Hello Blog Friends!
As promised here is the special “Wednesday Words” post, wrapping up Day Camps 2024 😊 .
This summer 6 communities chose to host a Day Camp with the Packages created by Crosstalk Ministries. Although this might seem like only a handful of camps, even the smallest ones represent an opportunity for children to encounter Jesus and to change young lives, one at a time, which is our Mission!
The camps ranged from 8 Campers to 64! Five took place in July and one in August. Interestingly three of the camps were scheduled to run on weeks that were never available when we were sending out Travelling Teams, showing that the wider flexibility of dates is helpful to at least some communities. We had 3 Camps in the greater Montreal Area, 2 in Alberta and one in Ontario and the host churches represented 3 different Christian denominations.
In mid-July, I approached 2 of the Montreal Coordinators and asked them if they could write short articles about their Day Camps to submit for the September issue of our Diocesan Newspaper. These pieces are included below, along with photos from Christ the King, Edmonton and from last week’s camp at First Filipino Baptist. Sadly, we did not receive any stories or photos from the other two communities. If anything does get sent in, I will update this post 😊
As “a picture is worth a thousand words”, I hope you will enjoy all that follow as well as some anecdotes.Please note that, if children’s faces appear in photos, they are with parental consent.
Day Camp 2024 at All Saints Church – Deux-Montagnes
By Jeff Alexander, Coordinator, All Saints Church, and Crosstalk Ministries Day Camp Committee member
This year marks the second in-person Day Camp we have held post-COVID. Our attendance was up modestly to 8 from last year’s 6; however, beyond the quantity, we were very pleased by the quality of our interaction and of the youth helpers. We followed this year’s theme Signposts, adapting the curriculum slightly for our small and young (primarily kindergarten age) group of campers. The music was expertly chosen for the week by our friends at the First Filipino Baptist Church of Montreal.
It was very rewarding to have 4 ex-campers – ranging in age from 12 to 20 – return as helpers, and their levels of vigilance, energy, encouragement, and kindness were incredible. They were particularly attentive to 2 campers on the autism spectrum and our youngest camper who is being fostered by one of our church families; this preschooler started the week with her hoodie drawn closely around her face and gripping her stuffed bear tightly but brightened as the week progressed and was as energetic and expressive as the others as we closed out the week.
We were also blessed with the attendance of some of the campers and their families at our closing service on Sunday, July 7. We interspersed elements from Day Camp throughout the liturgy, including a beautiful liturgical dance. It was truly a blessing to our community to have hosted this wonderful week.
Christ the King, Edmonton
St. Joseph of Nazareth Backyard Package Day Camp
The Crosstalk Ministries Day Camps ‘Backyard Program’ is a near-perfect fit for our church. It is a compact variation of a format which has existed since 1979.
We begin in the evening with a meal prepared and served by members of the church. We then proceed with the program, consisting of a main presentation, devotions, Creative Connection (including arts and crafts, and liturgical dance) and games.
The children who participated had a wonderful time. Our smaller numbers made for a more intimate setting, which allowed the children to get to know each other better. It did not take long for some of the quieter ones to show their true colours, once their initial shyness wore off.
A strong indicator of the level of success was the enthusiastic singing which occurred after the Day camps. Children were still singing the songs on the way home. I was also encouraged by how well children were able to recall what they had learned the evening before. The quiz was an exciting showdown every time. It is clear that the young people understood what we were trying to pass on to them.
I am always impressed by the many ways Day camps allow children to express themselves. There is something for everyone. There is singing, liturgical dance (make sure they understand this is a form of prayer/worship), arts and crafts, exciting games, crazy games, devotions. Children usually find their niche.
I find that the supper at the beginning is a key element in building a sense of community. It is a time for participants to share and learn a bit more about each other. Having parish members who are enthusiastic about child ministry, and happen to be good cooks, is an absolute blessing.
Our time together was wonderful. Thank you, Crosstalk Ministries. God bless you.
Sincerely yours,
Rev’d Christopher Belle
Priest-in-charge, St. Joseph of Nazareth Church, Brossard, Qc.
Daily Messages from Team Leader, Mikaela at First Filipino Baptist Church 😊.
Day 1- “Hi Valerie, we had a great day one! I asked a camper to rate today and she said 10/10!We had 54 campers (15 S, 18 C, 8 E and 13 P) expecting more tomorrow!No tech issues, PP was good, no prob with the slideshow, ZOOOM!, and quiz. All good with Lit Dance as well
Day 2-Went very well! Better flow as most day two’s are
Day 3-Bible Smugglers today was a hit as expected-
Scramblers did the Liturgical Dance for a bit .Lamb had a British accent today lol!
We had a great day even with the Special Event switch. Had 55 campers and two less helpers since they started school. Praying to have another good one tomorrow since we’re switching SE’s again (Water Day will now be Friday since it’ll rain again tomorrow)We gave out notices plus a mass email about the yet-again switch!
Day 4-So much action today I was only able to snap this haha!
We had a great day!! Water day tomorrow!!
Day 5-Our Scramblers did a “remix” of Day 1 and Day 2 crafts hehehe
Friday Water Day was successful for both Scramblers at the church parking lot and the rest of the campers at the Kent park!