YOUR BVS VOLUNTEER: MATT
Camp work is real ministry, by Matt Rucker: contact Matt at mucks_02@yahoo.com
I was told, jokingly, that serving as a volunteer at a Brethren camp was not "real" volunteer service. I suspect the understanding of most people is that camps are only busy during the summer. Wrong! Every camp does a lot of work in the "off-season" and always needs people willing to come out and help.
In my two years of Brethren Volunteer Service at Camp Bethel (Fincastle, VA), I have been challenged and blessed to serve in each of the ministries of this place. Volunteering at camp is a well-rounded experience: having opportunities to work in the kitchen and serve at special meals, or working in the office and helping with bulk mailings and computer-oriented work, not to mention all the maintenance needs of a camp.
Most people think keeping up with a house is difficult. Try taking care of 30 acres, or 65 acres, or 470. Let's not forget all the buildings, too. Working at camp, it is easy to feel overwhelmed if too much time is spent thinking of everything that needs to be done. Every time a project or work list is completed, it seems as though another five things are added. Much like the work of a church, the work of a camp is never finished, regardless if the camp is a year-round camp and retreat facility like Camp Bethel or a smaller summer camp.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions in the North American church is that we have to go to exotic countries to make a difference in this world. While certainly there is a need for peaceful witness in those places, I feel the church forgets about the needs close to home.
To really change the world we must reach the youth, and the field that is ripe for the harvest is our summer camps. I know this from my own experience, because it was while attending Camp Emmaus (Mount Morris, IL) in junior high that I was introduced to both the Church of the Brethren and to the principles of nonviolent resistance and change. It was at camp where I first felt close to God. I find myself laughing to myself as I hear kids (and adults) comment now about how this is true for them, as well.
Camps are more than just places to go to for fun or to meet different people; camps are havens for the battered souls of this earth. They provide a respite for the weary and empower and renew the desire and energy of all who enter the gates. Camp is where hope is found and an evolution of the soul occurs. Camp counselors have a direct relational ministry where their impact on a child's life is immeasurable, following Christ's example.
Whether you can spend two hours or two years at your camp, I encourage you to unplug yourself from all the stress and grind of everyday life and go lend a hand. Camp service is real service. Take someone with you and experience God in a new way in the fresh air, and commune with God's creation.
See http://www.brethren.org/genbd/messenger/index.htm
"I am a BVS volunteer from Elgin, IL (outside Chicago). I am glad to be back in the comfort of some real hills like the ones I grew up with in Kentucky. The opportunity to serve others at camp has made a large impact on me and taught me a lot already. I enjoy reading, writing, listening to music, concerts, practicing German, making things, playing guitar and long walks on the beach…errr... in the woods. I am never too proud to pass up a free meal, or some occasional guitar picks and strings. I am truly excited to see how many things will change between now and when I am called to move on."