I’ve been visiting Camp Cross for over 10 years. We attended a Labor Day Family Camp with our St. James’ (Pullman, WA) parishioners and I enjoyed the glorious natural beauty, but also the fellowship among the participants. Christian community in a non-parish setting is one feature of Camp Cross that has me reminding others to “keep comin’ back! “

While wading at Crescent Beach, my wife Alison relayed her metaphor for her relationship to God.  In the cool water, she floats effortlessly.  As she returns to the rocky shore, her body becomes heavy as she leaves the (holy) water and works to carry herself. It’s harder and harder to gain ones footing.  Yet, a loving arm reaches out to help her gain stability. This arm is God’s love in the form of your loving friend. Together, you can walk the journey on hot, dry land, until you once again return to refreshing water for relief.

Additionally, Camp Cross is a holy place where I have seen miracles happen.  Of course, miracles are in the eyes of the beholder and subject to perspective. This week I have seen the miracle of change. Mid-high campers arrived on Sunday, with anxiety, fears and few friends. In just a few days, I have seen them transformed. They’ve bonded with each other, shared intense experiences, been challenged in their views of faith and even improved their table manners (yes, a great miracle indeed!).  In all seriousness, the joy shared in a small group or gathered around a summer campfire is a holy miracle repeated again and again here.  I’ve noticed another transforming miracle recently.  As I look at this year’s staff members, several have spent many years coming to Camp Cross. They’ve loved being a camper with all the newness that experience brings. Camp Cross can be an intense emotional experience of faith on a young person’s own terms, far from their parish home.  It’s their mountaintop where they gain spiritual insight. Some grow into being a counselor, learning leadership skills shepherding a small group.  This is a critical stage in the faith formation of young people. Of that group, some continue serving as permanent staff members, gaining more leadership skills at the next level, long after coming to Camp Cross for the first time.  This chain of transformative experiences shapes the lifelong faith of many.

Wednesday night, we used a meditation from Taize to focus in the darkness of the cool evening, sitting on a floating dock.  Many relaxed on their backs, pondering the universe, gazing up into the vast expanse of stars. Some reported seeing up to five shooting stars and several orbiting satellites were visible.  Amid the cool breeze, surrounded by both intimate friends and endless cosmos, God is good; Very good; Always.

After stomping twice, over 200 leaders from around the Diocese chanted together, “I’m going to Camp Cross, and you’re coming too!” The next day, clergy and lay people from Grangeville to Oroville, from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist to the Episcopal Churches of the Resurrection, wore badges to the closing Eucharist of Diocesan Convention stating the same, “you’re coming too!” Truly the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane is ready to welcome all the “yous” out there to Camp Cross in 2009, so, in our bold welcome, let’s remember what we’re welcoming people to.

First, we are welcoming everyone to an accepting and loving community that is an expression of the Anglican yearning to be in communion together. Camp Cross lives out this call to be in community and communion by asking people to come together to enjoy life, share a meal, and relax in a place where the beauty of creation transcends all the ideological debates that cloud our vision of what togetherness looks like. It is a place where our youth are asked to put aside the tools of judgment used in school, from clothes to class, and simply have fun together. It is a place where all, young and old, play together, creating a common experience that gives a common meaning to gathering around the Eucharistic table.

This community thrives in the midst of God’s creation; we are welcoming people to a home in nature. In our busy modern lives, there is likely no other place where cars are left behind, where we have to rely on other people to get us where we’re going, where we are forced, before coming or going, to look out on God’s creation and pause. It is easy to underestimate the value of this, but where else can you leave your watch behind, let someone else worry about the cooking, and leave your keys and wallet out of your pockets? We are welcoming people to be free of the tiny shackles of modern life and breathe nature in deeply.

Beyond the beautiful place that we as a diocese are blessed to be part of, we are welcoming our friends and families to a wonderfully Episcopal experience. Many camps ask youth to accept Christ as their savior, many camps are a place where youth are educated in the Gospel, but Camp Cross calls its campers and guests to experience Christ. We welcome all to live in a re-enchanted world, where the sacraments are something experienced, not just something done. This, not surprisingly, comes naturally to children, who see the mystery of faith all around them. And this is why we must be welcoming not just our children’s friends, but our own friends, to spend a day, weekend or week at Camp Cross, and let God deepen our experience of a sacramental life.

