Camping and Youth Consultant Synod Report 2017
Submitted by Whitney Canning
I would like to thank the court for my maternity leave and the support that was provided. Thank you to Rev. Amanda Henderson-Bolton for agreeing to be the contact person for any youth concerns. Thank you to the Mission’s Committee for overseeing a large portion of the youth work. Thank you to Rev. Glen Sampson for planning, preparing and executing the PAYS event in May in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Thank you to the Camp Geddie Committee for all their work in ensuring staff, the site, and the program were ready to go for the summer camping season. I appreciate all that was done to ensure a continued ministry in my absence.
I began my maternity leave in late October of 2016 and returned to work on May 26, 2017. I returned to work as the first training weekend for the staff of Camp Geddie was beginning. Much of my work to report on is therefore camping ministry.
Camp Geddie had an amazing summer ministry team of 23 young people. They were a hardworking and gentle group of leaders who treated our campers with great compassion. They supported one another and encouraged one another in the tough moments. I truly feel blessed to have worked with this team and to have learned alongside them.
This summer Camp Geddie experimented with low ropes elements and out tripping. Both were great additions to our programs and fit well with our intentions of fostering team building, cooperation and excitement.
In the world of camping ministry I often wonder what has a greater impact, our ministry to campers or our ministry to summer staff. The summer staff live in intense Christian community for 2-3 months engaging in a challenging yet exhilarating ministry. I believe we offer a very meaningful experience for campers of all ages that plants the seeds for their relationship with Christ over the course of their life. I think the experience we offer to staff is perhaps a bit more profound, transformative and stimulating. Staff learn about themselves, Christ and what we mean to one another in community. They discover the challenges of the great joys of ministry and relationships. I think a summer engaged in camping ministry provides young people a profound opportunity to challenge their faith, wrestle with their beliefs and engage their faith in real concrete ways. Camping ministry is two-fold and campers and staff learn alongside one another as they wrestle with what it means to be a disciple in the world they occupy.
Plans are just beginning for the PAYS 2018 event. Information will be available early in 2018. Information will be sent to the Synod clerk for circulation. Information will also be posted on the Presbyterian Atlantic Synod Facebook page. Please let youth and youth leaders know this page exists as a means for us to connect.
Canada Youth will take place July 2-7, 2018. Thank you for setting aside funds to help support youth in attending this national event. More information about travel will be available in early 2018.