Embrace
the Call

 

  1. Believe the Message
  2. Embrace the Call
  3. Respond with Generosity
  4. Create the Peace
  5. Live the Witness

 

The first Community of Christ youth camp was held in Nauvoo, Illinois, June 20–30, 1928. It’s mission: “to make a real contribution to the development of character and leadership; to live religion without continually emphasizing it.” Representative campers between the ages of 14 and 18 were encouraged to come from jurisdictions around the church. The cost was $14 U.S. dollars, $1 per day for room and board. The girls stayed in the Nauvoo house and the boys camped in tents along the shores of Mississippi River. Their basic schedule was actually quite similar to camps today: meals, worship, classes, swimming, special events, and campfire. The power of camping was expressed quite well by those who worked to bring together that first youth camp in 1928.

In camp, as perhaps in no other place, our boys and girls may learn to give and take—in order that as a group they may successfully live together. The value of out-of-door life can hardly be overestimated. Away from the everyday life to which they are accustomed, in the new surroundings with new interests, and in different company, most boys and girls are usually sensitive to the finer things in life. Under these conditions a leader is able to get closer to the boys and girls than at almost any other time. A summer camp brims with realities. Artificialities seem to just drop away. Social barriers dissolve. Distinctions in dress, in financial status, and in personal importance cease to exist. There are real and satisfying experiences and sensations which soothe tired nerves and awaken new and unthought-of-interests.

May the Spirit that has touched and changed the lives of young people throughout the history of camping, touch your experiences this year.