Camp in the Community

Thank you, dear heavenly Father, for making us part of your family.

It is good to know that we belong to you, and to each other as brothers and sisters.

Please teach us to love one another however difficult it may seem, and to care for those who are in your family and live in countries where they have very little to eat and maybe nowhere to live.

Help us to share things with them as we would with our own family.

For Jesus' sake, 

Amen

(taken from 365 Children's Prayers by Carol Watson)

We Are on a Mission!

As a ministry of the Anglican Diocese of BC, and grounded in the love of Christ, Camp in the Community serves families across Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands by providing summer camp programming for children and youth.  By the grace of the Holy Spirit our programming seeks to

As a counsellor, I am two days away from training. Excitement is starting to run high. I've received my packing list and it includes a water-bottle, a towel and closed-toed shoes, causing a little bit of nostalgia for previous camp-type adventures. 

The fun of cotton candy at a circus.  The no-spot rinse cycle.  The fun of feeding day old bread to the ducks.  Large, close-knit loving families.  Garbage collectors.  The fun of jumping into a big pile of autumn leaves. Grandmas who take their grandchildren to Saturday ball games. High-flying park swings.  Sermons that compel growth.   Mercy when you mess up. Marshmellows.  A blanket to cover your knees during a cold football game.  Freedom from mixed up signals.  No wax linoleum.  Bright eyes. The friend who will love you "anyway" and "in spite of" Distinctive signatures.  Breath mints.

God be in my head,

And in my understanding;

God be in my eyes,

and in my looking;

God be in my mouth

and in my speaking;

God be in my heart,

And in my thinking;

God be at my end,

And at my departing.

16th-century Sarum Primer

Taken from 365 Children's Prayers by Carol Watson

Kierkegaard has a beautiful phrase in his The Sickness Unto Death to capture the nature of life in Christ: we are called to "rest transparently" in the power that manifested us. There is something about living in the world that persuades us to seek rest, especially in our North American culture. We are too often working, eating, and sleeping without joy. We tell ourselves maybe that over the next hill we will find rest, but right now we simply cannot and must find short cuts when possible. Then when others are not working as hard as we, it is difficult to care for them.

Real estate in heaven! Bodies that heal.  Relationships that mend. The fun of sliding down splinter-free banisters. Ear muffs. Red hair of all shades.  All varieties of beetles.  New insights into the Word.  Pastors who hug their children in their congregations.  Christian believer in Hawaii.  New blank books.  All the waternmelon you can eat on the fourth of July.  Sermons that challenge misconceptions.  Answer pages in the back of math books. Foods that melt in your mouth like butter.  A full arch of vivid rainbow colour against a dark sky. Water slides.

Father God,

Thank you for the church and all the teachers.  Thank you that they help us to learn about you.  Please help us to remember what we are taught and help us to put it into practice.

Amen

Alex Foote (aged 12)

Taken from 365 Children's Prayers by Carol Watson

  Freedom from clumsiness! The cream at the top of the bottle.  White lace dresses.  Ideal conditions.  The occasional luxury.  Special places your grandfather took you.   Freedom from strained silence.  Friends with whom you can laugh about your goof ups! Easter cards.  Brightly coloured parachute nylon.  Landing gear.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The innocence of children.  Freedom from boom boxes outside your apartment.  Computer programs that run.  Correcting typewriting ribbons.  Watchdogs that are.  Children who do not whine.  Laughing so hard you can barely stand up.