It has been two weeks since the Camping & Retreat Ministries Board of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church announced that the Conference's four campsite properties would be shut down. This, rightly, grieved all of people who have a connection to those camps, including the Camping Board themselves. The grief is further compounded by the way the decision and announcement were made. I myself, didn't help much when I used an incendiary title as click bait ("no one cares") so that I could try to help people channel their grief and anger in a useful direction (reaching the countless youth in our communities who aren't a part of the church). Maybe my intentions were good, but my tact and timing were terrible. Some have asked me to take down the blog posts, but I'm not. It's a story of holding each other accountable for living in a Christ-like way, even in the midst of anger and grief. And that's what inspired my last post on the subject, "Saying 'They Don't Care About the Next Generation' Needs to Stop." I was always taught growing up, "Be angry, but in your anger, do not sin." I believe that's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:26. So it really bothered me of how some people were talking and posting publicly about other brothers and sisters in Christ. It really upset me. I guess Facebook and other social media are places that people vent their frustrations, but I've learned that's not a good idea. Facebook and Twitter are virtually public. It's one thing to share how you feel in a private conversation and seeking guidance on what you should do with those thoughts and feelings. But publicly spreading ill-will and false ideas about people is not a good idea, no matter how true or right you may feel. You have every right to grieve, to feel and think those things, and even say things privately to people. But know those are your emotions and may not be true enough to be posted publicly, or even for you to believe them once you've settled down. I really want to see us come together as brothers and sisters in Christ with grace, truth, love and mercy. So I'm not going to take down that post either. I'll admit, it's not a good thing to try to tell grieving people what they can or can't feel/think/say. I am sorry that I did that. But I do think that as a Christian, I need to not let my grief be an excuse to hurt others and do harmful things. In my first post on this subject, I clearly said "I will not be joining a movement to #SaveMOUMcamps." I haven't, and I don't plan to. But, I do want to save United Methodist Church Camp Ministries. I have attachments and memories to 3 out of the 4 properties, but I have always known that the people we reach through the ministry we do is what's more important than property. I want to be a change agent to see United Methodist Church Camp Ministries flourish. In fact, that's why I became an Event Director seven years ago. When I first arrived to be an event director in 2007, I knew the campsites and camping ministry were in trouble. The camp I was at had 96 beds, but the registration for the week of camp I inherited was only around 30. The property itself was old, worn out, and barely usable. I was surprised anybody would want to come to camp there. But, my Event Co-Director (and friend) and I knew that if we could focus everyone on Christ, the amenities and empty space wouldn't matter. We also knew we wanted to see all of those beds filled. The next year, we nearly doubled in size to about 55. I and the Co-Director took one for the team and stayed in the oldest, yuckiest, unkempt cabin on the grounds because the other beds needed to be used. We filled the worship space with so many people and energy, that the A/C couldn't keep up, and we knew we had to find a different place to worship (or move to a different location, possibly CMU). So we went on planning, preparing and praying for year three. Fortunately, the Lord provides. There was an old barn that had been used for horses, but was no longer being used much. At a planning session at camp that spring, we prayed and as soon as we said "Amen" we looked at each other and said "What about the barn." It became our "worship barn." All of the cabins had to be used to hold over 60 students and then counselors on top of that. If I remember right, we were just over 80 people that year. Then, in the fourth year, we had 105 total people...for 96 beds. We slept on mattresses on the floor. I'm not saying all this to brag about success. I want to point something out, I care about camp ministry in Missouri done by United Methodists. I've been wanting to SAVE camps for at least 7 years now. Over those 7 years, that camp property has seen a lot of improvements. It is MUCH better than when we started. I like to think partly because of the experiences that campers had and went back to their church saying how important and valuable camp is. Churches gave funds. Churches helped remodel. Churches sent more kids. I don't think anyone is arguing with the fact that Camping & Retreat ministries are valuable to individuals who experience them, and that churches benefit from them. These ministries are important, and will continue. The impact they have on campers' lives is priceless. Those same campers usually become more involved in their local churches, and those churches are energized. These ministries must continue. The camping board knows this, and they are deeply committed to continuing the camping and retreat ministries. The Camping Board had a meeting this past Monday, and they allowed some of us to sit in and listen to all that they had looked at when making the decision for this new direction. Most of the explanation did not focus on money and property (though it probably should have). They focused on the Missouri Conference's Mission & their mission as a camp board. The conference mission is to lead congregations to lead people to active faith in Jesus Christ. At a visioning retreat, the camp board decided their mission would be a similar, focusing on the fruitful practice of "Intentional Faith Development." The mission statement they put down on paper is: "Leading local churches of the Missouri Conference in intentional faith development of children and teens." Then basically, they hit a "do-over" button by starting with this question: "If we started from scratch, and wanted to find the best way to help local churches intentionally develop the faith of the next generation (age 0-25), then how would we do camping and retreat ministries?" They then asked, what are the "wins" or desired outcomes if we are accomplishing this mission well? These are what they identified.
