Apparently more than you might think. At least that is the case at Ferncliff Presbyterian Camp just outside Little Rock, Arkansas. Over the past decade the camp has cultivated creative mission collaborations and traditional marshmallow-roasting camps. Both have prospered in the cross-pollination.
On March 24, 1998, a tragedy unfolded at Westside Middle School outside Jonesboro, Arkansas — a tragedy that would also significantly change Ferncliff’s future. Two students, age 11 and 13, pulled a fire alarm and then took aim on the exiting classmates. Four girls and a teacher were killed. Ten others were wounded. The whole nation was shocked. Ferncliff reached out to offer a week of camp to help the students heal. That July, 68 traumatized Westside 6th and 7th graders came to Ferncliff with the financial help of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and other ecumenical partners. The camp was so successful that parents told Ferncliff “you gave us our children back!” The parents implored Ferncliff to continue and organized fundraisers for more camps. Over the next five years, 100 of the 200 children at the school attended many of the eight specially designed camps – camps that expanded to include students from Columbine, Paducah, Bosnia, New York City, and other sites of violence impacting children.
That series of outreach camps not only changed the campers, it changed Ferncliff.
These were not “therapy camps” Ferncliff offered, but camps that simply took full advantage of the inherent healing abilities of community, nature, and worship. Ferncliff started offering other special camps for children of parents in prison, children of homeless families, foster care children, evacuees and others, along with the traditional camps.
When I was elected chair of the Presbytery mission committee, Ferncliff got further involved. Ferncliff helped secure six oceangoing containers of rice for Liberia and a van for mission programs in Honduras. We tried humor and creativity to address camp needs. One promotion involved a large piñata custom-made to look like the general presbyter. A drive for new dining hall windows became a search for the “Biggest Pane in the Presbytery,” a title awarded to the pastor whose church gave the most in contributions!
Then came another epiphany. Ferncliff’s annual confirmation camp weekends involve small groups applying what they were learning by designing, organizing, and naming their own church. Each small group would develop its own mission statement, order of worship, budget, and finally a floor plan to fit its vision and mission. As the staff listened to each group’s presentation, they were not surprised that no group named their church “First” Presbyterian, but they were struck by the fact that nearly every church building had one or more mission programs in their building! Day care for low- income families, food pantries, soup kitchens, clothes closets, ESL classrooms, etc., they had mission under their roof.
That is a powerful statement to the church, and it was a powerful statement to our camp. Ferncliff staff members started thinking about what might be possible for year-round outreach at a camp. Camps have property and faithful groups of volunteers. They began to explore a role in disaster assistance and began thinking that all the Church World Service Gift-of-the-Heart disaster kits that churches make could be received, stored, and even assembled from scratch at a camp.
We sent the idea to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). The same day our e-mail arrived, a Church World Service (CWS) representative was visiting the PDA office and was shown the letter. It all started coming together. Churches were spending a lot on postage to send those kits all the way to the CWS’ only warehouse in Maryland, and Arkansas was just a day’s drive from the hurricane-prone gulf coast, delta flooding, and tornado alley. Ferncliff could provide another warehouse site in the center of the country and volunteers, including campers, could get involved and connected to mission!
Covenants were drawn up and approved on an “if you build it, we will come” understanding. A proposal was written to the Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Offering and the idea for the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) was selected from among dozens as one of the two U.S. projects for 2005, with funds to come in 2006. Then Katrina hit. We were asked, “Can you build it more quickly?” More than 30,000 disaster kits flowed to and through Ferncliff in the weeks following Katrina. The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) was completed in 2006 and this past year 84,500 lbs. of disaster kits were received and prepared for reshipment.
Now every camper who comes to Ferncliff takes a hayride to “the DAC,” where they learn about the connection between faith and service. They make kits from scratch and it has become a favorite activity for campers.
Ferncliff’s newest outreach endeavor is with the Synod of the Sun, which has launched a “Solar Under the Son” program. A key component will involve building a Solar Mission Training Center at the camp. Volunteers and teams will come to learn how to install solar energy systems that can power water purification systems and other community projects. These would be particularly important in third world countries where partners like Living Waters for the World (Synod of Living Waters) have hundreds of projects needing reliable, clean energy. Again, the hope is that campers will see mission at work and see service as a part of their faith experience.
All this emphasis on mission has not dulled Ferncliff’s strong commitment for summer camp. To the contrary, camp registrations have increased, as have Ferncliff’s overall operations. Ferncliff continues to grow both its mission and camps.
And next summer’s S’mores will be made in solar ovens!
David Gill is executive director of Ferncliff Presbyterian Camp in Little Rock, Ark.
