Top Ten Reasons to go to The Peak 2.0
Since Mark has never experienced camp as a student, I thought I would offer my own version of the top reasons ALL junior highers should attend summer camp. Over the years I’ve experienced The Peak in all capacities- as a student during the inaugural years, as a small group leader and now as a paid staff person- and there are plenty of reasons why I’ve made The Peak the one week of my year that I refuse to miss out on. Read on to see what they are.
10. Getting Away from Parents: Okay, so I realize this may not be a great reason for parents, but as a junior higher, the idea of spending a week with all of my friends and not my parents sounded like the best thing ever. It’s also a great, healthy environment in which to encourage your students to become a little more independent. It’s going to happen as high school approaches anyway, and I can’t imagine a better place for students to learn the value of responsibility and making good choices. We love you Mom and Dad, but want and need to experience life without you every once in a while.
9. The Ocho Show-cho: I don’t think we still call it this, but every week we have a student talent show. This wasn’t around when I was a student, but I love getting to see the wide range of talents our students possess, and I think the students enjoy getting the chance to show off a bit.
8. Sleeping in Bunk Beds: As the youngest member of my family, I missed having siblings around to hang out with till the wee hours of the mornings. Actually sleeping in a room with 5 of my best friends always proved to be difficult, but the memories we made along the way are priceless.
7. Boating: I’ve never been lucky enough to own a boat, so I always look forward to the hours spent on the lake tubing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding. Some of my favorite memories are from the time spent on the lake.
6. Night Games: I suppose I have a bit of bias here, since this is one of my responsibilities at camp, but I’ve never experienced the chance to run around like crazy with all of my friends in the dark anywhere but camp. We try our best to keep safety a factor, and for a lot of students this is a camp favorite.
5. The Waterfront: The center of all of the action during free time in the afternoon. Or at least it seems to be for the girls. The boys are usually off playing paintball and such. There are so many options at the waterfront, that boredom is never an issue. I hated taking the swim test, but knew it was worth it since I would be able to do all of the fun stuff down there. It’s also fun just to sit and talk (like girls like to do) while making hemp necklaces- I think I have one from every year I’ve gone.
4. Feeling Loved: As a student, I loved going to camp because I felt so loved by my leaders and other group members. Even as a small group leader, I felt more love at camp than practically anywhere else, and that continues to be the case no matter what my role is. We make it our priority to love on students, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, think we accomplish that pretty well.
3. Worship: The caliber of worship at camp cannot be rivaled. The members of the band are there to serve the camp, and use the gifts God has given them to lead us in the most amazingly fun and inspiring worship times of the year. I look forward to our Quad Time year round. You’ll catch a glimpse of it at our camp rewind service August 16th.
2 & 1. Growing Closer to God while Making Lifelong Friends: I couldn’t pick one of these over the other, and feel like they go hand in hand. No matter what my role is, I can feel God speaking to me through the speaker, and over the last few years Mark has done a phenomenal job of meeting our students where they are, and challenging them to take their faith one step further. Camp is always a spiritual high, and our goal is to make that last as we bring them home to face the real world. One of the ways that happens is with the relationships cultivated at The Peak. Looking back, some of my best friends today were made while I was a 7th and 8th grader, and they not only hold me accountable, but encourage me to be more like Christ everyday. I never would have guessed that the same people would be speaking into my life almost ten years later, but the bonds formed while at camp are special and have turned into lifelong friendships.
Well there it is- long, I realize, but camp holds a special place in my heart, and I pray that the same can be said for your students.
In His love,
Vickie Chambers, Summer Staff
Top Ten Reasons To Go To The Peak!
Having never had a great camp experience growing up, I was a total skeptic about the value and impact of a great summer camp. I always saw camp as an anomaly, where people made decisions that were forgotten soon after the return home. Was it really worth it? Does camp really matter or should it be relegated to the scrap heap?
Probably the better question is, “How important is it for your child to have experiences of spiritual closeness with God?” Or, think about it this way, would David have been used of God to slay Goliath if he didn’t already have some great experiences with God while watching his father’s sheep out in the wilderness? Consider what Jesus did before he started his earthly ministry. He went to the wilderness and was tempted and challenged by the Devil for 40 days. His extreme camping experience with his Father God propelled him into a ministry that would end up turning the world upside down even to this day!
Because of these examples and more, I believe God uses camp experiences to create spiritual giants, who impact their world for God’s purposes. Over the years, I have seen thousands of commitments made at camp. Some were short-lived. Others have lasted for years. Therefore, here are my top ten reasons to get your child to the Peak this summer:
1. You worship God like no other time!: Imagine 200 plus students and staff singing loud, weeping over conviction of sin, and lifting holy hands to God!
2. It’s non-stop fun!: Imagine night games, water sports, the Blob, the Bob, Mt Everest(a huge inflatable mountain in the water!), tons of activities and more!
3. You get loved unconditionally!: Our staff and volunteers really care about your son or daughter.
4. You get amazing food!: Maybe that’s quite a bit of an overstatement, but hey, it’s not eating leaves, roots and grass!
5. Top notch facilities!: We go to Cascades Camp and Conference Center and the rooms each have a bathroom and shower and comfortable bed.
6. Great friends!: You get to choose who you stay with. It’s like having a sleepover that lasts a whole week-long!
7. You get hot and wet!: The weather is awesome during August and the water feels great everyday!
8. You get really connected to the Junior High!: There is no better activity to fall in love with the Junior High group than the Peak.