The next question then was, what strategies do we use to accomplish these wins? This is where new ideas developed, property/financial issues were discussed, and alignment with the conference vision/direction was presented. I'll talk about alignment first. Already, our conference has developed processes for churches to have consultations to help them be/become "growing, vibrant, healthy churches." We have a consultation process for college-age ministry, and now with Next Generation Ministries, we have a consultation process in development to help with youth and children's ministries. There was a clear intention by the board to focus camping ministry on the Next Generation Ministries, which will eventually include workcamps and other ministries focused on helping churches reach those age 0-25. I basically see this as shuffling around what we do. Like re-organizing your kitchen or your clothes drawers. Instead of pots and pans in separate drawers, let's put them together in this one bigger drawer. Instead of having a socks & underwear drawer, I'll keep my socks separate and put my underwear with my undershirts. Of course, it's a little bit deeper than that when you're talking about an organization's Vision and how they implement it, but the bottom line is the same things keep happening, just a little differently, in a different place, with a different name. The conference has decided to put staff and resources into helping churches reach the next generation, so the camp board said, "We are all in!" The truly new idea that was discussed is mobile camping. Rev. Garrett Drake toured the country learning from others who do mobile camps. These are not strictly "Day Camps" (though it could be), or a Vacation Bible School, but could be more time than VBS and involve an overnight component. This is really exciting to me because my two churches aren't necessarily capable of pulling of something like this really well at the scale it needs to be in order to reach my community. But, if the conference and some other churches collaborate together, we could reach families that are not currently apart of any church, people who don't know Jesus Christ. That's exciting. I know some people are afraid this won't work well, but I always tell folks (and my 5-yr-old), "you don't know until you try." As for our four properties, basically, the question the board asked is "Are managing these four properties the best way to provide camping and retreat experiences for the next generation?" As we know, the board said "No, they're not." The reasoning is, we are not historically good property managers. Because of decreased funding, and increased costs, we choose to defer as much maintenance and improvements as possible so that we can get by on the bare minimum. We do not manage these properties with excellence. If we allow for camping ministries to operate at other sites that we don't have to manage, we could do our camping programs/ministries much better and at a reduced cost. Local churches would still get the benefits of camping experiences, and the cost would be less. While not a lot of the details were shared as to what property issues exist, enough was shared that I was amazed at the costs to keep the properties open, then add to that improvements needed to provide an experience that relates to post-2014 kids and teens. So that's basically how the camp board came to their decision to close the four properties. They wanted to find the best way to help congregations intentionally develop the faith the next generation through camping ministries. They decided "We love camping ministry so much, and know how valuable it is to reaching young people and impacting churches that we need to find a way to continue it even if we can't keep our four properties." I recently had to trade-in a sporty little hatchback car for a mini-van because we became foster parents and went from 1 child to 3 in a matter of months. I still miss that car, but the minivan is better in the long-run. Even if I don't get to drive it that much. (That's probably a terrible metaphor, but it's what came to mind.) It was the best thing for all of my family. I hope and have faith that this change is the best thing for the future of our churches and The Missouri Conference. I hope you will too.
