The following article was submitted and written by Bryan Jaster, the Director of Youth and Family Faith Formation at Bethel Lutheran Church in Winchester Virginia .
I’m writing this from Camp Caroline Furnace (an hour south of Winchester) where I’m spending the week as the camp chaplain August 2-7th with 10 kids from Bethel and about 55 from other places. This means I get the funderful honor of leading the morning and night worship, singing loudly, hiking with cabins on bible study adventures, cooking outside, talking with the camp staff about “what happens after camp”, canoeing, crazy games covered in paint, and tender times with kids who really miss home. I love camp.
However, a few years back camp absolutely ruined my plans and caused me to lose my life. When I was in college I worked for three summers as a counselor El Camino Pines in the Los Padres National Forest in California. I arrived at camp with specific life plans, quiet, thinking faith was sorta “meh” and looking around at the camp staff thinking they were totally nuts and why was _I_ here? I left camp with all my plans in shambles but bursting with song of the Spirit having been turned inside out through the lives of hundreds of kids, the living voice of scripture infused in my soul and the wonders of God’s magnificent grace day after hot summer’s day. Those who lose their lives, will find it.
Now, here I sit after having light saber fights with kids wielding huge logs and candle light holy time at night with the whole camp singing songs with prayers surrounding us. Camp is so renewing, no matter what our age, because it is such a change from our ordinary lives. At camp I get dirtier than I do in my daily life, I laugh more than I do in my daily life, I spend more time outside in the sun, and what I’ve noticed most this week is that I sing more at camp than I ever do in my daily life, even more than I do at church. We must lose our lives to find them.
Tonight at evening prayer I also realized I was praying more than I do most evenings. The last song we sang was in the form of a prayer to God: “Father… I adore you… and I lay my life before you…… how I love you!” I entered deeply into that prayer and felt awash with God’s peace. We at Bethel are so very blessed by our budding relationship with camp through confirmation camp, road trips on Saturdays and now Bethel’s “week at camp”.
The relationship between congregations and camps is crucial. I see Caroline Furnace and other Lutheran camps and retreat centers as vital 
extensions of our congregation’s ministry. A week, or even a few days, at camp (or with camp programs in our congregation) can create in our lives a deeper praise and worship of God, an increased desire to read scripture and pray, and joy that comes from singing and being silly. If you don’t have camping aged kids, I hope that you find a way to experience camp next summer. Check out the Caroline Furnace website (www.carolinefurnace.org) for remaining summer camps and opportunities to volunteer, such as Fall Volunteer Event on September 11-13th. May you also experience the happiness and joy that losing your life and finding it that camp gives.
-Bryan Jaster
