Top Ten Reasons to go to The Peak 2.0

June 26, 2009 at 12:16 pm (Uncategorized)

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