Mitch Jarvis
9/18/2014 09:51:30 am
Am I hearing right that you'd expect most the same camp programs (Nature Camp for example) to be offered, only at different camp locations (with cabins and campfires and open air pavilions?)
Ben Mulford
9/18/2014 10:43:15 am
A lot of those details are yet to be determined. There's a meeting in coming weeks with Event Directors. I don't think the exact same names (like "Nature Camp, Fishing Camp, Drama Camp, etc) will continue, but I could be wrong. There are other camp facilities around the state that Event Directors can use (I've found a lot are already booked for summer 2015), including CMU. So there will be an opportunity for nature experiences this summer, but not at our four sites. I would not expect the exact same programming as what we are used to. Similar to a degree, but certainly different. As an event director, I'm already rethinking how I'm used to doing things so we can adapt. It's actually kind of fun for me.
Bruce Blair
9/18/2014 01:38:14 pm
Everyone supporting this decision seems to be good at making elusive, unsubstantial promises that "it won't be so bad". It is no wonder that the camp properties were not well managed. Good managers do not make decisive moves that risk all of their assets without substantial concrete benefits. What makes you think that the same "poor property managers", who could not manage existing resources, will be good at managing a completely new program?
Michelle Braughton
9/18/2014 10:36:32 am
I usually do not comment on other people's blogs. Blogs are social media and one option of a place to typically share opinions about a topic and feelings. I find it interesting that you feel it is ok for you to blog about the topic but others should not use social media to do so. These are your feelings and perceptions. People may or may not agree. Who are you to judge others for doing the same?
Ben Mulford
9/18/2014 10:47:14 am
I don't mind using social media. What I mind is the public verbal abuse of specific people. That's not a good thing to do publicly, social media or otherwise. I think if someone has sinned against you (lied, betrayed, deceived) then go to them personally and work it out. That seems to be what Jesus asks of us.
Bruce Blair
9/18/2014 02:18:45 pm
What do you consider verbal abuse? I have seen none of it. Public scolding possibly, but not verbal abuse. Perhaps I have missed it. If I witness a person abusing another in public and immediately chastise that person, is that abuse? I believe Christ rebuked his disciples in public on occasion. 9/21/2014 01:57:04 am
Bruce, the verbal abuse I'm specifically speaking of is people who publicly called specific people liars, deceivers and/or betrayers. Claims were made that things were intentionally "covered up" or outright lied about. I understand why people feel that way, but we have a covenant with one another in Christ, and those who are ordained Elders and Deacons have another level of covenant. That doesn't mean they're perfect, but it does mean we should speak to them with mercy and respect. Yes Christ rebuked his disciples in public, but I'm not Christ, none of us is Christ. I feel we need more trust that our leaders have a lot on the line, and truly have the best interests for our churches/ministries/people in mind. Those who are ordained have committed their lives to being servants, often sacrificing time with their own families/hobbies/self-interests in order to serve. We must not forget that. They're not above criticism, but we must show grace.
Erik Barton
9/18/2014 01:12:17 pm
We ABSOLUTELY, for 3 years, managed Blue Mountain with excellence. If you have any doubt of that, I highly suggest you come visit us, and I will gladly show you the site, the facilities, and our measurables (camper numbers, donation amounts, yearly budget...etc) - along with many things that cannot be measured (as with the change in culture, users adhering to the rules, tons of camp videos from each week...etc). BE very mindful of what you are saying and how you are saying it, sir.
Ben Mulford
9/18/2014 02:09:10 pm
Erik, I in no way meant to say that you personally managed property poorly, or did anything wrong. I was stating what the camp board found about us as a church, that "we" (United Methodists in Missouri) are poor property managers. At the meeting Monday, it was clear the problem was more of a systemic issue than a personnel issue. From my perspective, you were not given a chance to succeed. As I've said, the way this happened really bothers me. There is grief there whether I show it or not. But I also have to lead into the future. And the best thing for the students that I want to have at camp again for this summer is to say, I'm going to lead something somewhere and it's going to be great. I'm going to put everything I can into camp this summer wherever it may be because those students are important to me.
