Voices of All Saints Camp

God Calls All Ages

Jesus is walking along the sea of Galilee and looks out seeing these fellas in their fishing boats. Simon and Andrew were fishing while James and John were mending nets. I know there’s lots of thought about the ages of these guys. One of my bible study resources says that because Andrew and Peter were alone in their boat, they were a little older; young men perhaps. However, since we find James and John with their father, they might have been younger; maybe young teenagers. And what does Jesus do? He calls them!  Just as they are. “Immediately, he calls them…and immediately they left what they were doing to follow him.” What does this tell us about who God calls? Age is not a limiting factor. Our campers are range in age from 8-17 years – rising 3^rd-12^th graders. This act of Jesus calling the young fisherman leads me to envision connecting with the young souls at camp and inviting them to follow Christ. The opportunities! The impact! The excitement! The unknown. But, God calls folks of all ages to camp.  All ages experience inclusion, transformation, joy, purpose, belonging, and His love.

God is going to call us no matter who we are, where we are, what we’re doing, and what skill set we think we either do or don’t have. These fishermen saw and heard something powerful because they immediately left what they were doing to follow him. Will you? Follow him… to camp?  Amen.

Deacon Katie is available to visit your churches to talk more in depth about summer camp. Reach out to schedule a visit.

Serving All Saints Camp

Serving on the team of deans for All Saints Camp is the best week of ministry in my year. The kind of loving and supportive community that we create for the campers -- which mixes fun, the challenge of doing something unusual and perhaps uncomfortable (like be outdoors in a Texas summer or live in a cabin together with 9 other kids), and the opportunity to have their relationship with Jesus put at the center of their lives – makes real spiritual growth possible, and in many cases, tangible. That is, as a priest I have the privilege of seeing many children come to a new awareness of God’s love for them and what this might make possible for their lives “back home.” At Camp All Saints they can discover that they are always home in Christ wherever they are, and that the community of faith (aka, the Church) is where joy and true adventure are to be found.