SHOULD WE KEEP HAVING CAMP?

I have always loved Family Camp! I’ve attended regularly since BEFORE I was born!

There’s a picture taken in July, 1951, hanging in the hallway at camp that included my mom and dad. Whether she knew it yet or not, she was pregnant with me since I was born in late January, 1952.  😊

Debbie and I have moved to camp even during the thirteen years that we lived in East Liverpool! We knew how important it was to be immersed in camp, so we hauled all our stuff to camp – even though we only lived a mile away!  I directed the Family Camp for quite a few of our ‘Oakland years’ [1982-1995].

Our kids loved camp! Troy and Missy still attend. Troy is a trustee – following in the footsteps of his Grandpap Whippo and Grandpap Haire! Scott Iachetta is my nephew and he also has supported camp strongly through the years [including serving on the Camp Council] – even though he lives in Holly, NY. His contributions of service over the years have been a huge blessing to Tri-State Camp!

The benefits of Family Camp are:

o   Ten+ days of fellowship.

o   Family fun with age-appropriate classes for our kids and youth!

o   Valuable worship experiences every evening in the tabernacle!

o   A morning class for adults that is stimulating and Bible-centered!

o   Three delightful meals are prepared for us every day for ten days!

o   We connect with friends that we may only see at camp.

o   We make new friends.

o   Children have a lot of freedom and fun!

o   There were 10-20 individuals who visibly sought spiritual help during this year’s camp.

o   this list could go on….

THERE ARE LOTS OF POSITIVES…

BUT THERE ARE ALSO NEGATIVES!

• Our financial goal has been relatively frozen around $30,000 for a number of years – in spite of significant inflation!  We have not reached our goal several times in recent years.  [This year’s goal is $32,000].
• Attendance is down significantly! Not too long ago, we would see evening attendances of 200-250. This year’s average was less than 150 [not counting the last Sunday morning the average attendance was 125].  The high was recorded Monday evening – 165].
• It has been increasingly difficult for the Camp Council to find willing workers to staff the necessary jobs to make camp work!
• Our camp is aging seriously! Keeping the Dining Hall Dorm, the Youth Dorm, and the tabernacle painted is becoming increasingly challenging. Other issues like rotting windows are rarely even addressed! Many cabins are in very poor condition, making our camp an eye-sore to the community!
• Clearly, the camp roads need major attention, but the funds to address this issue are VERY SIGNIFICANT, and currently beyond our reach.
• Our camp base of support is aging! No one wants to admit this, but the younger generation has already voted to close the camp by virtue of their non-attendance.

This year’s survey asked if we would consider changing from 10 days [which is actually 11 days – counting the first Thursday evening] to a week-long camp. I assume that will fuel some discussion for our Camp Council this year.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Churches ultimately close due to a lack of finances! When they can no longer pay the pastor or the electric bill or the pension fund – they close the doors!

The signs indicate that our camp is dying a slow death. Is it best to maintain it until the inevitable occurs?

The following is valuable history to consider that is very relevant to the development of ‘camp associations’:

“It should be noted that the establishment of one conference superintendent [in 1976] signaled massive change for the Pittsburgh Conference district camps!  The districts were inadvertantly dissolved. Churches were no longer aligned with the ‘camp meetings’ since we no longer had districts; all churches belonged to the Pittsburgh Conference. Where district assessments, assignments and mandatory attendance and support by pastors had formerly prevailed – these were subtly but persistently ignored!  This was the beginning of a major period of change and struggle for the Rochester District Camp [East Liverpool, OH], the Kiski Area Camp [Apollo, PA] and the Fairmont District Camp [Fairchance, PA]”  [Quote from Hal’s blog: Hal-lelujah!: PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE HISTORY: A Personal Perspective]

Today, some of the churches that were formerly part of the Rochester District, no longer support – or even advertise Tri-State Family Camp!

Each church that withdraws support from the camp makes it increasingly difficult for the camp to survive!

Consequently, our operating base has diminished SIGNIFICANTLY in recent years! The adjustments to this reality are challenging us in MAJOR WAYS – financially and in terms of willing workers!

