Editor's note: Campers' names have been changed for this post, Maria's has not. Maria is still Maria. Towards the beginning of St. George's Session I, I meet Cabin Seven outside of Tucker Dining Hall before lunch. Faith is in the midst of explicating all things Boxcar Children to Maria Maguire, her counselor, as Maria corrals the girls in her cabin into a reasonably compressed area. Maria is working actively to get Violet involved and talking to other girls, and I gather that Laela came to camp a little later than the rest of the cabin and is still integrating. Maria has different girls explain what they shared at earlier cabin meetings to Laela to get her caught up. Kai wants to be an inventor, Marie wants to be a teacher. I introduce myself to the cabin, and explain that I want to write a short blog post about their cabin at lunchtime. The girls are flattered and welcoming, and when the bell rings, I walk with them into Tucker and stand behind a seat at their table, then we say grace and sit. What follows is the transcript of everything Maria said to her charge of girls over the course of the half-hour between grace and the announcements song. "I'm going to pour the Gatorade. Alright, so everyone must drink at least one cup of Gatorade to re-hydrate. We don't have enough for everyone on the first round, so some of you will have to wait. Yes, you can have water first, but you will have to drink some Gatorade. Try a little bit. I'll get you your drink in a little bit. Here you go. Pepperoni's good, too, guys. Would you like cheese or pepperoni? Sure! Laela, would you like cheese or pepperoni? Awesome! Would you like a cheese pizza, David? Apple sauce? Really good. Apple sauce tastes so good with pizza. Oops, sorry about that. You're welcome. Okay, let me get you some water so you can start drinking, but you can try some Gatorade later. Here's some salad. Remember how you tried green beans yesterday? How about you try some salad, too? Did you know tomatoes prevent cancer? Super good for you. Yeah, it's really good. It's Caesar dressing. Sorry, I poured lettuce on you! That's very considerate of you. Yeah? You're welcome. Okay, everyone, now Laela just joined us. Now I'm not sure everyone knows everyone's name. Oh, thanks, Madison, but we're going to play a name game. Now, we're going to play a name game. Yes, you can go first. Now, you'll say an animal with the same first letter of your name. Oh, is that too restricting? I like that idea, but this time let's do the same first letter, because then at the end we'll all be able to remember everyone's names. My name is Maria, and I like Manatees. What's that? Oh, don't touch the pizza unless you're going to take it. Faith likes fish. Laela like lions. Can you think of a different animal that starts with the first letter of your name? Oh, I thought you said Madison Bunny. Okay, so Madison the Monkey. Okay, what's your name? What animal do you like? That starts with a 'K'! Great, Cassidy, can you say that so Faith can you hear you, too? Okay, Marie. Sure, since you asked so nice. Marie likes Mermaids. Good job, Marie." "Kai? Remember that story we heard with the half-human creature? Yes, the Satyr. It's like a Satyr but this one has a tail, and it lives in the ocean. Did you hear all the names Isabel? You're going to go last, so get ready. Good job, Abby! So, Isabel likes Iguanas! What do I like? Starts with an 'M.' Lives in the sea, kind of like a sea-lion. It's a manatee. Abby, can you explain what a manatee is? What's her name? Can you tell her your animal? A fish! What's her name? You just said it! Can I have one more? Sure. Thank you, David. Laela, L-A-E-L-A, Laela. That's Madison. David's acting it out. Yeah, good job, a monkey! Her name's not Marie. Starts with a 'C'... Starts with a 'C-A'... Cas... Cassidy. What's her name? It's what you said her name was before Cassidy. Good job! Yeah! Does anyone want more apple sauce? Did everyone have fun during camper free time? Yeah? What'd you do? You played cards? You played with sand? What did you do with the sand? How many have you had? Does anyone else want another slice of pizza? Who wants a second piece of pizza? Who wants a third piece? I saw that rock! It's cool looking! Who's a member of the clean plate club? Try it; salad is good for you. Good job, Kai, I like the way you tried the salad. You're not going to try it? Just try it. Doesn't that taste healthy? That's a good trick. I used to not like tomatoes, then I started to eat them more, and more and more, and now I do! They just taste so healthy! Do it... Your plate looks so clean! Would everyone please pass me their plates? Wow, so many people are members of the clean plate club! Thank you! Clean plate club! We'll get our brownies soon. I don't know, it's a surprise. Who wants a brownie, raise your hand. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. What's that? Are you supposed to ever take more than one pill? If you eat a lot? Kai, would you mind passing me that napkin? Thank you so much! Thanks, Kai. Thank you so much. Alrighty, I'll pass them out. Here you go. You're welcome. These are so good! You're welcome. You're welcome. Here you go, Isabel. What'd you say? They are!" Catherine Belous, the program director, begins the announcement song, bringing lunch to a close. The girls are still learning the song, but they give it the old college try. As each of the counselors gets up to speak, Maria refocuses her campers, which is not easy because the counselors are being genuinely ridiculous as they announce the electives. The announcements end, and Maria walks her cabin up to camp for rest period. By David Churchman David Churchman first went to camp at Shrine Mont in 1993, the day after his 8th birthday, and he's been back just about every summer ever since. As a camper, he attended Soccer Camp (now St. Sebastian's), Explorers, and MAD camp, and then went on to work at all of those camps. He is working to end guitar hegemony at camp, and plays the accordion wherever a camp will let him. Off the mountain, David resides in San Antonio and works as a middle school math teacher.
