It was a great reminder for me about how important taking kids to camp is.
Because of the rapid, dominant advancement of techonology, today's kids are bombarded with information. Every day, they are wired in, spending over 7 1/2 hours with technology and interacting with at least five screens. Hundreds of messages, ads, notifications, etc. come their way every day.
This creates a noise that is often difficult to break through. How are kids going to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit's working if their minds are constantly occupied by the noise? Even at church, the time is very short and it is not easy to break through.
This is a big reason why I believe it's important to take kids away to camp. You can place them in an environment for an extended period of time where they are away from the noise.
And in the quietness, they can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit moving in their hearts. In the quietness, they can make life-changing, course-altering decisions.
At camp, deeper relationships can also be formed. We know that kids who grow up to love Jesus normally have a caring adult who has invested in them. Camp is a great opportunity for leaders to invest in kids at a deeper level.
Camp is also a great opportunity to partner with parents. This can be done by having a family camp where kids and parents attend camp together and engage in activities, teaching, etc. And if you take children to camp without their parents, you can follow-up by providing them with discussion questions to talk with their kids afterwards.
As I think back, camp played an important part in my spiritual formation when I was growing up. I made life-changing decisions and commitments there. I made lifetime friendships. Many of you can echo this same sentiment as well.
If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to take the kids in your ministry to camp. It could be the very thing that God uses to break through the noise and change their life.
Your turn. The floor is yours. Does your ministry take kids to camp? Why or why not? How has camp impacted your life? Share your thoughts and insights with us in the comment section below.
