summer camp through the eyes of a senior staffer

A Still Point in a Turning World

For those who’ve grown to know and love Camp Allen summer camp over the years, this place has become a personal sanctuary—a place of refuge in a world characterized by turbulence and strife. Outside of camp, we are exposed to the raw pains of this world. But while at summer camp, we are sheltered from what is outside (at least in part) through the goodness that God lavishes upon the community gathered here in His name. At Camp Allen, God’s children come together to find, feel, and discover Him in new ways. Camp is, in other words, a still point in a turning world.

Too often, we forget how remarkable this truly is: that people of all ages, from all sorts of churches and backgrounds can unite behind the banner of faith in such a way that all else becomes incidental. The fullness we experience as the body of Christ allows us to converge around the Orchestrator of it all.  

And it is for good reason that Camp Allen makes this the mission: to anchor individuals in the certainty provided by faith and the knowledge of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. The virtuous circle of love that has become emblematic of summer camp is the result of a community that is simply centered on Christ and the resounding message of God’s grace.
And so wherever you are in this story, whether you're a camper returning to your favorite place, a parent sending your child to camp for the first time, a counselor leading a cabin-full of primaries, a director quietly dealing with managerial work, or a staffer dancing to Jigorous, you’ve taken part in something much bigger than any of us. This is what camp does: it provides “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19) through which we can experience Christ. Let us remind ourselves to anchor ourselves in our good Father, and use this place to help us do just that. 

Written by Sebastian Borda