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Disclaimer: The names of the campers were changed in this account. Quotations are only as accurate as my hasty scribblings in the dimly lit cabin would allow, and some narrative license was taken, as the entirety of the feeling check was almost an hour long. A few minutes after the lights out bell, when Brigid had wrangled the last few girls from the latrine and into their PJs, I was excitedly beckoned in for Cabin Hairspray's "feeling check" by a gaggle of giggling girls. Brigid quickly got them sitting quietly on the floor around a white pillar candle, which Brigid lit as the girls introduced themselves. This is a MAD II cabin, so the girls ranged in age from 12 to 14. Caitlin said, "I'm Brigid!" then Suzy said, "I'm Caitlin," and everyone quickly caught on and gave me the name of someone else in the cabin, concluding in some mischievous giggles. Brigid suggested that it might be helpful to tell me their actual names, and the girls went around again, though Caitlin took a more circuitous route to her name. "I'm Brigid, no I'm Virginia, no I'm Trish! Okay, I'm Caitlin." Maggie turned to me and earnestly confirmed that Caitlin's name was in fact Caitlin. Brigid introduced Simba to me, the squeaky-toy lion they passed around during feeling check to denote whose turn it was to speak. Maggie told me with relish that Cullen, the program director, was scared of squeaky toys, which allowed the cabin to ward him off from their feeling checks. Elizabeth asked me what the silly question for the evening was going to be, as this was traditionally a guest's responsibility. Previous silly questions provided by guests of the week's feeling checks were quickly rattled off. "If you were an asteroid floating through space, what material would you be made of?" There was another concerning living in a black submarine with several layers of detail that I didn't quite catch. Though the girls were respectful of the Simba-holding speaker, sometimes the exigency of explaining something important to their guest overcame decorum as details burst out from around the circle. I suppose if I were a more scrupulous writer, I would avoid providing something so crucial to the evening as the silly question, but instead I offered, "I'm not sure if this is too dark for the silly question, but if for some reason you had to lose an important body part, what would it be, and why?" Caitlin asked if wolves were allowed to be involved, and I confirmed this seemed appropriate to the spirit of the question. Emily asked Brigid if we will also be doing "highs and lows," and Brigid confirmed that yes, we would do highs and lows, as well as our "God moment" for the day. The agenda set, everyone joined hands, and Brigid read this night prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book: Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night for a long day. What has been done has been done, what has not been done, let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities, in your name we pray. Amen. The girls were quiet for a moment, until Elizabeth pointed to Simba sitting by the candle, and said, "Simba looks angry!" to which there was much agreement and explanation that it had something to do with the candlelight. Lila asked to go first, and Brigid handed Simba across the circle to Lila. "My high for the day was Seven Springs, because until this year, I had never made it past ankle level, and this year I got in all the way to my neck. My low for the day was all the standing during rehearsal, but it was cool to get to rehearse the show in a different space. Today I saw God at Seven Springs, because it was so quiet and peaceful, and I could really feel Him watching over us. If I had to lose a limb... Can I lose part of a limb, or does it have to be like the whole arm?" I clarified that the only requirement was that it had to be an important body part, not necessarily an entire limb. "Well, I guess I would lose my entire right arm, because if it was just part of the arm it would look weird, and it wouldn't be able to do that much anyway." Several girls asked if Lila was left handed, which she is, and we discovered a number of the other girls in Hairspray were also left handed. Lila passes Simba to Elizabeth, who asked if she should say her name, but I reassured her that I remembered her name from the introduction, and then the rest of the girls needed to know if I also remembered their names, which I fortunately was able to prove that I did. Elizabeth continued, "Well my high for the day was Seven Springs, because it's so pretty out there." While Elizabeth talked, Brigid silently enforced the Simba rule with gentle looks to girls about to interrupt, or an occasional stop-sign hand. "I saw God when Connor stopped us to read passages on the hike. I guess I would lose a nose because there are still so many things you can do without a nose. Plus, I think I could really rock the Voldemort look." Suzy took Simba, and began, "You know that humming feeling when you get out of cold water and your whole body is vibrating and pulsing? I think that's when I felt God today. My high for the day just happened." Suzy made a reference in a silly voice I couldn't quite understand, but it killed the cabin, and I was able to gather it was had something to do with the Improv Comedy night they had as their evening program. "Before tonight, I didn't think I was any good at improv, but I guess I really am! My low for the day was that sometimes there are times during the day when I get lonely, and it doesn't matter how many people come up to me to hug me or ask me how I am doing, I just feel lonely for a little while, and today that was during lunch." Elizabeth puts her arm around Suzy's shoulder. "If I were to lose a body part, it would be my left ear, because I'm pretty sure I could deal with that." Caitlin takes Simba with a flourish and says in her poshest British accent, "Sapphire's the name." The girls giggle, but Suzie asks that she talk in her normal voice, because it might be hard for me to understand her when she talks like that, and Maggie adds it would be hard to take her seriously talking like that. Caitlin continues, "My low for the day, well I can't remember a low, because I like to stay pretty positive, so I don't think I have a low. You know what, my low was Connor ringing the bell to wake us up this morning and obnoxiously screaming! My high was, well I was originally sad that we weren't going to the pool today, but then the whole water wars thing at camp was pretty fun. It was boys versus girls for a while, but that's a different story, and then I