Bruce Blair
9/18/2014 02:30:08 pm
I agree completely. We as individuals must do all we can to provide a replacement for what has been discarded. We must not let our sadness and our anger blind us to what really matters, the children.
Erik
9/25/2014 04:13:37 pm
I gather that. the only reason why I am here is for the intentional faith development of ALL those who come here. Most camps do not fit into a "next generation" bracket. We are multi-generational - as the church should be. As I have said before, I do not have any issue with the closing of the camps...as a director who has lost his job...that was a decision from my superiors and I must respect that even though I do not agree with it. What I have heard from many other conferences is - "what does that mean for us?" This is unprecedented nationwide. And, it is not a good trend to follow. Most Camp Boards are not set up like MO was. Camp is camp, it is not a University venue. We used to have Jr & Sr High Assembly for that. (And they worked alongside camp and did very well). But camp is just like you said, for the camper...but more so in the light of getting the camper away from normal life. We were to be that little taste of heaven on earth...a place where we could get a sense of Christian community as it could be (even if for only 1 week). My background primarily is with Youth ministry. I could not do, in 6mo time with a great youth group, what we do in 1 week at camp. So are we leading our camps in excellence? It depends on WHAT your excellence is being based upon. We certainly were...our excellence showed, and did so quickly (from the words of others, not my own). You don't need 5 star digs to do that, you need culture. In a culture of excellence you can have an icky bathroom, and be praised. Children, in the right environment, can see a ball or a box as being much more important than an iPad or a wi-fi signal. For those that want to continue camping in the traditional sense, it will be at another camp. And there isn't anything wrong with that either. Just a new place.
Tom Lemons
9/18/2014 09:57:14 pm
Please, if they want to have traveling day camps and camps at CMU, then bring the budget request to the 2015 Annual Conference, not take it from the camping budget approved at the 2014 Annual Conference.
Andy Bryan
9/19/2014 07:36:44 am
Did you know you were buying a minivan when you got rid of the little car? Or did you get rid of the little car and then think, "Surely something better will come along?" We don't know what our "trade in" is at this point, and yet we've already sold the car.
Tom Lemons
9/19/2014 05:33:10 pm
Your comment is right-on. Thanks.
Tom Lemons
9/19/2014 05:34:37 pm
I agree with you comment. Thanks. 9/21/2014 02:03:52 am
You're right Andy. I knew that analogy wasn't perfect. A better analogy would be that someone stole your car, and the insurance simply gave you a kit to build a new one, but no instructions, "Here's all the pieces of something that we think will be better." While that may be how some of us feel, I'm saying that yes, I expect that we will have something better. We don't know exactly what our "trade in" is in terms of details. But I have faith in our leadership to not leave us high and dry with little to nothing. (Although, as I type that and remember the closing of Wesley Foundations, I should look at the track record on that......hmmm....I don't even know where to find ways to compare 2014 campus ministry with what we had pre-2007. I'd like to see that.)
John Burke
9/19/2014 02:33:23 pm
I would use a different analogy to the pots and pans that I believe is more fitting from my perspective. The Camping Board threw out all the old cast iron cookware in favor of something new. However, they still don’t know if they’re going to get the triple-clad or stainless steel and stock pots or just sauté pans.
Tom Lemons
9/19/2014 05:44:05 pm
I agree with your comment. Thanks. Comments are closed.
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About MeI am a Software Developer, a career shift made in 2018. So far, I have experience with C# .Net and Angular. I continue to let curiosity lead me into learning new technologies. I plan to share what I learn along the way about technology and personal/career life. Previously, my vocation was United Methodist pastor. So in addition to coding, I'll share about theology, the Church and The Bible. I also enjoy running, music, and I'm a deeply committed father and husband. Maybe my experiences will help you. I know it helps me to share. Archives
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