate, Creation Sensation Director (environmental education)

Spring 2011, Tim Horton's Children's Foundation, Campbellsville, KY, March Camp Counselor (1 week camp)

Summer 2011, Aldersgate, Animal Activities Director + Dean

Summer 2012, Aldersgate, Counselor

Summer 2013, Aldersgate, Dean

She’s ecumenical, too: “Once, in middle school, in an effort to broaden my horizons, I went to the Presbyterian camp in the same county as Aldersgate. Despite the differences, I had a great time!”

The discussion was almost an afterthought. It was the Gathering of United Methodist Conference Camp and Retreat Executives in November of 2010 at Mt. Sequoyah in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The schedule for the Gathering had included a variety of workshops on marketing and management, but at the end there was an open forum discussion to hear the concerns of the group.

It became clear within a few minutes that there was an incredible amount of energy (anxiety?) around our common concerns. What would the 2012 General Conference and, specifically, the Call to Action initiative, mean for our UM camps and retreats? How long would we continue to have support from the General Board of Discipleship in the form of a support staff person? With so many conferences merging or restructuring, how does camp and retreat ministry fit within the connectional structure?

Out of that discussion emerged a Strategic Initiatives Task Force comprised of 11 conference camping and retreat executives, as well as Kevin Witt, our staff person at the General Board of Discipleship. One of the priorities that quickly emerged was exploring the formation of a National Association.

Original Strategic Initiatives Task Force Members:

David Berkey
Nancy Deaner*
Dickie Hinton*
Anne Horton
Mike Huber*
Bruce Nelson
Kelly Newell
Jim Parkhurst
Alan Rogstad
Jack Shitama*
Lee Walz
Kevin Witt*

*National Association Task Force

In 2011 a sub-group, the National Association Task Force, was authorized specifically to evaluate options and make a recommendation to the National Camp & Retreat Committee (NCRC). The National Association Task Force developed a concept plan which drew overwhelming support at the Conference Executives’ annual gathering a year later at Lake Huron, Michigan.  After some refinement, the NCRC voted in January 2012 to move the plan forward so its structure and design would be ready to present to the larger community at the January 2013 National Camp & Retreat Leaders Gathering.  The legal structure would be in place by January 2014.  The new association was named United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries (UMCRM).  The action assumed that NCRC, which is a nonprofit corporation, would become UMCRM through a name and bylaws change. The Task Force also proposed a Transition Plan for 2013, a timeline aiming to complete the NCRC’s metamorphosis into UMCRM.

The NCRC was incorporated in 1991, but had existed less formally for decades. It originated as a committee of United Methodist Camp ministry leaders whose primary work was to present a biennial national event for training and fellowship for the larger UM camps community.  The new UMCRM structure would include an Event Team whose sole purpose was to plan the National Gathering, and a representative Governance Board, who would set the vision for the organization and move forward with strategic initiatives. After the National Gathering in January 2013, the NCRC met in its new bifurcated form. Board members originally elected to the NCRC would finish out their terms on the team of their choice--”Event” or “Governance.”  The Governance Board would serve as the Association’s Transition Team.  

So far this year the Transition Team has worked to realize the UMCRM vision as outlined in the plan. They articulated UMCRM’s mission:  Committed to the mission of The United Methodist Church, UMCRM resources, advocates, inspires, and networks to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of camp and retreat ministries.

The communication plan continues to unfold with the development of a Facebook presence, S’more Mail e-news, and the UMCRM blog. Training needs have been surveyed and findings will be incorporated into future national and regional training opportunities, distance learning through webinars and online courses, in-person events like the National Gathering, Sustainable Pathways events, and Certification Courses.

In May 2013 the UMCRM Association was ready to invite its first Charter Members. It has been so gratifying to watch the registrations roll in throughout the summer and fall as the community pours out its support for this new endeavor. To date, twenty-six Annual Conferences have joined as Charter Members, including their Board Chairs, Site Directors, and Conference Camp and Retreat Ministry Executives.  A handful of Individuals and Centers have also opted to support the Association in its charter year. Thank you!  If you are reading this, you’re likely among the illustrious group of Charter Members. If not, you may register here to join. You may join at any time, but only those who join before October 15 will have access to member purchasing discounts through our partnership with PCCCA. The Association will accept Charter Members for the remainder of 2013. In 2014 we’ll move to a calendar-year renewal cycle.

Questions? Comments? Drop us a note at info@umcrm.org.

Jack Shitama is Director for Camp & Retreat Ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware Conference and Chair of the National Camp & Retreat Committee, the UMCRM Board of Directors. He is an ordained elder in the UMC and past president of the International Association of Conference Center Administrators (IACCA). Jack lives and serves at Pecometh Camp & Retreat Center (MD).

Jen Burch is Administrator for the American Camp Association’s Religiously Affiliated Camps Council (RAC). She also serves as a part-time administrator for the UMCRM Association. She was a former Director at Pine Lake Camp (WI) and Flathead Lake Camp (MT), and has served on the NCRC/UMCRM as a representative from the Western Jurisdiction since 2007.