got to pay back Connor for waking us up early by dumping a bucket of water on him! I saw God when Aleana or Leanna or, I don't remember her name, but she brought us over to see a moth, and I usually do not like bugs at all and want to kill them, but I saw God because this moth was so beautiful and it had these giant wings." Maggie interjected, "And it didn't die!" Caitlin continued, "If I had to lose a body part, I would lose my whole body, and I would turn into a wolf!" Lila asked, "How many people saw that coming?" Everyone raised their hands. Caitlin added, "I would be the grey wolf from the Golden Compass! Raar!" Maggie said, "Come visit me if you turn into a wolf!" Elizabeth wondered what her mom would say if a wolf was at the door, and everyone giggled and joked about a wolf politely knocking and waiting while their mother went to get them for the wolf waiting outside. Brigid took Simba, and began, "My low was after rest period." Trish, sitting next to Brigid gave Brigid a look that everyone giggled at. "Yeah, I feel you Trish," Elizabeth said. Brigid reminded, "We all know that after I wake up, I may look a little annoyed, but that's just me waking up, and I still love you all." Trish asked, "A little annoyed?" "Anyways, after a shower, I felt great again," Brigid said over Trish's continued giggling. "My high of the day was Improv Night." Suzie says to Trish, "I loved your impression of Brigid in the morning!" "Yeah, Trish probably sees me the most in the morning, because we're both going for the showers first," Brigid conceded. "I got to see God during chaplain's time today, listening to all the things you guys said. I was really inspired by some of your comments. If I had to lose a body part, it would be my ear, so I could make the joke, 'I'm holey,' like Ron Weasely. I think you also have to consider the way you lose the body part, so I would definitely lose it in a lion attack. This lion wouldn't be like the lions from the other nights in the friendly lion colony that I will live in some day, but will be mean, like Scar. Also, I guess it won't be a very serious lion attack, because it will only take my ear." Lila informs us that in the Hercules movie, Hercules wears Scar while getting his portrait done, and Brigid passes Simba to Trish. Trish begins, "What's a tree killer called, again?" Brigid guesses lumberjack, which is correct and sends Trish into uncontrollable fits of giggling. "I think I was thinking about that because Cullen was wearing that shirt, like a lumberjack." Trish giggles some more, "In case you don't know, I get this from my older sister. Okay, anyways, my high for the day was when I asked Brigid if McSarah could come to feeling check, and Brigid told me that she wasn't sure because not everyone in the cabin knows McSarah. Then, not five minutes later, David Churchman came over and asked if he could come to our feeling check, and you said, 'Yes,' so I went over to tell McSarah, and she stormed over pretending to be all angry, like this," Trish grimaces, "and it was hilarious." Caitlin needs clarification at this point about whether my name is "Churchmen," or "Churchman," and I tell her it's like a super-hero, ChurchMAN. Several of the girls marvel that I am working at the perfect place with a name like Churchman. Trish, picks up where she left off. "Another high for the day was water wars. I could not believe that Cullen knew how many sisters I have, because most only know about my older two, so he got to dump a bucket of water on me. My low for the day was I kept rolling my ankle. The first time was because Lila saw a bug." Maggie wasn't sure what rolling an ankle meant, so she showed us what she thought it meant and Trish confirmed this was correct, "Yeah, I've sprained this one a couple of times." Suzie was confused, because she thought you needed a cast when you sprained an ankle, so Brigid said, "Sometimes you need a cast for a serious sprain, but not always. Trish, when did you see God today?" "I saw God... I saw God... Did you just hear a cat or something?" Brigid admitted it was just some weird stomach noises from her. "I saw God... saw God... Come back to me on that question. If I could lose a limb, it would be a tooth. No, I'm just kidding. Okay, I saw God when David knew I was Tamara's little sister, and I would lose my right ankle!" "Because you sprain it all the time?" asked Suzie. "Yeah, I'm not sure I would be able to walk without being able to bend my foot, but I think I could." "So you're not going to take off from the ankle down, but you're just taking the ankle out from between your leg and foot?" Brigid asked, and the girls speculated about whether it should just be a gap of air there or if the foot would be connected directly to the leg. "So I was walking in the forest," Trish said, "when the world's worst lumberjack came out, and cut it like swwwffft." "Did it hurt?" "Of course it hurt!" Next it was my turn, and Trish grabbed my notebook to take notes of my feeling check. Trish wrote: "Low - bugs High - 1st 24 hrs at Shrine Mont Saw God - water sports - funny pics #FUNNY PICS Cullen got splashed A LOT [doodled picture of Cullen] Body part - lose the feet... learn to walk on peg legs." After my feeling check, I gave Simba to Maggie, and she began, "Just in case you didn't know, when I made a comment on what Caitlin said, it was about yesterday when we found a dead moth, so we had a moth burial. I sang a couple songs. That explains my comment about how today's moth didn't die." "We built a memorial," Suzie said. "Until the boys destroyed it," Caitlin added. "My high was when we were splashing Cullen. He totally cheated at the question game, though, because he did not get his question right, and I still got splashed. My third high was the pie, which tasted like heaven." "The pie tasted like Kevin? Like Kevin, with a K?" Caitlin asked. There was much giggling and speculating about what a Kevin might taste like before Maggie could continue, "My low was not swimming in Seven Springs, but I did put my feet in just for Caitlin. Now is it limbs or parts?" "Did you say, 'arms or butts?'" Caitlin interrupted. "You could lose the crack in your butt!" Trish giggled out. "I guess I would lose my right foot, and get it replaced with a realistic looking foot, and I could paint the toenails." "Like in Star Wars?" Elizabeth asked. "Not like in Star Wars! When do they paint toenails in Star Wars? Now, I was in an ocean in Texas, and..." "Now, I have flown over Texas," Suzie put in, "and I hate to tell you, but there is no ocean in Texas." There was some discussion, and giggling, and we resolved on the story being set in the Gulf