Camp Cross is our gift to share with the Inland Northwest. So I ask you to commit, with all those at Diocesan Convention, to coming to Camp Cross for one day next summer. Come share a meal with us. And, beyond that, commit to welcoming someone to share that experience with you. Even if Camp Cross opens its doors and puts up the sign “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You,” we will have very few drop in visitors on our little peninsula. We need our whole diocesan community to welcome children and adults to share this fun and loving community, this uniquely beautiful location, and wonderfully Episcopal vision of Christ. That is our New Year’s resolution. So, repeat after me, “I’m going to Camp Cross, and you’re coming too!”

Like what you’ve read in the Inland? Want to be up to date on what’s happening with Camp? Join the Camp Cross e-newsletter by emailing campcross@spokanediocese.org with “Subscribe” in the subject line.

It’s easy to forget our race is epic. In a world of billions, where there is always someone who is better, faster and stronger, how can we justify the feeling that our times matter? It’s easy to forget that our faith journey is epic, amidst a fast changing world where truth bends, hardens or fades with each fad, election, and new religion. But it is epic, it’s the only journey that matters, and we have been promised that in the face of the ultimate reality, in the face of the One Truth, in the face of God, we can stand and say that our journey is epic.

When I was out there cheering, the reaction that most surprised me was that of the adults. When the honest “thank yous” were called out from the middle of the running mob, I was humbled. Our epic journey was honestly supportive, one screamed out over the din of thousands of pedestrians; my race was our race, their race was everyone’s. We were celebrating something beyond numbers, scores, and times; we were celebrating an epic and unreasonably loud communion through a road race of all things.

The staff and counselors at Camp Cross love to cheer obnoxiously.  We love to scream out for more speed, more passion, more love, more joy, more dancing, and more Jesus. All of us have seen it in the eyes of our campers, and even in the staff’s eyes-the look of the epic, endless summer. Our faith is epic, it does matter, and at Camp Cross we do all we can to remind people of that, reignite that fire, not of doctrine or rule, but of life that made us all fall in love with God in the first place.

At Camp, we have races with winners. There will always be the cool kids, the bookish kids, the outgoing kids, and the quiet kids. And at Camp we will always have kids starting an epic faith journey, a journey that transcends those labels, measures, and social boundaries, and through swimming, archery, crafts and canoeing becomes the unforgettable reminder of our epic faith.

At Camp Cross, we will cheer, and laugh and cry and pray, for our epic faith. And after the summer, we all have to keep cheering. We often wonder how to bring Camp home; remind your camper (young or old) that their journey is epic and so is yours. That they matter, and that you always have to keep moving, sometimes with the fiery irrational exuberance of the victor, and sometimes with the knowing and passionate eyes of a saint.  Yell”thank you” from across the crowd for their inspiration. We at Camp Cross welcome you to rediscover your epic journey, and cheer for us as we rediscover ours.

What characterizes a good internal home? In “Raising Resilient Children,” by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein, the ability to perceive, communicate and understand emotion (often called emotional intelligence), the ability to overcome uncertainty and failure (be resilient), and having a sense of intrinsic self worth are all essential characteristics of such a place.

This is not to say an internal home is without God. For a Christian, charity with others, faith, and understanding God’s unconditional love are equivalents of the above concepts, and although we might be more comfortable with their form because they are Christian, in function there is often little difference.

Langdon Gilkey, in “Naming the Whirlwind: The Renewal of God-Language,” explains that because our understanding of the world around us is developed primarily with secular language and concepts (i.e. science, psychology, pop culture, high school social scenes), the words used for religious concepts have lost their spiritual meaning. We have lost our ability to approach the world on a truly spiritual level because we no longer understand the deeper meaning of the words and concepts used to communicate it. Without an understanding of the spiritual meaning in words and concepts, youth can hardly be expected to passionately live them out.