We cannot afford to simply give an emotional response!  Yes, many of us are the loyalists who love the camp and have sacrificed time and money to keep it operating; but can we keep this up? When do enough of the older supporters pass on, and then we simply can't pay the bills?

It seems to me - as one of the camp's strongest supporters - that the time has come to at least begin this discussion!

CAMP MEETING

The history of camp meetings is quite interesting.  It goes back to the early days in our country when masses of people were pushing west and establishing new frontier settlements.  Methodism is credited with being the creator and promoter of this innovation.  Here’s a snippet of its development:

As the name implies, those who attended such meetings came prepared to camp out, gathering at the prearranged time and place from distances as great as 30 to 40 miles away. Families pitched their tents around a forest clearing where log benches and a rude preaching platform constituted an outdoor church that remained in almost constant session for three or four days. As many as 10,000 to 20,000 people were reported at some meetings. People came partly out of curiosity, partly out of a desire for social contact and festivity, but primarily out of their yearning for religious worship. Activities included preaching, prayer meetings, hymn singing, weddings, and baptisms. The theology of the preachers varied, but a sudden conversion experience was usually emphasized.  [https://www.britannica.com/topic/camp-meeting]

It's difficult to overemphasize the impact of the camp meeting movement.  Stories abound from these encampments.  These frontier preachers were a hard stock of men who often had to settle rabble-rousers in order to be able to continue their preaching! 

But, even after the movement became formalized in many areas into two-week interventions with properties developed to meet the needs of the people, the church held on to this outreach that had originally been improvisational.  Gradually but certainly the purpose of these camp meetings became less and less outreach and evangelism and more and more fellowship.

Most of these camps that have survived into the 21^st century have lost their sense of purpose and failed to redefine it for the current day. 

A caveat

During the late 1980’s and part of the 1990’s, as a young leader, I led such a camp in Ohio.  Realizing the need for updating and transitioning, I initiated many changes to try to refocus and rechannel the camp. 

• We changed it from ‘Camp Meeting’ to ‘Family Camp’.
• We established a family-oriented morning chapel that was fun, high-energy and gave a positive start to the day.
• Essentially, family camp was a simultaneous youth camp, children’s camp, and adult camp.
• Afternoon fun activities were planned to engage all either as participants or spectators.

Many of the innovations that we established in that day unfortunately became institutionalized – and have consequently lost a lot of their impact.  Examples would be:

• Establishing a youth night where the youth led the service.
• Giving the youth who work in the dining hall a day off.
• Rewriting the camp rules [which was met with waves of opposition].
• Arranging with a nearby park pool to have a morning swim time for campers only [we later incorporated baptisms into this time].
• Maintaining a STRONG emphasis on ‘community living’ to sustain mutual respect.
• Youth who were unattended by family had to acquire an adult sponsor to oversee their appropriate participation in camp and observance of camp rules.

Innovation became rare with a few exceptions.   [See footnote]

Camp attendances – across the country – have plummeted since the turn of the 21^st century.  Many have closed.  Most are struggling. 

Those that survive will be the ones that are effective at reinventing themselves with a purpose that connects with 21^st century people.  Maintaining a camp for the sake of nostalgia will not be enough to sustain interest! 

In 2020, when COVID caused our family camp to be cancelled, about fifteen families decided to camp together at a campground on a lake and with a pool.  Everyone cooked their own meals.  Campfires in the evening brought groups together.  Sports activities filled the afternoon hours!  All-in-all, everyone loved it!  We had the personnel to add spiritual dynamics to the gathering – although that did not happen. 

It was an unintended innovation that stands in stark comparison to the burden and responsibility of maintaining property that sits unused for 355 days a year! 

The American church has been remarkably stubborn about maintaining traditional programs at all costs!  Consider Sunday School which began in Great Britain in 1870. 

Or Vacation Bible School which was an innovation around the turn of the twentieth century.  In spite of an identified decline in these institutions [including family camp], many churches hang on to them and resist the need to be creative in engaging people in relevant ways. 

