Dear Friends,
At the beginning of the summer I wrote of renewing some experiences of my younger years. At the time, I was a little apprehensive about my upcoming involvement with Vacation Bible School (VBS) followed by a stint as a counselor at Church Camp. I really have no idea what I was so worried about.
VBS, held the third week of June, was a pure pleasure. My colleagues, Rev. Tim Mitchell from peotone United Methodist Church, and Rev. Jon Krogh from First Presbyterian Church, welcomed me into the "semi-holy Trinity" as we spent the week teaching all 150 children at VBS those wonderful songs, AND the accompanying dance moves. the week culminated with the children performing for the entire community at the Ecumenical Worship Service. However, I noticed several cameras trained on the back of the hall where Jon and I were doing the dance steps while the children performed them up front. Tim got off easy. He was playing with the praise band and running the music and computer. Now there are pictures floating around of your pastor "acting" just a bit nuts, which I suspect will show up sooner or later in this newsletter. I had the time of my life and can't wait until next year.
Following an all too short return to "normal" during the week after VBS, I found myself packing for Pilgrim Park and Camp Worship and Wonder. I hadn't attended a church camp in 23 years, since my days as a youth pastor at St. John United Church of Christ in Evansville, Indiana shortly before I began seminary.
Once again I was amazed at just how much I had been missing. Plenty of sunscreen for the afternoon swims and plenty of mosquito repellant for the evening campfires made the week go very smoothly. A daily dose of crafts and Bible Study, nature walks and construction of bird, bat and owl houses, made for fulfilling fun. But just to be on the safe side, we had to throw in a little paddleboating, canoeing and archery. I decided to pass on the high ropes coarse (fear of heights) and the creek walk (fear of mud between the toes). Maybe next year. And yes, there will definitely be a next year!!
We had six children from Immanuel attend church camp this year. That is compared to the 35 who attended my first year at Immanuel back in 2003. Camp Worship and Wonder used to draw 130 children and boasted a waiting list to get in. This year, we had a total of just 54. We really hope to get our numbers up for next year.
I am asking for your help with this. Please talk to your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews about going to camp next year. Financial help is available from many different sources including the church, the Women's Fellowship, the Sunday School Department, and even Pilgrim Park. No child needs to be denied the joy of attending church camp because of financial considerations. Please contact me for more information and lets see if we can at least double the number of children from Immanuel who attend camp.
Peace,
Pastor Bill