Christian Camp Reflection

Spencer Wirth
In the summer of 2021, I had the wonderful opportunity of volunteering at a local

Christian camp. I spent the entire summer as a staff member there, from May to August.

Throughout the summer I worked with all ages of students, from kindergarten to high school. I

worked with five other adults my age to coordinate the events of each day and make sure that

camp ran smoothly. I was responsible for leading worship, organizing and leading recreational

activities, serving meals, washing dishes, supervising students while they swim, and preparing

and delivering lessons based around the Bible.

Every week I would be responsible for writing and sharing a “campfire”. These campfires

were biblical lessons that were taught each night to the students. For each lesson, I worked with

one other member of the staff. We made sure that our lessons connected the bible to our personal

lives. We would share some teaching directly from the Bible, as well as some personal stories

from our own lives that lined up with what the Bible said. This engaged the students because

they saw the Biblical lessons come to life. I often made it my personal goal to make these

“campfires” fun and engaging for the students. For one “campfire”, my co-leader and I delivered

our message from a boat on the lake. We had students sit on the beach and even constructed a

fire on top of the water. This change in scenery and fun way of delivering the message helped to

engage the students in the lesson.

It was during my time at camp where I discovered my passion for helping others navigate

their difficult life experiences. I was able to see how my past experiences helped others work

through their own troubles. I also discovered that I like the communication that is possible at the
upper grade levels. Around the middle school age, I was able to have deeper conversations with

the students. We were able to form trusting relationships that led to vulnerability. Through these

relationships I was able to provide compassion and wisdom.