FOOTNOTE:

This camp currently has new leadership and seems committed to revitalizing.  After a period of decline, it shows promise for growth and hope for a repurposed future.  Interestingly, young adults are returning with their young children in hopes of giving them a dose of the 'family camp experience'!  😊

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

When I was a younger man, I assumed the leadership of a Family Camp that met for ten days every summer.  At the time, it was populated by a wide array of ages including whole families and family systems.  The ‘General Rules’ hadn’t been updated in decades, so I rewrote them adding a focus on living in community. 

The dorm rooms didn’t have any insulation.  Nor did the cabins, which were usually about four feet apart.  The bell was to ring at 11:00 PM, signaling quiet!  It would ring again at 7:00 AM to waken everyone! 

Many of my generation wanted to stay up late to talk, play games, or just generally have fun.  But that wasn’t fair to others who wanted to sleep! 

As the Camp Director, I had to become the ‘bad guy’ by going around and enforcing the rules about quiet after the bell!  My peers weren’t always happy with me for my rigidity, but I was responsible for the whole camp! 

Living in community requires us to be respectful of our neighbors and to bend our own desires in order to maintain peace and joy for the whole group!

That’s what these chapters, after God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, are all about! 

This multitude had been released from slavery in Egypt by the miraculous intervention of God!  They were now on a long journey through a wilderness area in hopes of arriving at their ‘Promised Land’.  But there were at least a half million of them!  Imagine the disputes and complaints that arose on a daily basis! 

So God – who had initiated this release and was guiding them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night – provided them with some general rules to maintain peace and equity in their camp.

The ‘top ten’ rules were the most important:

But God added to these to cover more incidental issues.  Some examples from Exodus 23 follow:

·         Don’t pass on malicious gossip.

·         Don’t go along with the crowd in doing evil.

·         Don’t show favoritism in a dispute.

·         Don’t take bribes.

·         Don’t take advantage of a stranger.

·         Don’t give corrupt testimony.

God wanted His people to live in harmony! 

After this, He reminded them to be sure to celebrate the spring, summer and autumn festivals that He had set in place!  These were important times to worship, feast, and cease from labor!  The celebration of these appointed times were designed to honor God and bring the people together in unity!

This chapter ends with a stunning promise/warning from God:

·         God is sending an angel ahead of them to lead them and prepare the way! 

·         “But you—you serve your God and he’ll bless your food and your water. I’ll get rid of the sickness among you; there won’t be any miscarriages nor barren women in your land. I’ll make sure you live full and complete lives. I’ll send my Terror on ahead of you and throw those peoples you’re approaching into a panic. All you’ll see of your enemies is the backs of their necks.” [vs.25-27 TM]

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It may be the twenty-first century, but we still need laws/rules to guide us and set parameters for the maintaining of peace and order.  If these guidelines are indeed in place, then there have to be enforcers!  Somebody must have the authority to step in and remind us of the guidelines for sustaining a peaceful community!  Without this, there will be chaos!  

Remember that angel that God sent to go ahead of His people?  God said of him: “Don’t go against him.  He won’t put up with your rebellions because he’s acting on my authority” [v.21 TM].  

MY CHILDHOOD CAMP BUDGET

I was ten in 1962. 

Christmas – for me during my growing-up years – was a huge time for receiving! Mom bought me school supplies, clothes, games, toys, underwear, socks; pretty much everything I would need to get me through until the next Christmas. 

Then, I got nothing in between – or at least very little. No school clothes in August. I usually did get a birthday gift in January, but it was often just given to me in a shopping bag. 

However, my Dad started me working when I was eleven. He cared for our doctor’s lawn and turned it over to me [he had done the same with my brother, Ira, years earlier]. He took two Saturdays to teach me the job and then turned me loose. I cared for that lawn until I left home in June, 1969, at seventeen years of age. I also added four more lawns to the list. So, the money I spent was usually my own. 

Before turning eleven, my Dad would give me a dime every weekday during camp meeting. I would choose very carefully how to spend it at the camp store. Popsicles were five cents, so that was usually my choice. 

But, don’t feel bad for me. In that day, you could return pop bottles for two cents! I would scavenge for pop bottles and could often double my daily budget! Fudgsicles were ten cents – I LOVED fudgsicles!!!!! 

