This year hundreds of thousands of people of all ages will eagerly journey to places reserved by The United Methodist Church as sacred common ground. Amid natural settings, these environments of Christian hospitality and learning open people’s souls and minds in unparalleled ways.

In fact, the true stories of lives changed for the better have been so consistent and so numerous that local churches, conferences, and individuals have caught a vision. Born from that vision and the grace of God are close to 300 United Methodist camp/retreat centers spread far and wide. What draws so many seekers? What are they looking for and finding in our midst? What is it about the mission of United Methodist camp/retreat ministry and the settings themselves that remain so relevant and fulfilling?they looking for and finding in our midst? What is it about the mission of United Methodist camp/retreat ministry and the settings themselves that remain so relevant and fulfilling?

Our Mission

God spoke and all life was born into community—every creature came into being as a word from and about God. That same creative Word tented with us in Jesus Christ to restore us to and teach us about loving relationships. In camp/retreat settings, we can experience again the voice of God and learn to participate more faithfully in the community of life. Most United Methodist camp/retreat ministries endeavor to create environments of Christian hospitality and learning designed to help people:

• Affirm and expand their faith in God and live more fully as followers of Jesus Christ;

• Develop lifestyles of loving interdependence with one another and all creation;

• Grow as effective leaders who engage others in meaningful endeavors that address need;

• Find renewal and positive direction for their lives.

Based on these goals, camp/retreat ministry seeks to meet real needs of people and organizations, including: the longing to know God, nurture for Christian disciples and spiritual leaders, care for the earth, enhancement of community, and support for groups that serve the world.

Longing to Know God

A vast spiritual hunger exists in our society. It appears, for example, in the great resurgence of interest in Native American and other spiritual paths that highlight the oneness of all things and care for the earth. Books such as Conversations with God and the Celestine Prophecy top bestseller lists across the nation. Educators in science, business, and other fields include language that connects spiritual truths with their work. Who would have imagined that a book called Jesus, CEO would gain the popularity it has among business leaders in recent years?

Millions today yearn for God and for a spiritual center. With the explosion of the Information Age, many no longer feel they need the church as their sole source of information about God. Earnest seekers can explore theological understandings from a vast array of perspectives, including Christianity, and can be very eclectic. Faith communities that simply talk about God, especially in language that is out of touch with modern life, offer little. The growing desire is much deeper than talking about God and Jesus. People want to experience the love of Christ.

Christian camp/retreat centers provide sacred common ground for seekers and local churches. Congregations have long understood that a unique benefit of camps/retreats is their experiential nature; people can retreat from the distractions of daily life to immerse themselves in a search for God.

Seekers often respond to less formal, natural settings. These places of peace, adventure, and fun are an excellent entry point into the life of the church and the practice of spiritual pathways leading to experiences of God. Even those who feel a sense of alienation from the church will often participate in camps and retreats. Parents who are not currently taking or sending their children to church will often send them to camp — an important beginning. The focus on Christian hospitality and the creation of loving friendships among people who may be new to each other produces a tangible experience of God’s love. Intentional partnerships between camp/retreat ministry and local congregations provide the essential link that invites persons into an ongoing, supportive faith community.

Nurturing Disciples and Spiritual Leaders

Camps and retreats play a significant role in nurturing people who are already Christians and active in local churches. Children and youth naturally come to mind, since this is a key age level served, especially at summer camps and on youth retreats. But, at many locations, adults are the fastest growing population served by retreat ministry and by newly developing camp experiences designed specifically for adults. For many annual conferences, the participation in both camps and retreats makes it one of the largest cooperative ministries churches do together.

This is quite literally true, since the volunteers and staff are most often members of United Methodist congregations. In some regions, the number of volunteers involved in this annual faith formation effort is staggering. Some annual conference camp/retreat ministries recruit and train 500-700 people annually to serve thousands of children, youth, and adults. The substantial number of people participating in and leading camp/retreat experiences across the denomination speaks to the vitality and meaning inherent in both participation and leadership.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NRSV) expresses the common mission at the heart of the partnership between local congregations and United Methodist camp/retreat centers: “Go therefore and make disciples . . . teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We teach people what it means to follow the way of Christ, to know they are loved, then to embody that same love wherever they go.

Our camp/retreat ministry has a long history of active learning—people actively participating in an experience together, then reflecting on what it teaches them about Christian faith and living. The action/reflection process works extremely well in outdoor settings. Experiential learning keeps interest high, since participants engage their entire beings, not just their minds, in the learning. For example, a group may do a trust fall, then discuss what it means to “bear one another’s burdens.”

Retreats and camps also balance activity with renewal modeled by Jesus, who stepped away from his day-to-day work to go into natural settings to meet with God and explore the deeper meanings of his life (Mark 1:1-13; Matt. 14:23, 26:36-46; Luke 6:12). Practicing the ebb and flow of prayerful action and contemplation often produces a lasting ability to apply Christian faith to real-life situations.

Camp/retreat experiences become defining moments that set direction for our lives and our leadership. Persons are encouraged to develop as leaders. They are asked to reflect deeply and to make faith decisions about the kind of person they will be and what they will do with their lives. Many pastors and laypersons point to these experiences as pivotal to their calls to ministry within their communities, relationships, and workplaces. The difference that these countless decisions to live out the love of Christ have made is immeasurable.

