Árdís - 01.01.1963, Blaðsíða 37

Ársrit Bandalags lúterskra kvenna
35
The 1963 camping season marked the beginning of a new era
in camping interest of Lutheran Congregations in our province.
For almost twenty years these have been served by inde-
pendently operated camps, but with the recent formation of the
Lutheran Church in America significant changes in church camping
became possible.
Sunrise Lutheran Camp and Camp Lake Brereton are main-
tained each by its own Camp Board but all matters of program and
education, staff recruitment and training, publicity and public
relations are carried out cooperatively through a Joint Camp
Planning Committee of the Central Synod.
It was hoped this approach characterized by cooperation and
coordination would strengthen and enlarge the whole church
camping program. Quoting from the brochure: — church camping
is part of the total educational program of the church. The elements
which give camping a distinctive place in the over all program of
Christian education are
1— its setting — a place away from home, with fullest use of the out
of doors.
2— the time — Campers and leaders spend twenty-four hours a
day together in Chi’istian learning experiences.
3— Close personal relationships between campers and leaders with
a variety of backgrounds from many congregations.
Church camping may be defined as an experience in Christian
group living and learning in the out of doors.
The Bible study program as planned by the Joint Camp Plan-
ning Committee was excellent. The training session held June
29-30th at Sunrise Camp was inspiring and a help, I am sure, to
the many who attended and later were leaders at the Camp
Sessions. The Pastors and their wives gave of themselves their
best; the Counsellors and staff were efficient and carried out their
respective duties seriously and in timing with punctuality.
The children were looked after with tender care at all times