of Mexico. In the middle of our discussion, the counselor from next door came over to let us know that their feeling check was over, so we should start quieting down as that cabin tries to get to sleep, which the girls did, but also giggled about how this was two nights in a row they had to be quieted down. Maggie resumed, "A giant spiky starfish came out of the ocean and wrapped around my foot, and..." "It hugged your foot off!" Suzy exclaimed. "Let her finish, please" said Brigid. "...so the giant spiny starfish hands squeezed off my foot." "Okay, ladies, I'm going to close with a prayer, and after I'm done, I'm going to squeeze a hand, and you will say one thing you're thankful for today," said Brigid. Trish asked to go last, which Brigid said was okay. "Thank you God for campers willing to take new risks today, whether it was at Seven Springs, rehearsal, or improv shows. Thank you for the community in this cabin, and keep us safe as we finish camp." Brigid was silent for a moment, and squeezed Caitlin's hand. "Buttbuns." "Can you come back to me?" "Friends." "Bugs." "Improv." "No, I still can't think of anything." "Camp." "Being invited." "MAD Camp." The girls all leaned in to blow out the candle in the middle of our circle, and began climbing into their bunks. Brigid took out The Phantom Tollbooth and began to read. By David Churchman David Churchman first went to camp at Shrine Mont in 1993, the day after his 8th birthday, and he's been back just about every summer ever since. As a camper, he attended Soccer Camp (now St. Sebastian's), Explorers, and MAD camp, and then went on to work at all of those camps. He is working to end guitar hegemony at camp, and plays the accordion wherever a camp will let him. Off the mountain, David resides in San Antonio and works as a middle school math teacher. Serving as a chaplain for two sessions at Shrine Mont Camps, MAD I and MAD II, allowed me to discover fun and inventive ways to highlight God’s holy and spiritual presence around the campers, counselors and me, at all times. For instance, at chaplain's time (aka “Happy Chappy Time”) during Session II, I invited the campers and counselors to sit together in a circle. I next divided our circle into five parts, handing to the first camper in each section, a mostly blank page of paper containing only the opening verse from Psalm 118. Their instructions were to, one by one, look at the verse in front of them, and quickly and quietly compose the next. Once one camper was done, he or she would fold down the preceding verse that inspired her or him, and share only their newly composed verse with the next person, who would then write his or her verse, and pass the form along in the same way. As each person read one verse and wrote another, the rest of the gathered prayed silently, while I either answered questions that arose or guided them in the process through meditative words. Together, in no time, we created our own psalm which was placed in the order that the five separate pages were handed back to me once each group was finished. No doubt as the campers, counselors and I saw, you too will witness how the Holy Spirit worked through our collective individuality with humor, warmth, depth, love, and more to create our camp psalm. Below is the psalm as authored by the Holy Spirit through the group, with the opening/repeating verse from Psalm 118 added to the conclusion. The Mad Camp PsalmGive thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. The Lord loves us. The Lord is always with us. The Lord will always influence us to do the right thing. So Lord, do the right thing through me. Encourage and guide us wherever our paths take us. Love us as you promise. Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. He forgives us when we turn away, For he is ever forgiving, and ever helping. He is with me when I am without. I believe he is in the wind so when it blows it shows his spirit. He is also in the lushness of the earth; We see him in all things nature and around us. Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. We are forgiven always; His good is eternal. His love is spread through his good and it is endless for each of us. He will live forever along with his love and use us through our lives. If we believe, we will have eternal life in him, a life filled with love. If you believe in God, he believes in you. And because we believe in God, we believe in those who made biscuits 'n gravy. God believes in us so we believe in the Holy Spirit. We feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, so we must believe. Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. Pound the drum and play the harp, Praise The Lord with song. Praise The Lord with giving. There is no gift worthy of God, Not even your heart and soul. But all of God's gifts are worthy enough for you. Cherish God's precious gifts, Like the sun and moon and stars. And cherish all living things like plants, and animals. Respect all of God's creations. Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. And let us be happy together, for he has provided for me in a time of need. I want for nothing. Even though there will be times of want when it is flawed - such as the want for others to be jubilant, or for those in a form of pain. For through thine words we shall not want more than ours and others protection and guidance. For love and patience throughout all the days of our lives, and for our Father to guide us through the shadow of death. The Lord walks beside each and every day for we are his children to care for. Give thanks to The Lord, for he is good; His mercy endures forever. By Peter Ackerman et al. Peter Ackerman is the rector of St. Christopher's, Springfield. Following ordination in 2007, Peter began his career as a priest as the associate rector of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria, where he served for four years. Peter grew up in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley and first followed in his parents' footsteps working in the television industry, on both sides of the camera. I am willing to admit that I might be addicted to the internet. The ability to access the sum total of the world's knowledge at any time with a device that fits in my pocket is something that I take completely for granted. Yesterday during lunch, when the question of whether Cassiopeia was a moon of Jupiter or a constellation, I had no inclination to trust my dubious memory of middle school field trips to the planetarium. Instead, I reached immediately into my back pocket for my phone, which told me in seconds that Cassiopeia is one of 48 constellations originally