How cool is church camp?

By REV. JUSTIN KOLLMEYER
Pastor

As I write this, I'm about to leave again with 30 youth from our church heading for our Lutheran camp in the mountains near Asheville, N.C. Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. Ha!

I've been to this particular camp taking young people for 22 years in a row. And as you read this, I'll just be pulling back into Prince of Peace in Fayetteville, exhausted and spent, but blessed beyond description!

There is something oh-so special about a week at church camp. "Immersed in intentional Christian community," our camp calls it. And that's a good thing! We'll sing and pray and listen to Bible stories and discuss our faith and meet new friends and get closer to old friends and hike and swim and light fires and watch birds and walk in the rain and see sunrises and sunsets and lay awake at night and hear only the choir of crickets. We'll see the face of God and hear His voice in trees and mountains and streams and rocks and lakes and fireflies and frogs and through the lives of counselors and pastors.

We'll have no radios, no stereos, no CD players, no TVs, no videos, no DVDs, no mp3s, no computers, no downloads, no e-mail, no cars and no darting schedules.

But we will hear God's beckening voice calling us, young and old, to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. We'll laugh and cry and go through all the realities of life even present when lived "immersed in intentional Christian community" such as the necessity of asking for and offering forgiveness. We'll get tired and impatient and bored and hot and cold and sad and silly and scared and home-sick and lonely and ready to come home.

But through it all, we'll have grown closer to God and closer to one another in His Name. We'll make decisions that will positively affect the rest of our lives. We'll feel the presence of God in ways we'll remember until the day we die. We'll be refreshed and renewed to return to our normal everyday fast-lane, fast-paced lives.

"Is this heaven?"

"No. It's just church camp."

Man! I can't wait!

How cool is church camp?!

Kollmeyer is Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, located on Hwy. 314 in Fayetteville. He invites anyone without a church home to come to one of the three Sunday services: 8:15 a.m. "Early Service" (outdoors 1^st & 3^rd Sundays of the month); 9:30 a.m. "Contemporary Service" with band and drums; or 11:00 a.m. "Beautiful and Majestic Pipe Organ Service". For more information log-on at www.popdove.com or call 770-461-3403.