Letters from camp
Like the evergreen,
camp is a year-round blessing

by Charles Maynard

Winter's bare trees allow the evergreens their season. The hemlocks, pines, fir, and spruce add a little green to an otherwise monochromatic landscape. Camp reflects the natural world. The sites have quieted some from the burst of summer activity. However, the camps are still alive. Churches are taking advantage of the slower moments to have weekend retreats. In fact, some people only experience camp on a weekend retreat. The sounds of song and laughter mix with the smell of campfire smoke to remind us that God is active in these holy places throughout the year.

At Camp Wesley Woods an "evergreen" program keeps the camp busy all year round. Outdoor Education programs bring school groups from places as close as Knoxville and Maryville to places as far away as Georgia and Ohio. Children, teachers, and chaperones experience the wonder of Creation at Wesley Woods. They learn of the intricate connections between all types of plant and animal life. They also hear about how to care for this marvelous world that God has made.

We have become so separated from the natural world that we express surprise when we see its power. Sometimes we experience the destructive force of wind and water. Other times we witness the simple beauty of a sunset. Outdoor Education attempts to open eyes, minds, and hearts to the beauty, wonder, and miracle of God's world.

I recently read a letter that a child from the Outdoor Education program wrote to a Wesley Woods staffer. This young person said, "I just want to thank you people for having me. You run like the best camp. The food was good and the activities were better. I would suggest putting more of them around the world... This trip meant a lot to me. I figured out on this trip that I meant something to other people. It seemed to me I could die and no one would care. Thanks to your camp I know they would. You people are the best. If you can do that for me, you could save someone's life."

At first glance, Outdoor Education is about science in nature, but look closer, and it really is about caring – caring for God's creation, caring for God's creatures, caring for God's people. This year Wesley Woods will work with nearly 6,000 people in Outdoor Education.

The evergreens remind me of all that happens year round at camp. They also remind me of Christmas and the advent of God into this world. God comes to us in little unexpected ways - in a manger, beside a creek, on the ropes course, in the dining hall, on a cross. We use evergreens at Christmas to remember God's constant abiding love that lasts even through the death of winter. At camp, evergreens remind me of God's constant work throughout the year in church retreats and outdoor education, as well as summer camp.

The Rev. Maynard is development officer for Holston Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries.

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