Enhancing Community

Fundamental changes in U.S. society make community building imperative. We have moved from a front-porch culture to a back-deck existence. We know our neighbors less and less as we get busier and busier. Families often leave their communities of origin, frequently ending up far from relatives and friends. And our population is the most diverse in U.S. history.

Around the world, the reality is setting in that we are mutually interdependent members of a global community. Religious groups have an immense responsibility for leading the way in bringing people together in love, cooperation, and support.

One notable dimension of camp/retreat ministry is its consistency in giving a group of people the vision, sensitivity, and tools to become a caring community for one another. Remarkably, many of the participants have never met before or know one another only slightly. They are often quite different from one another. Today, there are few settings where strangers come to live together 24 hours a day with the goal of becoming a loving community for one another. That explains in part why these temporary camp/retreat communities have such a lasting impact.

In some cases, camp/retreat events help families know and appreciate one another better. Christian hospitality occurs through a deep connection with the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit that produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These fruits of the spirit are at the heart of family. Camp/retreat experiences show that such relationships are possible and call people to the ministry of community building wherever they return to live.

Caring for the Earth

The degradation of the earth is a wake-up call to humanity. Whatever happens to the earth affects all of us because of the fundamental ties and interdependence that God established within creation as a whole. People do not stand outside creation, but are part of it.

Religious leaders and faith communities must partner with scientists to create understanding of the human impact on and responsibility for the earth. Human cosumption, waste, and overpopulation threaten the very fabric of our existence. Under such burdens, other species are disappearing at alarming rates.

The spiritual, biblical roots of our faith speak powerfully about the sacredness of creation and make it clear that earth care is vital to discipleship. The creation belongs to God, not to humanity. The value of all creatures goes beyond simply “using” them. We must care for God’s creation (Gen. 1; Psalm 24:1-2). The natural world is sacred; the wild things are holy words of God (John 1:1-5, Psalm 19:1-4, Job 12:7-10).

God’s intention is that the earth will share the freedom of the “children of God.” The earth suffers when human beings do not show an attitude of “meekness,” and we end up suffering too (Isa. 24:4-8, Matt. 5:5, Mark 16:15, Rom. 8:19-25). The earth depends on the people of God to step forward and reveal ourselves, then to lead the society to be stewards of creation.

The location of United Methodist camp/ retreat centers makes them ideal for teaching discipleship, earth care, and environmental sensitivity to all who come. They will receive peace, beauty, and healing in return, from the earth and the Spirit. Finally, it is important to prepare spiritual leaders who will return to their local congregations and communities inspired to involve others in eco-ministries that will benefit generations to come.

Support for Groups That Serve the World

Nonprofit groups of all kinds now seek out our camp/retreat centers. Much investment has gone into building quality, year-round centers designed to serve groups from local churches, religiously affiliated organizations, educational institutions, social service agencies, extended families, and others. More than an investment in buildings, it is ultimately an investment in changed lives. All of the nonprofit groups that we host share one thing: They exist to make life better in the world and to address real need. We become their partners in helping that happen.

Nonprofit groups come to our environments of Christian hospitality to develop and implement life-changing programs, to train leaders, to gather for visioning and planning, and to retreat for renewal and inspiration.

We extend nurturing hospitality for these groups because we understand them to be partners in healing, justice, and personal, spiritual growth. By supporting these groups and their purposes, The United Methodist Church extends its love to people and places far beyond what we will ever know. Thanks be to God for the blessings of sacred common ground where people can receive the blessings of the Spirit so they can go forth to be a blessing.

Camp/Retreat Ministry and the General Board of Discipleship:
Partners in Discipleship

The General Board of Discipleship feels privileged and honored to develop partnerships with leaders of camp/retreat ministries. The General Board:

• Encourages and helps equip camp/retreat ministry staff to lead ministries that will be avenues to “making disciples” and developing spiritual leadership.

• Works collaboratively with Drew Theological School, the National Camp/Retreat Committee, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and other organizations to provide and/or promote national gatherings and training opportunities for leaders of camp/ retreat ministry. These events provide spiritual renewal and skill training for a complex and crucial set of ministry responsibilities.

• Links with interdenominational and professional camp/retreat ministry associations to glean the most effective practices, developments, and resources within the field to share with United Methodist leaders.

• Provides consultations and mission/visioning processes for centers doing futuring. In addition, the Director of United Methodist Camp/Retreat Ministry supports conference and center directors.

• Assists in making it possible for international staff to come from Methodist settings worldwide to serve as camp and retreat staff in the U.S. The insight, understanding, and mutual appreciation for other cultures that occurs among the participants adds another important dimension to the ministry.

• Operates a leadership network, newsletter, and website that provide information about the ministry to the public and allow camp/retreat leaders to connect and learn.

• Creates devotionals specifically for camp/retreat leaders.

General Board of Discipleship Staff Person

• Kevin Witt, Director of Camp/ Retreat Ministry, kwitt@gbod.org, Camp/Retreat Ministry Office, General Board of Discipleship, P.O. Box 340003, Nashville, TN 37203-0003; (877) 899-2780, ext. 7082; (615) 340-7082.

-United Methodist Camp Retreat E-mail Network

• Network: Write to kwitt@gbod.org to subscribe.

• Website with Directory of Camp/Retreat Centers: www.gbod.org/camping

Kevin Witt is the Director of Camp/Retreat Ministry, General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, TN.