Living Youth Camp Michigan 2005 was another huge success for the youth of the Living Church of God. Some 190 campers, high school staff, young adult staff, ministers, older adult volunteers and faculty children enjoyed fun, fellowship and instruction for twelve days on the beautiful grounds of Northwoods Christian Camp near Pickford, Michigan.
Each year, LYC sticks with a tried and proven program. Some elements never change, because they have proven themselves over a long period of time. At the same time, we are always looking for ways to improve the experience, so there is a gradual development of the program.
A Typical Day
The day began around 6 a.m. for most. Though some slept in a little later, all campers had to be in the chapel by 7:45 a.m. for Morning Motivation. At Morning Motivation, campers had the opportunity to wake up (if their showers did not do the job) and tell through a corny song a story of anything unusual that happened the day before. The previous day's Media class prepared a news report to be shown during each Morning Motivation, with each dorm having its turn to report major news stories, sports, weather and a scripture for the day. Campers then went to breakfast, while a counselor from each dorm met with the camp director and his assistant to review the previous day, go over any problems that needed to be addressed, review what was coming up that day and give instruction on how better to perform the job of counselor.
The staff ate after the campers, and a daily staff briefing was held to make any relevant announcements and cover anything that came up in the counselor's meeting. Mr. Jonathan McNair closed out the briefing each morning with a short presentation on how to be successful at one's duties. Meanwhile, the campers cleaned up and prepared for the day's activities.
The Christian Living class began soon after the staff briefing. This year, the theme was "Building a Culture of Purity." To make class sizes smaller, the campers were divided into five small groups, each of which was led by a minister who gave his group the lesson for the day. The first class began by pointing out that few if any teens would walk around with a t-shirt proclaiming, "Building a Culture of Purity." It would not be the "cool" thing to do, even though we want the water we drink to be "pure," and we will not drink water contaminated by "just a little bit" of pollution. Using as props two bottles of water— one pure and the other polluted—this point about purity was illustrated, and the remainder of the class discussed the need for a pure culture among the youth of the Living Church of God.
Subsequent Christian Living classes explained that pollution both comes into and goes out of us. We discussed the pollution of wrong entertainment, wrong music, improper verbal language and improper body language and improper conduct in relationships. The Bible must be the test by which we determine whether something is pure or polluted, and we must filter out pollution by what we allow into our hearts and minds through the five senses.
After Christian Living, one more class period was held before lunch. For some this meant archery, canoeing, or ultimate Frisbee. For others it meant flag football, media or speech. Those looking forward to dance class had to wait until after lunch. Dr. Scott Winnail, whose degree and university teaching experience is in public health, conducted three "Life Skills" classes on how to maintain good health. A new class this year was called "Life Roles." In it, girls were taught how to use a sewing machine, and they practiced their new skill by making pajama bottoms. Boys learned how to solve plumbing problems. Both classes were very popular!
After this second class of the morning, it was time for lunch. Campers ate first, and then had 45 minutes for fellowship— and for a visit to the camp store if they wished. Some campers also used this time to phone home. Mr. McNair met with the department heads every day at lunch. Mr. Weston sat in on some of these meetings, but on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays he met with Camp Council, consisting of one camper from each dorm. This gave him an opportunity to tune into how things were going from the campers' perspective. Three classes were held each after-noon, except for Fridays when there were only two. Dinner was served after the last class of each day, and was followed by other activities. Evening activities included "Dessert and Dance"—where campers from two dorms dressed up for a more cultural occasion. One camper from each dorm gave a short speech during the dessert portion of the evening. This was followed by an hour-long dance. The other six dorms either participated in athletic activities or met with a minister for a get-together and chat.
Campers and staff came together in the chapel at 8:45 p.m. for Evening Reflection. Mr. McNair led in the singing of several hymns, and Mr. Weston presented a meaningful story or historical speech, or simply told a story about his teen years. Campers then returned to their dorms to get ready for bed, while most of the staff retired to the Leaning Elephant (a tent appropriately decorated with mosquito-repelling candles, lights and Tiki lamps). Light refreshments and drinks were served. Some played table games, while others participated in organized games and contests. It was all a lot of good clean fun in a wholesome atmosphere, and the Leaning Elephant was hugely popular among the staff.
"Lights out" was at 10:30 p.m. for campers and 11:15 p.m. for staff. Since most stay in a dorm environment with little privacy, camp has a no-talking rule after lights out, which allows any who wish to do so to get down on their knees, in or beside their beds, and pray. No one is coerced into prayer, but we make it acceptable for those who want this private time. We want to set an example that LYC is a camp that believes in God, and we are not ashamed of that. We began encouraging this two years ago, and have found that in addition to the spiritual benefit, everyone gets to sleep a lot earlier.
On Tuesday, July 26, after the Christian Living class, all the campers and staff boarded four buses and two vans to travel 45 minutes to St. Ignace. From there, we boarded a ferryboat for the 15-minute trip to Mackinaw Island, which is famous for having no automobiles. Everyone travels on foot, horseback, horse-drawn carriages or bicycles. Campers were divided into groups of five to seven, with a counselor and a second staff member assigned to each group. All were given enough money to rent a bike—either single or tandem—for a ride around the outer perimeter of the island. There was also time to visit Fort Mackinaw, shop for souvenirs, buy fudge, or just take a relaxing walk among the beautiful homes and grounds of the island.
Was it An Angel?
Mr. Bill Raynard, who serves as president of the Northwoods board, has been a prominent figure at Northwoods for the last 30 years. One day during camp, Jerry Ruddlesden and I took Mr. Raynard to lunch, and he told us a remarkable story. "I really shouldn't be here right now," he said. Not long before, he and a friend were in the back of a pickup truck, taking a tour of a farm in Florida. After one of the stops, the driver took off too quickly, causing Bill and his friend to lose balance and fall out of the pickup over the tailgate. His friend was killed— crushed under a twin-axle trailer loaded with other tourists—but something caught Mr. Raynard's foot and held him until the vehicle stopped, at which time it let him down slowly to the ground. Only afterward did he realize that there was nothing in the pickup that could have caught his foot that way. "My guardian angel was watching over me," he said. Not that we in the Church believe in the exact concept that we each have a "guardian angel," but I do not doubt there was truth in what he said. After all, here is a man who has shown the Church great favor, and who has been key to keeping the camp going. Under such circumstances, surely God would have sent an angel to save his life.
The property on which Northwoods Christian Camp resides has recently been put up for sale. Thankfully, the owners have given Northwoods the first option to purchase the camp for $800,000. To date, nearly $500,000 has been put in escrow or pledged, but an additional $300,000 must be raised by early October. Living Youth Camp obviously benefits greatly from having such a fine camp facility available through the Northwoods Christian Camp. Please pray that Northwoods remains available to LYC in the years to come.