By Nancy Chafin I dropped my daughter Charlotte off at St. George’s Session I today. She was the tiniest camper on the field but what she lacked in size she made up for in enthusiasm. It wasn’t much of a leap for me and my little girl. While it’s her first time at camp, we’ve been coming here her whole life for family reunions and church retreats. Yet, unbeknownst to Charlotte, here I am at 7:00 p.m. still sitting in the Virginia House at Shrine Mont. It’s not what you’re thinking. I work here sometimes as part of my job as Communications Director for the Diocese of Virginia. Given that this was a very familiar place, not to mention that I hadn’t actually left the grounds, I couldn’t help thinking about all the other first-time camp parents. What would it be like to drop my child off at a place we had never been before? Talk about a leap of faith! Every mom has their short list of fears for their children. One of mine is that my child will be rejected by another. Indeed someday she will be rejected by someone. But not this week. In the midst of all the silly fun and games, Shrine Mont Camp’s counselors seize little moments, things spoken and unspoken, that teach campers to see one another as beloved children of God. When we see others through that lens, it’s pretty hard to reject God’s beloved. Instead, we’re inclined to see each person as a work of art – singularly unique and, well, sacred. We approach one another with what one camp director describes as “intentional welcome, intentional love.” Well, I hear some loud and happy campers heading back now from evening worship at the Shrine. Must be bedtime. Rest easy, Mom and Dad. As Communications Director for the Diocese Nancy oversees the communications, public relations functions and provides guidance to parishes in their communications efforts. Nancy, her husband Byron and their daughter Charlotte are members of Grace & Holy Trinity, Richmond.
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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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