How then can youth build an internal home with spiritual depth if the words and concepts with which they define the world have none?  One way in this diocese is Camp Cross. Camp Cross reconnects the words and experiences of everyday life with their spiritual meanings. As Evita Krislock often said, Camp Cross is a thin place, a place where the distance to spiritual meaning is more easily bridged and a place where the will of the Sprit is more easily heard.  This thinness, living closely with the spiritual, animates everyday things like friendships, sitting quietly, and even labor with a new joy and depth. This animation, supported by friends, counselors and teachers, makes Camp an experiential learning center for the God-Language, one not mirrored in campers’ largely secular lives.

The difference between secular language and God-Language is revealed clearly when campers share that a friend from school and a friend from Camp Cross are different; they are both friends but one friendship is imbued with spiritual depth, even if not explicitly communicated. The difference is so pronounced in high school that many youth confess to being reluctant to bring new friends to Camp Cross because “they won’t understand.” The youth understand that the God-Language of Camp is substantively different from the language used in secular relationships.

This reluctance is an apt reminder that our internal homes should not be constructed in secret, hidden from the secular world. They should be open, something to be lived into out in the world. It is essential to share our camp experience. As older campers become counselors, the spiritually grounded internal home they’ve built is shared with a new generation. It also happens when in the secular world we teach the God-Language meanings of words in the manner of St. Francis, using words only if absolutely necessary.

This is the power of God-Language. Our internal homes become calls to action through their connection to the spiritual: “perceiving and understanding emotion” becomes living with Christ-like compassion; “overcoming uncertainty and failure” becomes living faithfully through all life’s trials, and “intrinsic self worth” becomes finding the spirit’s will for you and living it out.

And as for a Lenten resolution, the Camp theme this year, “Becoming Bread for the World,” is the perfect chance for us to help campers live externally, in the deep and spiritual internal home they’ve built, by giving them confidence to be authentic and open Christians.

Time passes on. The mes­sage is the same, WELCOME, and yet the mat ceases to function as originally designed. It no longer col­lects the dirt and bits of mud, moisture, or debris. In fact it can often become a source of those items that are then carried into your home. In addition, the WELCOME is not quite as fresh and certainly no longer as bold in its message. It becomes time to replace the WEL­COME mat.

When I started in this position, there was some angst surrounding new expectations. The older youth and campers were fearful of changes that might occur. What would happen to their very special place? After all, it was their camp, and no one knew what was needed better than they. It was a difficult season, and the second season was even harder.

By the end of the second season, the campers began to understand how deeply they were loved; and that by hav­ing standards and expectations, we were in fact providing a safe, emotional and spiritual camp that welcomed everyone. The hardest part was the realization that it was okay and healthy to change, to look at and celebrate who we were and who we could become.

It is healthy to ask questions and realize when it is time to adapt and rediscover. The tragedy occurs when the lives of our youth are so chaotic and unsettled that any thought of change instills feelings of fear or abandonment. They may fear for some reason that a part of what they hold so precious can no longer be enjoyed. Who will walk with them? Who will be there to comfort them and let them know that it is okay? Camp Cross is still their special place. It is growing and becoming more than they could ever imagine, all with God’s Grace and Love.

When we see our WELCOME MAT through the eyes of our neighbor or a stranger, we need not be afraid to ac­knowledge what it actually says and what we want the message to be. Then we can boldly dust it off or put out a new one to WELCOME all into our special place.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; saying it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, and it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said the tree was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

The seasons are changing at Camp Cross. As we look at its history and ministry we can each see life cycles that have been a part of its 84 years. At its core Camp Cross is good, solid and never changing. The outer layers do change, just as the seasons do; it is healthy and an important part of the life cycle.

Reflecting on the seasons, we are reminded again how important it is to look at the whole picture, the importance of each of the different seasons. The camp leaders are preparing for their sessions, prospective staff members anticipate the best season ever, and new docks are being built! There are good things in the works; all are visible signs of God’s New Creation. This is what we strive to live into everyday. It is keeping this in mind that I prepare for my transition out of Camp Cross as the Executive Director.