listed by the Greek philosopher Ptolemy, all of which I promptly forgot before dessert came out. Besides relegating all factual memory to my phone, I have a compulsion to check every few minutes to see if a person I haven't talked to since high school has posted a new picture of his lunch. When I am not at Shrine Mont, I am a high school math teacher, so as addicted as I am to the Internet and my phone, I know my habit pales in comparison to the addiction of my students. There is no non-academic time during the school day that a majority of students are not staring at a screen: lunch, homeroom, walking down the hallway, using the restroom, each student lit from below by glowing rectangles. Even academic times, when students have empirical evidence that I will confiscate their phones, there are frequent furtive glances at their laps. Now, a potentially more controversial confession: I am not ashamed of being addicted to the Internet. I live thousands of miles away from my family and some of my closest friends, and those casual, accidentally-bumped-into-you-at-the-store conversations that are the blood in the veins of any living relationship wouldn't be possible without my compulsive social media checking. And I have no reverence for keeping a lot of factual knowledge in my organic brain; I'm content to look up Cassiopeia again the next time it comes up. I think the rise of Snapchat, a photo and video messaging application that sends posts that disappear after a few seconds, as the dominant social media of my students shows a savvy that my generation lacked, as evidenced by constant news items of job applications of people my age thwarted because of unfortunate pictures with too many red cups permanently associated with that person's online identity. But when my students and I use it responsibly, the Internet makes us more productive, smarter and better connected to the people we love. That said, at camp, one of our chief goals is to create a safe "place apart" to build strong communities, which is hard enough in isolation. But phones introduce that small complication of the entire outside world. The decision used to be made for us; remoteness and mountainous terrain defended Shrine Mont from reliable cell phone signals. There were secret spots, where - if the wind was right and you held your phone at the perfect height - you could make a call, but over the years, those secret spots have grown and merged, and now some networks have high-speed data streaming all over the Shrine Mont property. As cellphone networks improved, the reality of being a hotel in the twenty-first century - even a very rustic hotel - brought WiFi to many of the main buildings on the property. For better or worse, there is now a choice involved about how "apart" those who come to Shrine Mont truly are. So, the choice that Shrine Mont Camps made is "no phones." As much as I love my phone, I think fifty-one weeks a year of complete global knowledge in my pocket is probably enough. The people I love who live 1,000 miles away can wait a week for me to like the adorable picture of their puppy, so that I can be fully in the moment to discuss the best way to eat a butt bun with the people sitting in front of me. Campers and counselors putting their phones aside for their week (or weeks) at camp promotes the message that the most important thing at this moment is the place we are and the people in it. I'm not overly worried that we need to teach campers that there are times and places for cellphones (everything has a season), but I do think it takes a lifetime of practice to learn how to be completely present and open to the people around you, and practicing this without a cellphone is a nice set of training wheels we provide to our campers. A few nights ago, when I was sitting with Cabin Hairspray, one of the MAD Camp cabins named for the eponymous musical, for their feeling check, an errant notification sounded from my pocket, which provoked much indignation from the campers. I promised I only had the phone to take pictures for the camp blog/Instagram, but close to the end of their week at camp, these 12- and 13-year-olds implicitly understood that my cell phone threatened the sanctity of the community they had built together. Many of these exact same campers who berated me for my cellphone may spend the entirety of their ride home glued to a screen. I am sure many of the parents of these same campers have struggled with prying their kids - and maybe themselves, too - away from devices for five minutes. But for one week, these campers were so completely invested in a community that they didn't even notice they were unplugged. By David Churchman There's still space in the following camps: Art Camp (ages 9-15) – August 2-10 Explorers Session II (ages 12-14) – July 23-31 SHYC (rising freshman to rising seniors) – July 20-27 David Churchman first went to camp at Shrine Mont in 1993, the day after his 8th birthday, and he's been back just about every summer ever since. As a camper, he attended Soccer Camp (now St. Sebastian's), Explorers, and MAD camp, and then went on to work at all of those camps. He is working to end guitar hegemony at camp, and plays the accordion wherever a camp will let him. Off the mountain, David resides in San Antonio and works as a middle school math teacher. We were almost done, but we were stuck. We stood on one side of the pole, and she was by herself on the other. The pole was strung between two trees at about shoulder level and we were forbidden to touch it. We had gotten everyone over the pole, but there was still one camper left, with no one to help her on her side of the pole. We had not thought our plan all the way through, and now we had to find a way to get our last teammate over or risk starting all over. We had navigated planks, tires and poles in various configurations, and this was our final challenge of the afternoon. We were tired, sweaty, and frustrated with each other. I was thirteen, in the midst of a growth spurt, and lacking confidence about what I could do physically. This was the first year of Explorers Camp, and at the time it accepted eight to thirteen year olds all in one big session, so I was one of the oldest campers. Looking at that last camper, I felt the eyes of my teammates looking expectantly at me for what to do next, which was very new for me. I got a couple of the other campers on either side of me to lift me high enough to reach down over the bar without touching it. I grasped both of the last camper's arms and pulled her straight up, until some of the teammates on my side of the bar were able to grab her feet and safely guide her over. We