Youth Camp Report

…live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. [Eph 4 1b-2]

Youth camp this year at Lake Chatauqua Lutheran Center explored the above quote from Ephesians. Bees, small creatures whose activity is necessary for so many of our crops, were the camp mascot. Through art, music, drama, and worship (and a dance party), teens explored what it means to:

         Bee Humble

         Bee Loving

         Bee Patient, and 

         Bee Gentle

The tagline was “BEE cause when we do this we change the world.” In a time marked by division and distrust, when we so often look for grand gestures, teens were reminded that small daily activities of kindness and respect build the trust needed for greater cooperation in community.

Teens also went on a short hike at New River Gorge National Park in WV, made candles in Pittsburgh, and met with a small business owner for a conversation about the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur, along with a discussion of business leadership and management challenges. On Sunday, August 7, we worshipped at St. John’s, Franklin – one of six churches in the world with a full set of Tiffany Window – followed by a tour of those windows and visited the DeBence museum of mechanical musical instruments. After camp, we kayaked on the Allegheny River and were treated to a sighting of a bald eagle! New friends were made and faith in Jesus was engaged in deep and varied ways. Thank you to congregation for its support, to Steve and Tiffany Fulton who drove us home, and to The Reverend Canon Martha Ishman who hosted us on the way to and from.