Mission-Focused Ecumenical Day Camp

a wonderful experience for our middle-schoolers

Five Grace middle-schoolers – Elayna Bonachea, Andrea Hughes, John Kerr, Louisa Nylander, and Leizel Thomas – attended the ecumenical camp at Covenant Point outside of Holts Summit in June.  In addition to Bible study and summer-camp kinds of activities (boating and swimming and so on), the camp is designed to be mission-focused and the campers participated in a different local service project each day, including preparing a meal at Salvation Army, sorting food at the Samaritan Center, visiting residents of a nursing home, and helping with a clean-up project at Southwest Elementary School.  The campers spent one overnight at Covenant Point featuring a traditional Jewish Seder meal which helped them understand Maundy Thursday and the origin of Holy Communion.  This was followed by a campfire (with s’mores and singing around the fire) and nighttime games.  Louisa said her favorite activity of the week was preparing the meal at Salvation Army and having lunch with the shelter residents.  Leizel said she had generally liked all the opportunities to serve other people, but she and John both said that the Thursday evening activities were the highlight of the week for them.