were euphoric in our team success at a challenge that originally seemed impossible, and I was bursting with pride at the part I had played. Frankly, I was surprised at my new-found strength that had played a decisive role. The fact that when things got difficult, people were looking to me and listening to me was intriguing but confusing. Even more confusing was the attention I received from Courtney over the course of my week at Explorers. She was twelve - so a younger woman - and at thirteen I was ill-equipped to deal with the dazzling glare of an unrequited crush. She was remarkably savvy at finding ways for us to suddenly be out sight of the rest of camp at the back of a hike, or engineering the seat next to me in the dining hall. I can't say I discouraged her, because at thirteen I was desperate for any and all attention. There's also a certain momentum that builds when a camp sniffs out a potential couple. Boys start asking when you'll kiss her. Giggling emissaries from a group of girls come to grill an intermediary in the boy's group about plans for the dance. Counselors have a knowing look in their eye, and lightly tease. As the week developed, I felt the spotlight of camp focusing around Courtney and me, and I was buzzing with its energy, if not exactly romantic feelings for Courtney. With busy days, I was able to navigate a friendship with Courtney, but I began to worry about the impending dance, slow songs and all. I had certain ideas about what to expect at a dance from the dimly lit middle school shindigs I had attended. Back in middle school, there were loud DJs and a few chaperons standing on the edges of hundreds of students, while the older students found dark make-out corners. That is not a camp dance. I encourage you to read John Ohmer's piece on camp dances, because the goofy outfits and enthusiastic counselor thrashing that might be interpreted as dancing has not changed much since I was a camper. I took my cues from the counselors, and rather than being cornered by Courtney as I feared, Courtney and I made up goofy dances and tried to get the rest of camp to try them; I remember "the penguin" was especially popular. We made it our mission to get the youngest and shiest campers involved. During the dreaded slow songs, we formed big circles with other campers. Again, I was in a situation where I was unexpectedly leading. I don't remember how it came up, but I remember hanging out by the pool the next day with Christina, a counselor, and she asked me a question that helped define my next sixteen years, "Have you ever thought about being a counselor?" I don't think I had any kind of plans past dinner, so I definitely hadn't thought of being a counselor. As a kid, I was never able to answer when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and, to this day, five years into my teaching career, I still wonder what I will do when I get around to becoming an adult. But this wasn't the open-ended, "What do you want to be?" it was, "Have you ever thought about being a counselor?" Christina's unspoken implication was not lost on me: "You should be a counselor." Being a counselor was not something ten, fifteen, twenty years into a murky, unknowable future. It was not something that required going to medical school or years of training. Being a counselor, as it turned out, was something adult and meaningful that I could (and would) do a mere three summers later. My experiences of leadership that week at Explorers and someone older and cooler than me telling me that I had done well was a defining moment for me and how I saw myself. The summer of '98 was what brings me back here, yet again, sixteen summers later, and all the summers in between. Every new role I've had at Shrine Mont Camps gave me a set of experiences that shape how I see myself as a leader and a human being. As a counselor, I flourished under more responsibility than most of my teenage peers living in Arlington. (One of the little known secrets of camp ministry is that it has a significantly greater impact on the counselors than the campers.) In my early twenties, I found myself suddenly leading not just campers, but other counselors. As a bookish introvert, it is unlikely I would have sought out leadership without the independence and concrete experiences backed by the positive reinforcement and encouragement of my counselors that I experienced at camp. At the high school where I now teach, I chair my grade level, something I never would have been confident or skilled enough to try without my leadership experiences at camp in that summer of '98, and each one since. By David Churchman It's not too late! Explorers Camp Session II (ages 12-14) still has space. Click here to register. David Churchman first went to camp at Shrine Mont 1993, the day after his 8th birthday, and he's been back just about every summer ever since. As a camper, he attended Soccer Camp (now St. Sebastian's), Explorers, and MAD camp, and then went on to work at all of those camps. He is working to end guitar hegemony at camp, and plays the accordion wherever a camp will let him. Off the mountain, David resides in San Antonio and works as a middle school math teacher. Growing up in a stain-glassed Episcopal church, I had a very specific idea of what "The Peace" was in the Eucharist. It came after the confession, and it was a cordial way for me to greet and share the peace with three people in the congregation and hug my mother. The procedure was generally to turn left, shake a hand, turn to the pew behind me, shake a hand, turn forward, shake a hand, and turn right to hug my mother. All together, the peace lasted about twenty seconds before our Very Reverend began the offertory. Before camp, I thought of the peace as the seventh-inning stretch of a worship service. The primary driving force at all Shrine Mont Camps is building an inclusive community, where everyone feels safe and loved. No one cares if a MAD camper misses a line at their final show, or if a St. Sebastian's camper still can't dribble at the end of their week, as long as each camper felt like they were a valued part of camp. The peace is a time when campers and counselors take time to make everyone feel warmly welcome, so no one is satisfied with the look left, look back, look forward, and hug your mother. Instead, aisles are cleared in a cacophony of loud greetings and warm hugs, as each member of the congregation strives to hug every other and tell them personally, "peace be with you." As a math teacher, I'm reminded of the classic "handshake problem," where students are asked to determine the number of handshakes needed for every member of the class to shake each other's hands exactly once, and then work to generalize a rule for n people shaking hands. Not to spoil your fun in finding it yourself, but the rule is if you have n people shaking hands, then there will be n(n - 1)/2 unique handshakes.