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Reflections with
Camp & Retreat Ministries![]()
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Named and Claimed
Last week I introduced the summer curriculum, What’s in a Name? The image of the wood cookie name tag for the curriculum brought a smile to my face. I've possessed many such name tags, collected over most of my years of ministry in the Oregon-Idaho annual conference, although there is a noticeable gap in the years from 2009-2016 when I was the director at the Collins Retreat Center. I am always amazed by the ways campers find to express part of who they are on their wood nametags. Some express it with an artistic flair, decorating both sides, and they might even have a camp name that they use when at camp. My name tags are in the style I would call “Midwestern Plain,” which means for me a plain lettering of my first name and the year that it was made. Maybe this year I will find an artistic flair to add to my nametag.
Claiming and really inhabiting one’s name is an important way of sharing one’s identity with the world. Many of us have more than one name that we try to live into, beyond the names that we have been given at birth. These additional monikers could include those that claim religious identity, relationship identity (parent, child, sibling), gender identity, and more. One of the challenges of these identities is that others may have a definition of one of these that does not match our own. Take, for instance, Christian or Jesus-Follower. The cultural understanding of “Christian” in the USA is often of an identity that is judgmental and hypocritical. According to a recent post from the Barna Research group, the general public has a positive view of Jesus but a distinctly different view of the institutional church and the followers of Jesus.
In Camp and Retreat Ministries we want our lives to match our understanding of the identity of "Christian," as we try to embody our understanding of Jesus’ love and grace for those he encountered. We do this through our focus on our mission of “creating sacred spaces of Christian hospitality and learning” and through our vision of “a world of wonder, love, and justice.”
How do you embody who you are? How did you experience the freedom to live into your name and identity in camp and retreat ministry? Did you have a camp name that you liked? Please drop me a note, I love to hear your stories. You can email me at todd@umoi.org.
By the way, starting next week I will share with you the daily theme for our summer curriculum and some elements that are a part of each day’s plan.
On the road to wonder, love, and justice,
Rev. Todd Bartlett
Executive Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries
*PHOTO: The most recent addition to Todd's wood cookie name tag collection (Todd Bartlett).
Grant Report Highlights Magruder
Last year, the $2.5 million Ministry Impact Grant funded 86 projects at United Methodist camps and retreat centers across the U.S. The national United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministry Association has been highlighting the grant recipients in its weekly newsletter. Earlier this month the publication celebrated grant projects accomplished in the Wisconsin Conference, Camp Dickenson (VA), Camp In the Community (Holston Conference), Canyon Camp (OK) and our own Camp Magruder (OR). Read more here.
*PHOTO: Camp Magruder staff prepare to guide a session of wave jumping on the beach (Todd Bartlett).
Blessings Report
- Work parties accomplishing many tasks last weekend
- New campers signed up for camp
- Camp staff learning and growing
Please send your blessings to share in future issues of the e-news.
More than a name tag . . .
Have you ever made a camp name tag? It's usually one of the very first things a camper will do after arriving, perhaps amid feelings of anxiety about what this new week will hold. And that same name tag is often taken home several days later as a cherished reminder of the transformative experiences that occurred over the week. That small token is a powerful symbol of the significant growth and insights that can happen at camp. When you donate to this ministry, you're not simply helping to purchase name tag supplies--you're supporting the creation of life-changing memories. Won't you join us in this amazing work?
