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The Question: Church camps are so 20th Century! Time to move on?
Answer: “No one in my church hardly goes to the camps (youth or family) now a days. There’s so many conferences now that you have to pick and choose what you want to go to and camps just aren’t that big of a pull anymore.” Answer: “Our Youth camp broke attendance records this year. Family Camp is next week, so that remains to be seen, but all indicators suggest another great camp with lots attending!” Answer: “Camp should not be a relic in my view. It is still a viable immersion in all things ‘churchy.’ Things happen at Camp Meetings that don’t happen anywhere else. I do think we need an infusion of outside the box thinking. Take a poll....see how many of your readers received the Holy Ghost initially at a Camp. I’m thinking it would be a significant minority. We have not had our Camp (we have three in one) yet, but I suspect Camp attendance will be up. It has been trending upward after a couple years of decline.” Answer: “Camp attendance was down in our state. I don’t know about the youth camps. I don’t think it is a relic of the past, because I heard some powerful, stirring messages that changed my life. Where else could I have heard those ministers? Not at my church.” Answer: “Camp Attendance in my state has been severely down. Three weeks before senior camp and there was less then 40 people registered. I do think that teenagers are becoming more financially responsible for things and can’t take time off for Camp in the summer. I don’t think it should stop being offered, for some kids they live for that one week a year when they can get away from home (parents that are not in church) and be totally surrounded in it.” Answer: “I have little cousins (10, 8, and 5) and they love going to camp. It gives them a chance to meet new friends and hang out with people that have the same beliefs as them.” Answer: “The attendance of our camp for 15-19 year old was not down at all. However, because of the price raises recently the attendance of our 12-14 year olds and 8-11 year-olds camps were significantly down.” Answer: “My 10 year old went to his first church camp—he won an award for having the most Christ-like behavior, seeking God the most during service, and being an all around good guy (yes, I’m a gloating father though don’t know who he picked up these characteristics from). Needless to say, we’re jazzed about camps and looking forward to a local church camp to-be-scheduled. On the flip-side we did have to attend another sections camp after ours was cancelled. Go figure." Answer: “Down...can we have a camp meeting in a bigger city where we can have a great “vacation” at the same time?” Answer: “Music fest 2002.” Answer: “We don’t have youth camps or church camps in these here parts!” Answer: “Whoever asked that question has never been to Wisconsin Camp! We are rockin’! We are growing and growing—at all the camps. Not only do we have camp during the summer, we have Mid-Winter Youth Convention in December with over 700 in attendance and Mid-Winter Camp Meeting in January with around 2000. Wisconsin camps are revitalizing, rejuvenating, refreshing and fun! Of course, I hear there are people out there who think Bus Ministry is a thing of the past—and that’s alive and doing well in Wisconsin, too. Maybe we’re our own sub-culture of old things still growing.” Answer: “Our district (New Hampshire/Vermont) is a fairly new and young district. Our attendance grows every year, and this year we had lots of junior and senior campers, and deep, powerful, authoritative moves of God. We even had a woman with severe Multiple Sclerosis get up out of her wheelchair! Our district has never seen anything like that! Our church camp is new and exciting, and destined to outgrow our current location in just a few years!” Answer: “Family camp was okay. I enjoyed the services. The music was terrible which I think hindered the worship. However, the politics surrounding the event almost deterred me from attending. At youth camp attendance was way down. I think due to new leadership and again the politics surrounding it. Hopefully someday no one will care which church you came from, who your pastor is, how many saints attend, who didn’t shake your hand, who offended you with your sleeve length and remember that it’s all about Jesus. The rest are just details.” Answer: “I don’t know if they are a relic in the spiritual sense, but from what I have heard, several of our organization’s camp grounds are dilapidated relics! Maybe more people would go to camp if they didn’t have to worship in run-down facilities. I know that I have never been to camp because I have heard so many horror stories about the camp ground. I am all in favor of worshipping in humble places if that’s all you have, but surely we can come together to improve our camp grounds.” Answer: “Church camps are not a useless ministry. However, the entire church camp experience desperately needs “re-vamping” to insure relevance with this generation.” Answer: “Church camp attendance on my part was way down, as I haven’t been in over ten years. The last time I went, it rained so hard I couldn’t hear, and the guy still preached for two-and-a-half hours! I guess that was my exit camp.” Answer: “Minnesota has been showing growth recently. Camps are a must for the organization to grow. We need to teach and practice unity. I heard of some districts whose camps are down and they also are having problems with unity.” Answer: “I think they are a relic of past. Most camps have become focused on preaching standards rather than evangelism. Instead give us streamingfaith.com for UPCI youth with a virtual watering hole for after church fellowship and then we can have a great time in our jams and sweats instead of having to be dressed up in hot dresses and suits with every hair in place.” Answer: “I attend an independent apostolic church and so we don’t have all the funds to run a junior and senior camp so we just have a family camp with other churches that we fellowship with. Every year attendance goes up. More people find out about it each year and plus more churches are becoming apart of our fellowship so of course that increases the attendance.” Answer: “Wisconsin has 3 camps a year. Our attendance is growing 10-23% per year!”
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