Fifteen area youth spent the past week having fun and learning how God works in their daily lives at Green Lake Lutheran Ministries (GLLM) Day Camp held at Rejoice Lutheran Church in Clearwater.
GLLM holds their day camp programs each summer to help strengthen the ministries already happening in congregations, and to provide children with a camp experience without having to leave their community. Kids partaking in day camp participate in bible studies, worship, music, crafts and games.
GLLM provides qualified, well-trained staff to lead the day camps. Jade Schueler, one of the three day camp leaders at Rejoice, also happens to be a member of the congregation and has worked with children since she herself was a kid. This is her second year with GLLM.
“We spent the winter months putting together the curriculum,” said Schueler. “From there we picked out daily themes and activities which tie into this year’s overall theme of ‘God on the Loose.”
This theme is also at the heart of GLLS’s regular weekly camps, however Schueler clarified it’s not always possible to translate what goes on in a camp setting to what goes on in a church setting. Because of this, although the structure is basically the same, some of the curriculum needs to be revised. The staff also modifies things depending on which church they’re at that week.
Schueler explained everyone learns differently, which is why camp offers attendees such a variety of activities each day. Some kids learn better by listening, while others may learn better with hands-on activities.
“One of the things we’re talking about with the kids this year is environmental awareness,” said Schueler. “What we do does have an impact on the earth.”
One way the camp attendees learned about this topic was through a craft they worked on together, an earth mosaic made of recycled materials that was left at Rejoice after camp concluded for the week.
“It’s [day camp] so much fun,” said attendee Isabella Moening. “We get to play games and have fun and our counselors are great!”
“I think the songs are good because they’re fun and there’s a lot of actions with them,” stated Alex Sundberg.
“I love the activities we do,” said Ryan Eckerman. “They’re super fun and they [the counselors] did a good job on them.”
“Our goal is to bring camp to kids who may not be able to experience actual camp,” Schueler explained. “Although we provide scholarships, regular camp is expensive, and some kids may not do well away from home for a week. This is also more convenient for some families.”
Each day camp also offers an evening parent program towards the end of the week. Kids share what they’ve been learning through music and skits they perform for their parents.
“We do this so that we can partner with communities and show that we care about them,” said Schueler. “We love to see the joy the kids have for what we’re doing.”
GLLM day camps are open to kids from first to sixth grade, and are offered for eight weeks throughout the summer. Families aren’t required to be a member of the local congregation to participate.
Green Lake Lutheran Ministries’ mission is to present the life-changing love of Jesus in the vibrant settings of camps and retreats for people of all ages. Their facilities include Green Lake Bible Camp in Spicer, Shores of St. Andrew in New London, and Camp House near the North Shore. To learn more visit their website at http://www.gllm.org