But that wasn’t all. In the afternoon, I would go into the tabernacle and sift through the straw for pennies, nickels and dimes that fell out of people’s pockets during the offering time [the tabernacle had a dirt floor at the time, so they covered it with straw]! On a good afternoon, I could garner another ten to twenty cents! Woo Hoo! I would go to the camp store and fill my pocket with penny candy (non-existent today). Especially Tootsie Rolls! Maybe I’d splurge on an ice cream sandwich or ice cream on a stick. YUMMY! [I still wonder if some people dropped their change on purpose just to delight us kids?] 

Then, one year, something unbelievable happened! Our camp evangelist that year was Reverend A. J. West from Apollo, PA. On the last Saturday, one of his sons came to visit the camp. We were all up at the ballfield watching the big softball game; I wasn’t old enough to play yet. While standing there, this red-haired young man asked me if I would run to the store and get him an ice-cold pop. I said, “Sure!” He handed me a dollar bill and told me to buy myself one too! Oh – my – goodness! I was thrilled! I ran as fast as I could and then ran back with two cold Cokes (in glass bottles) and his change. When I went to hand him his change – BRACE YOURSELF – HE TOLD ME TO KEEP IT! 

I held in my hand sixty cents! I had hit the jackpot! I couldn’t believe it! I don’t think I’d ever had so much money of my own before! It was amazing! When he drank his bottle, I picked it up and added four more cents to my pocket! 

Doesn’t the Bible tell us to be wise as serpents? 

I wasn’t a rich kid, but with a little investment of time and some ingenuity, I did alright!

THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS

When I was growing up, my family stayed in a cottage owned by my great uncle (on my Dad’s side) James Okie Archer – the only other preacher in our family.  He spent most of his ministry in the Apollo District of the Pittsburgh Conference and therefore was always involved in their Camp Meetings (which ran simultaneously with the Rochester District Camp Meeting).  

Consequently, he struck a deal with my Dad that if he and Mom would clean and repair the cottage, they could use it during camp.  However, during Annual Conference, he would use it.  I think this was part of what pushed my parents toward buying a camper.  

Uncle James had three wives in succession.  Aunt Hannah died after many years of marriage.  Then, Aunt Anna died and he married a third wife.  

My mother had a letter from Uncle James indicating that our family was to inherit the cottage after his death.  However, it passed into the property of his surviving wife.  I think this rankled my Mom because she had some personal possessions in the cabin that she had never been able to retrieve.  

Years passed.

Eventually, Deb’s sister, Cathy (and Jeff) were able to buy the cottage and still own it to this day.  [It’s the top cottage on the row at the northeast end of camp.]

Soon after they bought the cottage, we were visiting at Cathy and Jeff’s and while talking about camp, Cathy very graciously said, “Harold, is there anything in the cottage that you wanted?”  

I told her there was, but that it had probably been thrown away as junk.  She asked me to describe it.  “It was an old mirror in a frame with a little shelf below it that hung in the former, corner bathroom of the cottage,” I said.  Cathy got up and said, “I’ll be right back.”   

She was gone for about five minutes and returned with my family heirloom (or Haireloom).  This relatively worthless item is the only possession that I have from my Grandma Walton (my Mom’s Mom), who died before I was born!  It currently hangs in Debbie’s bathroom.  

When Cathy and Jeff moved into the cottage, they asked if we wanted an old ‘Hoosier’ that sat in the back corner of the kitchen.  We passed on it at that time.  They took time to refinish in and placed it in their home for a number of years.  

Then, when remodeling, they asked again if we’d like to have it.  Today, that ‘Hoosier’ sits in our living/dining room where we admire its beauty daily!  

Two treasures that we thought we had lost came back to us through an unusual set of circumstances and the generosity of family!  How cool is that?  

Now, it’s all just stuff.  We could easily live without either item.  I honestly mdon’t think my kids will value these things the way I do, so they’ll probably pass on to a treasure-seeker someday, or end up in a dumpster.  

But to me it illustrates the fact that God knows the desires of our hearts and works in His mysterious ways to delight us.  His kindness and generosity with me and my family wells up within me.  God is good – all the time!