Frankford Presbyterian sent a kid to camp

By Susan Sharp Campbell

This year, after hearing Sarah Specht’s presentation at the May Presbytery meeting, the Session of Frankford Presbyterian Church agreed to try to find a kid to send to camp at Bluestone, using some of our money budgeted for local outreach. We contacted the principal of Frankford Elementary School to see if she had any suggestions of a child or children who might benefit from a week a camp.

Having consulted with the school counselor, the principal provided the names and contact information for several children who might be interested. With time running out, I sent two sets of parents a letter indicating that the church was willing to pay for their child to go to camp for a week; all they needed to provide were the things the child would need at camp and transportation.

I heard back from one set of parents that they were interested in having their daughter attend; this had been a hard year for them, and they weren’t able to afford such an opportunity, but if we really were willing to pay, they would get her there with what she needed.

When our Presbyterian Women heard that we had found a child to send to camp, they quickly decided to purchase what she needed, including a sleeping bag, insect repellent, sunscreen and a few other items. My understanding from the child’s mom and several others at camp was that this was a positive experience for the child and a way for a church that has no children or youth to impact a child in the community’s life in a positive way.

A couple of reflections on this experience from the perspective of the pastor. First, it was easier than I thought to find a kid to send to camp (not to get the Session to agree for they are committed to children in our midst). My guess is that almost all of our communities have children who would benefit from a week at church camp. Contact a local school principal or teacher; they know who might benefit from camp but for whom it would be a financial struggle for the family.

Second, I have no reason to believe that the child or her family will ever attend a worship service or any other offering at our church. They may, but that’s not why we did it. This wasn’t about expanding our congregation, but about sharing the good news of God with a child in our community. 

There are a few things I would change in the way we did this, though – particularly not waiting so late to try to identify a kid who might benefit from camp.  My hope is that we might be able to send more than one in the future.

As a presbytery, we have been hearing about “Send a Kid to Camp” for several years, with churches without children being encouraged to find a child or children who would benefit from camp and pay to send them. I write this to encourage churches who, like Frankford, may not have children in their midst to look around their community, be in touch with those who work with children and find someone to send to camp who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend, but who can benefit, as we all can, from being surrounded by the love of God through camp staff and campers.