9. You get tons of opportunities to share with people in your cabin: At camp, your opinions and experiences give you countless chances to tell your friends and counselor what you are learning each day.
10. God will speak to you!: Whether it’s by listening to the messages or by having an awesome discussion with your cabin group, God will use the Peak to speak to you and show himself in a real and genuine way!
What If My Student Isn’t Connecting?, Part 3
In part 3 of my series of posts on how to help students transition from the Treehouse ministries to the Junior High, I am going to address another concern that students give for not getting connected. Although there is no 100% way to make a student connect, there are a number of insights I can give.
Concern #3- “It’s too boring and I don’t like it!”
What they usually mean by this is that they feel uncomfortable and are not coming with an attitude and heart to grow and learn more about the Lord. It is important to know that any church program or event should not be considered the primary means of spiritual growth for your child. The primary place for them to grow should be in the family, both personally and through the guidance of the parents. The church should always be supplemental and add to the discipleship that occurs in the family.
Possible Solutions
• Challenge your student to take notes in their Bible. A Bible with notes in it helps reaffirm the lessons of yesterday while reinforcing today’s teaching.
• Remind them that you get out of it what you put in it. If a kid knows it will be boring before they even step in the room, they will have a 99% chance of leaving with that same attitude. But an attitude of expectation that they will experience God during the service will turn boredom into mental engagement.
• Age plays a big role in how much a student likes or doesn’t like. The older students almost always grow to love the services. That’s because as a student grows and matures, they realize they do like what is happening and they learn something each week.
Getting your child connected can feel like a never-ending battle, but don’t give up the fight. Let prayer be your first response. Using these solutions will also help you win the battle for raising a child to be a life-long follower of Jesus Christ. Keep fighting the good fight!
Pastor Mark
What If My Student Isn’t Connecting?, Part 2
In part 2 of our series on how to help your Junior High student get connected and transitioned out of the Treehouse ministry, I want to continue with another common concern that we see often.
Concern #2- “I don’t have any friends here!”
It is always difficult to cultivate friendships in a large group setting, but the more familiar a student is with what happens at a given program, the more they will assimilate into it. Another challenge is that we are not able to offer Elevation at all the services on Sundays so some kids find themselves going to a service and not knowing any friends at that service.
Possible Solutions
• Don’t play the blame game! Blaming staff or students for not making your child instantly connected is usually not a fair evaluation. Friendships take time to develop and with the typical changes in school and church program, most students will need up to a year to make a good adjustment.
• Socialize with another family that has a student like your child. When I was growing up, my parents interacted socially with only two families so I never learned how to get to know other students my age. It made me feel isolated and alone unless we were with one or both of those families.
Always remember that you can come and check us out firsthand. We love it when parents come and see what we are doing and get in the know about what we do. Whatever you do, don’t lose hope! Part of the adjustment your student is facing is helping them learn how to face situations that are uncomfortable. When they make the adjustment, recognize the growth you see and how much they are maturing. Your affirmation will mean the world to them!
Pastor Mark
What If My Student Isn’t Connecting?, Part 1
One of the most common concerns that parents have with their Junior High age children is when they do not easily connect to the Junior High ministry. Many tears have been shed by both students and parents in an effort to overcome this feeling of disconnection. With this post, I am going to address one concern that students give for not connecting to the Junior High. Although there is no 100% way to make a student connect, there are a number of insights I can give.
Concern #1- “I miss the Treehouse and my small group!”
Because we have a jam-packed building for weekend services, the Junior High is not able to offer small groups during weekend services like the Treehouse ministry can. Since the JH Elevation service is large group oriented, it is natural for students to feel like they don’t know anyone like they used to.
Possible Solutions
• Paint a positive picture of the Junior High Elevation service. Different is not better or worse, just different.
• Spend six months in regular(at least 3 times per month attending) JH Elevation attendance. Why so long? Because most kids will resist doing something new if they know they can get out of it with a minimum of effort.
• Get plugged into a Fusion small group on Sunday nights starting in the Fall. Although we cannot do small groups during weekend services, on Sunday nights we have the whole building and do really good small groups with adult and High School leaders and apprentices.
Getting your child connected can feel like a never-ending battle, but don’t give up the fight. Let prayer be your first response. Using these solutions will also help you win the battle for raising a child to be a life-long follower of Jesus Christ. Keep fighting the good fight!
Pastor Mark
Reconnect With Our Blog!
Did you know that according to Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the family is the primary place in which our faith should be passed on to the next generation. We have been coming under a strong conviction about this over these last few years as a staff. In many ways, youth and children’s ministries can become isolated silos, disconnected from the parents they are meant to help! In fact, in many ways, our church culture has led us to believe that spiritual formation happens at during one or two hours of church each week, not in the family, which has a much greater amount of time at its disposal. This is a misconception that we want to change at Rolling Hills.
This year we want to use our blog at http://www.678live.com to help communicate ideas and challenge these misconceptions. Our blog is a place where parents can find insights in common challenges in passing the faith on to our children. By interacting online, we can meet people where they are at and do it more conveniently than ever, without adding another meeting to already crowded schedules. Our blog can also be a place where parents can learn from other parents via comments and key learnings that will be shared in response to posted articles.
If you are new to our blog, check out the many posts in our archives. I know you will find some real gems of insight, encouragement and challenge. Tell others you may come in contact with so we can all be on this journey together.
Come and regularly visit us online this year and see how much stronger our families can be!
Pastor Mark
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