Whoot woo! (That’s my fired up sound!). As I turned onto the dirt road, I found my sense of excitement to be ever-increasing. Moments later I was out of the car, walking toward the lodge where I was enthusiastically greeted by the hardworking staff and filled with anticipation for the soon-to-be arriving campers.
This last Sunday, the dream of expanding camping ministry in ECMN became a reality! Thanks to the bold visioning and the passionate dedication of many, Episcopal Youth Quest Camp, our camping program for middle schoolers, is holding its inaugural camp season. Building on the very successful Episcopal Youth Music Camp, this is the first camp offering with a long-term goal of providing camping ministry for elementary through high school students.
ECMN has a strong history of providing camping ministry opportunities for young people. On a fairly regular basis, I hear stories from folks about their transformative experiences of attending camp in Minnesota as a young person. While many of our present young people have been blessed to have numerous great experiences with their own and other youth groups, they have not had the opportunity to attend camp. That is changing right now – THANKS BE TO GOD!
Like so many Minnesotans of my generation, knowing the impact of being able to spend a week in a camping environment, it is incredibly exciting to see camping ministry reemerging within ECMN!