A Clergy's Reflection on Camp

By the Rev. Ben Nelson, Chaplain, TMI Episcopal

For the better part of two decades, I have been involved at the diocesan camps- Mustang Island family camps, Camp Capers, and Duncan Park adventures. Some years, I’ve been blessed to complete the “camps and conferences triple crown” which allowed me to serve at all three locations. This work has been so full of meaning and purpose that I doubt anyone could ever say much that would convince me that these holy places aren’t some of the most vital avenues for sharing God’s love with the world.

When I was newly ordained, I remember Bishop Folts (who I believe was quoting another Bishop) saying that we get more ministry with young people accomplished at a week of camp than the other 51 in the parish. I still believe this to be true.

Year in and year out, camps and conferences has the unique opportunity to provide through radical hospitality the way of love and belonging that few of us can replicate anywhere else. As a clergy person, I have continually found this to be one of the most beautiful ways to serve within the diocese.

Typically, a kid that goes to camp as a camper, or a family that shows up at Mustang Island is looking for a connection to God that is found in the simple acts of creating loving space in some of God’s most beautiful places. The staff who serve at any of our camps are there for one purpose, to make God’s love known, and to be a priest who gets to “work” alongside these people is truly amazing.

For my clergy sisters and brothers around the diocese who are feeling called to serve in some capacity at our camps, then please know that it is indeed a nudge from the Holy Spirit to experience God. You won’t regret it. You’ll be worn out and refreshed at the same time, and you will see the miracle of God doing what God does in our families and our young people.

For those of you in our various congregations who wonder how to support the diocese in prayer and connection, then look no further than holding the hundreds of servant leaders who make these places so special in your hearts this summer and throughout the year.

Whether it’s backpacking in the Colorado mountains with ten teenagers, singing “Johnny Appleseed” in all its many versions while being taken to flavortown in the dining hall at Capers, or treasure hunting with pirates on the beach; camps in the diocese are truly places where miracles happen. The sacraments are shared, communion is built, and God’s love is made real in the connections of God’s people. I’m so grateful to share with so many in this ministry and as summer kicks off this year, I hope you’ll join me in continuing to lift up Camp Campers, Mustang Island, and Duncan Park in our prayers.

Thank you, God, for the blessings you give us at these Holy Places, one week at a time.