It is no secret that many young people today who, in times past, might have considered working for a summer at a non-profit christian camp are beginning to question the merit of such a sacrifice. Some have even asked questions like “What is in it for me?” or “What possible value can working at a non-profit Christian camp have for my life?” In this post, Mr. Michael Innocenti, seeks to address some of these questions (and more).
Why Should I Work at Camp?
The Following Answers Were Written By Mr. Michael Innocenti (Ministerial Development Director)
“I used to ask myself this question when I was in high school. I didn’t see the value of camp. I knew that there was services where the campers and workers would hear the preaching of God’s Word, but I just didn’t care to go. I would sometimes work during the summer, but there were times that I just didn’t want to go, so I would say that I needed to work. Now, I have worked as a counselor and have been at Camp Joy for around nine years. Here are some things that I have grown to appreciate at camp or working at a camp.”
1. An Environment To Grow Spiritually.
“For our summer staff, working at Camp is a great opportunity to grow spiritually. You are removed from some of the pressures of life, and you are able to see God’s creation on a daily basis. You have opportunities to listen to multiple messages per week, along with time throughout the day to have your personal time in God’s Word. There is time built into the schedule for this, and there may be times where they need to make time for God. I find for myself, I need to make and prioritize my time with God. As a counselor it was sometimes very difficult. I would set my alarm for 6:00 am because the wake up call was 7:00 am. If I didn’t prioritize it, I wouldn’t do it. This also set me up for the day, and I was able to have what I read in the Bible on my mind throughout the day. Camp gives you pressure situations that reveal areas in your personal life that need to grow, and those pressure situations reveal your true character. Camp is a ministry, and you are working with people. I know that I am not perfect, and there are things that I could do better. However, in working with people or even dealing with people that you work very closely with, God has a way of revealing areas in your life that need to grow.
“Camp gives you pressure situations that reveal areas in your personal life that need to grow.”
Michael Innocenti
I can think about this past year. I needed to grow in being assertive as a leader, and saying this is what I want done or this is how I want it to be. At times I may still need to grow in this skill, but I am given plenty of opportunities to work on that area of my life. The trials and tests that God gives us in life are not for us to blatantly fail or for God to say “how could you do that, I can’t believe that you did that.” It is for us to ultimately grow in our walk with Him. Tests and trials in our life are able to reveal areas that need to grow. For example, “do we respond in anger and hurt the people that we love.” Pressure situations can also reveal what is at the core of a person. Character doesn’t mean that you will always get things right the first time (For a just man falls 7 times and gets back up – Proverbs 24:16a). We may fall or need to grow, but that doesn’t mean that we need to make excuses. We need to respond with a teachable spirit.”
“Character doesn’t mean that you will always get things right the first time.”
Michael Innocenti
2. An Environment To Work With People.
Camp is a place where you can learn how to work with other people. For example, Camp Joy is a controlled environment where you will be stretched. Here you will also have full-time staff on hand to help you succeed all summer long. Having such a large, dedicated full-time staff for your development as summer workers (we call it Ministerial Development staff or Mini-Dev) is a unique Camp Joy way of running Christian summer program.
“I have the privilege to work with young people and minister to them and with them. As a counselor you are going to be working with other counselors, but you will also be leading campers. You will have opportunities to share the Gospel with the campers or maybe even mentor and disciple them in a short amount of time. In working alongside other counselors, you will be able to have an iron-sharpening-iron relationship. However, this is not just true of counselors. You can also have iron-sharpening-iron relationships in other departments. Camp ministry brings in a wide range of people or people from different areas or walks of life. You have the opportunity to work with people who have grown up in a christian home and church their whole life. You also have the opportunity to work with people who come from broken homes, may not know much about God, and so much more. The opportunities for individual ministry are endless. The one truth that connects us as individuals is the Cross of Christ. The young people that work at Camp Joy come from different colleges, and that is okay. The thing that matters is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that Jesus is the only way to go to heaven.”
3. An Environment To Push You Out Of Your Comfort Zone.
“Another reason to work at a camp is that it will make you come out of your comfort zone. A great example of this is an introverted counselor. Someone who is introverted will need to put themselves aside and talk to their campers. No one else is going to talk with or talk to the campers. You are going to have to do that. You will also need to get to know your campers well. If you rely on your own strength or ability, you are not going to accomplish much. However, if you rely on God and His strength by saying, “Lord, use me in talking with my campers and use me even though I am not the most outgoing person.” God is able to use you in mighty ways that you can not even imagine.”
4. An Environment To Surround You With Godly Influences.
“Another reason to work at a camp is to be in an environment that you are surrounded by
likeminded individuals. You will be able to be around those that believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and who want to grow to be more like Him. Instead of being in an environment that is so “go go go,” or “what is next on the schedule,” you will be able to learn more about God every day from the preaching of His word and be in a place that will encourage you to know your God.”
Furthermore, everything about Camp Joy has been intentionally designed to impact our summer workers because they spend two months with us (we should see our greatest impact in our workers, even more than the campers). We are a conservative Baptist camp that seeks to die on the right hills. For example, we teach both modesty and thought life at the same time for believers. We realize there are plenty of ways to miss the mark, even when we are sincere and zealous. But we are also aiming high as a camp. This combination should not be overlooked.
5. An Environment To Develop Ministry Skills.
“Another reason to work at a camp is to learn ministry or to develop ministry skills. A key
aspect or quality that a person is gonna need to have in learning ministry or even in
developing their ministry skills is having a servant-hearted spirit. A person who is
servant-hearted will not only accomplish the tasks that only he or she can accomplish, but
they will seek to help others accomplish a difficult task. A servant-hearted person will
also seek to accomplish something that might be a menial task, but it is not above them.
A servant-hearted person will do things that they don’t really want to do, however they
know that if they don’t do this task that no one else is going to do. Therefore, the task will remain
undone. This reminds me of Jesus in the garden where He asks if it is possible for “this cup to pass from him.” Jesus then follows this up by saying, “yet not my will, but Thine be done,” speaking of God the Father’s will. This is speaking to Jesus needing to die on the Cross to provide Salvation to all that would believe in Him. This is the heart and essence of a Servant-hearted leader. Ministry is not doing what I want to do, but doing what God wants me to do.”
“Ministry is not doing what I want to do, but doing what God wants me to do.”
Michael Innocenti
6. An Environment To Learn To Trust God.
“Another reason to work at a camp is that you get opportunities to learn to trust God.
There are many ways that this can be displayed at camp, but one of the most common
that I see and deal with is counselors with their cabins or campers. The counselors are
going to need to trust God that He has given them the right people for a reason. Some of the campers may not be saved, and the counselors are going to need to trust that even though they are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that God will give the increase, and that it is God that saves a person – not them. Another way that I see opportunities to trust God is summer workers who need to trust God with their school bill. These workers have given of their time to be at camp, and there is not a guarantee of pay. They may have to put together a support letter and give that letter to their home church and other places that they can think of. God has blessed those summer workers by paying their school bill in ways that may not make logical sense to us. Another way that you will learn to trust God is in doing things that may not make sense to you, or trust Him in a situation that doesn’t make sense to you. You can still rest assured that God is in control and that He knows what He is doing because He knows more than we do.”
