The summer's BEST
photos & BEST stories
from the Holston Conference Camp scrapbook

We hear the stories in staff meetings, at district picnics, through newsletters, in Sunday school — stories about how children (and adults) encounter God at Holston Conference camps. Last week, as camp staff wrapped up the summer season, we asked their directors to share the best photos and best stories from the past eight weeks. ("There are so many," protested Camp Dickenson Director Chuck Jones, but we insisted.)

This summer, 3,001 campers attended Holston camps, incuding Buffalo Mountain (726 campers), Dickenson (463), Lookout (466), and Wesley Woods (1,366).

So of course, it was impossible to capture every life-changing moment, every beautiful smile.

But this is a good start.

Family time: For the first time, Buffalo Mountain had a "Camp Get-2-Gether" for children and a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle. The goal was to provide ìtime awayî for family members to ìexperience the play and worship that takes place at camp,î says the Rev. Randy Pasqua, who led the camp with his wife Jo. One grandmother flew in from Ohio to be with her granddaughter. Another grandmother-grandchild duo made the pact, ìWhat happens at camp, stays at camp.î (ìIf you wonít tell Mom that we didnít wear sunscreen, I wonít.î ) They all left Buffalo Mountain ìwanting more,î says Pasqua ñ more time at camp together. ìI just didnít know you did all this stuff here,î one Kingsport grandfather said repeatedly. ìI just didnít know.î

Thursday-night relief: At Camp Dickenson, staff members were touched by several children who attended on camp scholarships. ìA lot of them made the comment that it was the first time they had eaten three meals a day,î says the Rev. Chuck Jones, camp director. One 16-year-old boy from Fries, Va., left an even bigger impression. He was quiet all week, until Thursday, when he became more lively. At Thursday nightís worship and communion service, the boy, clad in the cowboy boots he had worn all week, suddenly stepped up to the altar to kneel and pray. Counselors gladly kneeled with him. When he had finished praying, the boy stood up, smiled, and faced the crowd. ìWell, I feel better,î he said, as if a load had been lifted ñ and then promptly returned to his seat.

Love from Rutledge: For many years, Bill Gaultney, a member at Rutledge UMC in Morristown District, has paid for children to attend Wesley Woods on scholarship. Five years ago, Rutledge UMC began working with Wesley Woods to provide matching scholarships for needy kids ñ sending 11 to camp this past summer, according to Director David Leach. Some of them, along with their families, have started attending Rutledge UMC.

Life lessons: Before camp season started, staff members were required to undergo extensive training. Part of that training included a Christian life lesson on stewardship. ìSome of these younger counselors were getting paychecks for the first time this summer,î explains the Rev. Charles Maynard, conference camp development officer. ìWe talked to them about learning to give away what you have.î One young man from Camp Lookout revealed that he had received a court settlement, and had been asking God where to spend it. He decided to give $1,000 for scholarships to Lookout. A young couple from Camp Dickenson, Charlotte and Jason Lambert, had planned to marry in July, taking one week of unpaid vacation away from their counselor jobs for a honeymoon. Later, they decided to work through their honeymoon ñ giving their paychecks to fund three scholarships to Dickenson. In all, camp staff members gave $5,000 to scholarship funds at Holston camps this summer, Maynard said.

Malory's story: One parent, whose middle-school-age daughter attended Lookout, sent a letter of gratitude to the camp staff. ìIíve noticed a 100 percent turnaround in my daughter, Malory,î she wrote. "Before we sent her to camp, she was an angry child ñ mad at the world!î The mother explained that for two years, Malory had been ìvery bitterî about her parentsí divorce. She ìsat in her room,î refusing to participate in activities. ìSomething must have happened at camp, because on the car ride home, she was a chatterbox,î her mother said. ìShe talked all the way home, and even after we got home, about camp and her new friends.î Days after Maloryís return from Lookout, she was still a changed person. ìWhatever you helped her with, or helped her understand, she just wasnít getting ... We plan to send her back to Camp Lookout each summer, as long as sheís able.î

Seeing the sun: Other parents and campers also made strong statements about their camp experiences through evaluation forms. A boy who attended Junior Adventure Sampler camp at Wesley Woods wrote that the ìbest thing at campî was ìwaking up to a new day, seeing the sun, and smelling the mountain air.î One thing he learned at camp? ìYou have to trust other people on the ropes.î At the bottom of the evaluation, the boyís mother added her own comments: ìMy child felt good about himself after being successful on the giantís ladder,î she wrote. ì My child wants to be baptized.î

Yurts at Dickenson: Yurts? What's a yurt? According to Wikipedia.com, "a yurt is a portable felt dwelling structure used traditionally by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia." At Camp Dickenson, a yurt is a circular tent with a hole in the roof and latticework on the inside walls. Two of these unusual tents were pitched for the first time this summer on an island in Camp Dickenson. ìWeíve camped out on the island for years,î explains DIrector Chuck Jones. But this year, camp leaders wanted accommodations that were sturdy enough to last the summer, if not permanent. A local man constructed two yurts, which were a hit for the kids attending Dickensonís ìIsland Adventure Camp.î ìYou donít see them everyday,î says Jones. ìPeople said they look like an Ewok village.î The yurts will be packed up to return next summer.

Safe place: The Rev. Charles Ensminger, pastor at Niota-Cedar Springs UMC, has served as a minister-in-residence (MIR) at Camp Lookout for four years. Thursday night ñ the last night at camp ñ is typically very emotional, says Ensminger, but it was even more so during his MIR week this summer. ìYou could sense the charge in the air,î says the pastor, describing how some campers began weeping as they walked a softly lit trail to a bonfire, where worship and communion would be held. Later, after a moving service and altar call, campers were invited to stay and pray. ìI was surprised to see one girl, who I had met four years earlier, burst into tears.î Ensminger asked if she wanted to pray. ìShe said yes, but she didnít want to pray for herself. She wanted to pray for her friend, Amber, that she would be open to Godís presence. ì Ensminger was touched when the girl then led them both in prayer. ìIt was neat to see someone that comfortable, to pray in that setting, for someone else,î he said. ìShe was experiencing what camp is all about: A safe place to encounter God, without worrying about what anyone else thinks you should experience.î
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