* So, with a hundred people at a service, there are 4,950 hugs attempted. Needless to say, this takes longer than the twenty-second seventh-inning stretch I grew accustomed to at my church growing up. To accommodate the freedom of movement and time needed to undergo this joyful expression, the peace, long ago, was moved to the end of camp worship services. Given the opportunity, the peace could easily last longer than the rest of the worship combined, and I have seen many that have come close. Program directors, whose job is to keep the camp on schedule, will eventually concede to the impossibility of however many thousands of hugs are being attempted at that particular peace and will start singing a loud and popular song. Campers will slowly get back to their pews by the second or third time through the chorus, both satisfied that they did their best to include everyone they could, and feeling fully a part of their community. *One way to think of the problem is n is the number of people shaking hands, and n - 1 is the number of hands each person will shake, since they won't shake hands with themselves. If you multiply these, it will give you the total number of handshakes both given and received, so you need to divide by two to get the unique handshakes. David Churchman first went to camp at Shrine Mont 1993, the day after his 8th birthday, and he's been back just about every summer ever since. As a camper, he attended Soccer Camp (now St. Sebastian's), Explorers, and MAD camp, and then went on to work at all of those camps. He is working to end guitar hegemony at camp, and plays the accordion wherever a camp will let him. Off the mountain, David resides in San Antonio and works as a middle school math teacher. A reflection from Ed Jones, secretary and chief of staff for the Diocese of Virginia. Shrine Mont has always been about connections – making new ones, renewing old ones – but never more so than during this year’s Fourth of July weekend, when perfect weather combined with top-of-the-line bluegrass and fun-filled action on the athletic fields. The occasion was the Bishop’s Jubilee, when dozens of camp alumni and other guests descended on Shrine Mont in the middle of camp season to eat good food and listen to foot-stomping music. Beyond the festivities were lots of lower profile activities that grow out of connections to Shrine Mont that have extended through the years and the generations. Fred Forstall, a former forester who now works for a federal regulatory agency in Washington, was spading away on a project he has been at for years: building up one of the culverts near Shrine Mont Circle that become fast-moving streams during heavy rain. Over the years, parts of the culvert have been washed out, making it more difficult for the water to flow freely. Forstall, a member of the Shrine Mont board of directors, has been hauling in rocks to build up the bottom, one of which required two men to lift into a truck. It’s a way of staying connected to Shrine Mont, says Forstall, a product of St. George’s Camp whose love affair with Shrine Mont was interrupted by two decades spent working in Alabama. Since 2000, when he moved back to Virginia, the connection has been re-established. While Forstall was shoveling away, a fast-moving Ultimate Frisbee game was being won by the camps’ staff over a team from “the world” – alumni and others – while bluegrass bands, one from Harrisonburg and the other from Staunton, were getting ready for the late afternoon performances at the lower pavilion. Life in the camps continued on, as it will for several more weeks. But the sounds of campers singing and swimming were complemented on this weekend by the sounds of others who found Shrine Mont to be just the spot to connect or reconnect on a weekend celebrating the nation’s birthday. One retired couple from Christ Church, Winchester heard about the bluegrass festival at the last minute and decided to hop in the car for the hour-plus ride. A woman from St. Anne’s, Reston, brought a friend to enjoy midsummer at Shrine Mont as a complement to her parish’s annual retreat in November. On a weekend when the weather was as sweet as the music, they were not disappointed. By Ed Jones Ed Jones is the secretary and chief of staff for the Diocese of Virginia. Ed joined the bishop's staff after a career in journalism that spanned nearly a half-century, retiring as the editor of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Ed is the editor of Center Aisle, the Diocese of Virginia’s daily opinion journal for General Convention. Ed is also a deacon, serving St. Mary's, Colonial Beach. Another Fourth of July and Bishop's Jubilee has come and gone, but we're here to tell the story. The Fourth of JulyIndependence Day was both a typical and extraordinary day for Shrine Mont Camps. After dinner, they met for all-camp worship, heavily clad in red, white and blue. After worship the camps headed to evening games on the upper ball field and had a choose-your-own-adventure program. Some campers hung out and talked, some played corn hole, some field games and basketball, some sat out by a campfire. No matter the activity, fun and ridiculousness happened, as pictured below. We said it last year and we'll say it again: The sun sets on another perfect day at camp. Alumni Coffee House
At one point, someone referred to the event as "BYOK" (Bring Your Own Kid). Grown-up counselors who are now having future campers of their own started getting their kids hooked on camp music, fitting them with appropriate and adorable ear protection. The Bishop's 5kThe Jubilee continued early Saturday morning with the Bishop's 5k. The quick and the fit embarked on a run or walk around Shrine Mont's campus, beginning and ending in front of the hotel. This year's winner was Clara, a St. George's Session IV camper who came down the hill just to run the race, followed soon after by her dad, Buzz (below, left). Rob Reed, former St. George's counselor and program director, and his daughter (below, right) came in third, making her the fastest toddler in the race and Rob the fastest thirty-something. The Family Fun FestThe family fun fest went on in front of the Virginia House during and after the Bishop's 5k, and included carnival games and a magic show. The magic show may have involved Bishop Gulick, assistant bishop of Virginia, volunteering for the guillotine magic trick (above, left), but any alleged pictures of Bishop Gulick with his head in the gallows have been confiscated by the Presiding Bishop's office [citation needed]. Staff V. WorldJust after 11:00 a.m., the annual Staff v. World Ultimate Frisbee game began. If you're not familiar with it, this is the moment each year where tensions run highest. Alumni, family and friends (world team) - easily recognized as the team with shirtless players - face off against the current Shrine Mont Camps staff (staff team). Well over a hundred campers watched the game, cheering their current counselors and lovingly heckling their former counselors. Athleticism and fine motor skills were on display. After a hard-fought first half, the score was tied at 6-6. In the second half, the coordinated and college-athlete-heavy staff team pulled ahead of the deep but approaching-their-ten-and-twenty-year-college-reunions world team and finished with an official score of "a lot to not as much," handing the staff their third consecutive win. As always, the game was immediately followed by the tie that binds everyone, staff and world, on and off the mountain. Mike Wade, director of St. George's, led all present in the shouting prayer. God loves the world. God loves the staff. The Bishop's Bluegrass FestivalMany Nights Ahead and Bourbon Barrel Congress, two local bands with a fresh take on the genre, played the Bishop's Bluegrass Festival. The festival had the highest attendance it has in years, drawing on both the fan base of the bands and a sharp spike in attendance of alumni and friends. We look forward to even bigger numbers next year as more people realize the awesomeness that is listening to bluegrass on a beautiful Shenandoah Valley day. Hoss Plays the All-Camp DanceA few hours after the bluegrass ended, Hoss took over the lower pavilion to strut its Ramones-meet-Crosby-Stills-and-Nash swagger across the stage. Hoss is a band formed by St. George's Camp alumni, often calling up current and former counselors and family to sing a song or two. All the camps on the mountain came down to the pavilion for their evening program, where they received an education in classic rock and the "ancient history" of camp music, as Henry Burt, former St. George's director, put it. The songs ranged from Violent Femmes, to AC/DC (with St. George's counselor Mark Tanner on lead vocals), to Lit, the late-nineties one-hit wonder, to The Talking Heads, to a beloved original song called "I Love This Place" written by Rad Burt, also a former St. George's director. All-Camp EucharistAnother fantastic Bishop's Jubilee concluded on Sunday morning with Bishops Johnston and Gulick leading an all-camp Eucharist. Bishop Johnston preached and celebrated. Bishop Gulick baptized his sixth grandchild. The assembled rocked, rejoiced and gave thanks. O happy day! Until next year.
Who says The View from the Mountain is above top ten lists? Nobody. Here are the top ten reasons to be a chaplain at Shrine Mont Camps by Jen Kimball, St. Andrew's Camp chaplain. St. Andrew's closed on June 29 and we've included some awesome photos from their time at camp. 10 Fantastic Things about Chaplaincy at Shrine Mont Camps
10. Today I showed up at breakfast with the goofiest bedhead ever. No one said a thing. 9. Then I had a lengthy deep conversation with another chaplain. Again, not even a glance at my goofy hair. I could have been wearing a collar and power suit and had the same serious conversation. But those trappings are just not needed here. 8. Really, you don’t have to wear the silly turtleneck. 7. Worship time is anytime. Any place. 6. Shrine Mont in June is beautiful. Just beautiful. 5. Connecting with campers on a spiritual level happens, in direct correlation to, or in spite of, your lesson plans. 4. Campers will stretch your pedagogical limits and find you some teaching muscles you never knew you had. 3. Cool mountain air. 2. Cold mountain springs. 1. Happy children everywhere, each one a unique creation of God. By Jen Kimball Photo credit: Parker Benbow Shrine Mont said farewell to MAD Camp Session I last Saturday, and after the campers had gone, while much of the staff was sitting out of exhaustion, they were also all basking in the amazing-ness of the last week. MAD Camp bears many similarities to the other camps that Shrine Mont offers each summer. MAD Camp does many of the same activities as the other camps, such as field games and evening programs. There is daily pool time, the daily goof-off cool down, with it’s pool specific games, and the leniency of the only time the kids can climb on the counselors. As with any gathering of more than two people at the camps, there are conversations had, smiles flashed, and bonds formed between campers and counselors alike. Not to mention the evening programs everyday that range from hay ride, to pool party, and then way off to a camp carnival. Which still leaves out the dance mentioned in my post from a few days back. Not even in worship does this camp seem to differ very much from the others. There is still worship everyday after supper, it is still camper planned and led, and it does typically vary in it’s location and is heavily influenced by what the campers want to do and to offer. And then it happens. Then you see these kids in action. What sets MAD Camp apart is that carefully woven through their days at camp is their show. Each year, every session of MAD Camp puts on a play for their closing. Session I’s play was Moses and the Freedom Fanatics. The campers plan the costumes, make the props, learn lines and choreography, and then perform for the other camps on the mountain and for their parents at closing. Just as will happen at any other camp, challenges arise and campers will require help, guidance and support. The show at the end of Session I is a result of about 15 hours of work, and is always impressive. Entire scripts are faced down, choreography is mastered, and stage fright is ground into the dust. Often MAD Camp directors will weave a theme throughout the plays the camp takes on that summer. This year, the theme Jim Short brought is “show me, don’t tell me.” Living up to their mantra, these campers didn't need to tell anyone how much they had worked for that show. It was evident by what those 34 kids did up on the stage not once, but twice.
By Parker Benbow |
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The view from the mountainSpreading the good news of Shrine Mont Camps into the Valley of the World.
AuthorsThe View from the Mountain is written by a rotating cast of staff writers and contributors. Archives
September 2018
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