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This summer I took the opportunity to take charge of our end-of-summer-staff-sending worship. (That is a mouth full!)  Part of the responsibility that I took on when putting this together was writing a sending message to give to the staff.  This typically isn't too hard for me to do.  I find a theme or situation that seems to apply, the right set of Bible verses that speak truth to that theme, and then go from there.

But, this week, as things were coming to a close, instead of writing the worship and the message, I found myself day dreaming about all the memories and experiences that made this summer unique to any other.  As yesterday drew closer the more and more stressed I became because although I had all these wonderful memories, it was hard for me to find a theme that seemed to fit all that I wanted to say.  It wasn't until I had a small conversation with a staff member that I knew what worship and the message would be about.

The following is the message that I wrote in the hours leading up to our closing.  It was hard, not because of the content and lack of creative juices, but because I knew this was going to be the farewell and the last thing I would be leaving with the staff before they left.

To Staff: This was an amazing summer and I pray to see your return many more times in the future!

*****

I’m going to throw out some words and I want you to tell me what all these words or group of words have in common…

…Homeroom

…Home plate

…Homing pigeons

…Home page

…Home town

…Home boys/girls

…Home land

…Homecoming

Responses I got: "HOME!" and of course "JESUS!" (Thanks Madison)

According to Webster’s Dictionary Online the word home is defined in several different ways but one of the first and closest to the top of the list is “the social unit formed by a family living together.” 

And of course, the next word I naturally needed to look up was the word “family”.  I was interested to see how Webster defined it because I have had the pleasure of conversing with a staff member off and on this week about family and what that means for us as people and as Christians.  According to one of the definitions provided, a family can be defined as “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation”.

So by definition, this summer we have not only created a family, we have also created a home.

Each Friday this summer we heard the reading we heard earlier from Deuteronomy about Moses finally leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.  And each Friday, as we talked about what the Promised Land means for us, we explained how it isn’t camp but it’s the world outside of here and how we are called to share with others what that Promised Land means for us.  One part of the story that we didn’t touch on too much was how the Promised Land was to become the HOME of the Israelites-- a place where families could settle and people could be united and live in community by their common belief.   

One of the blessings of home is that, traditionally speaking, it is a place we can leave but always go back to.  If we look at the words that I listed off earlier, not only do they have the word “home” in common, but each of those words implies the idea that these are places or things that we can return to.  Homeroom is where we start each day in school.  Home plate is a place that a batter leaves to circle the bases and return to for that scored run.  Homing pigeons are let go only to return again.  Home pages are the screens on the computer that we can always return to and start over from when looking something up.  Home towns or lands are places that we are from that many of us will visit and go back to through out our lives.  Our home boys or home girls are the friends that we find the most comfort in and that we know we can always go to when needed.  And, homecoming is just that—coming home, wherever that is.

This summer, for nine weeks, you created a home for the campers that came to camp.  You created a place that was fun, safe, Christ-centered, and hopefully a place that many will want to return to.  Each week you formed a family within your cabin or bunkhouse groups, village, herd, family, or crew groups, and as a whole camp community.  You made the presence of God, who is at the center of that community, real for campers that we wanted to come together.

And, for eleven to twelve weeks, you have created a camp family and a home amongst yourselves.  This past week I as reading through some of the devotions that y’all wrote at the beginning of the summer and one of them stated that camp had become a “home away from home”—a place she could always return to knowing that she would be welcomed and loved.  This is something that you all create with the help of God.  The other directors and I can’t do this alone for you.  We came together as a community of believers and as a family to make a place for ourselves that we could find joy and comfort in.  And, you have created a place that many of you will hopefully return to. 

You will leave this summer with memories that you were all a part of and being the emotional sap that I am, I have walked around this past week playing the slide show of highlights through my head that started months ago at staff training.  I even surprised myself this past Sunday when I found myself crying as I was updating our Cross Trails Facebook page.  This was the first summer since I’ve been a camping professional that I was moved to tears as I was thinking about the summer coming to an end.  I know that this was a result of the relationships that were formed and the family that God called each of us to be a part of this summer.

Thank you for a summer full of love, laughter, and faith building.  I want to leave you with my current favorite song that plays over and over again in my head even after the IPod is turned off because it reminds me constantly of what we, with the help of God, have created these past few months. 

                                                                                                             

“Home” by Phillip Phillips