Why Camp Matters The Impact of Camp Ministry in a Gen Z Context By Hope Trimble '20
As I walked through the Ranch and Ridge camp property, the noonday summer air seemed to be holding its breath for campers to finish their lunch and head outside for afternoon games and events. The rays of the sun glinted against a metallic waterslide on my right and streamed onto cabin porches strewn with drying beach towels on my left. The silence didn’t last long. By the time I reached the soccer field and circled back toward the main campus, the faint rustle of the breeze in the trees had erupted into peals of laughter as campers charged down the path from the dining hall to their outdoor activities. Groups of elementary and middle school kids proudly raised their team flags, following their counselors toward the archery range and the climbing tower. This kind of scene has been the hallmark of Word of Life Youth Camps for years. However, in an age marked by digital dependence and interper- sonal division, the image of kids having a blast and building friendships at camp has become that much more meaningful. I find myself thinking about my afternoon walk at the Ranch and Ridge several weeks later as I dial the phone number of Kyle Gray. Kyle is the Director of The Coast, the summer youth camp at Word of Life Florida. He and the rest of the staff at The Coast have just wrapped up a season of fruitful summer ministry, and I can’t wait to hear him speak from his expe- rience working with Generation Z campers. Kyle picks up the phone with an energetic, “Hey, how are you?” and we jump right into talking about the summer season. His tone strikes me as both energetic and approachable. I can imagine him bringing hype and energy to the evening youth rally just as much as I can picture him leading the call to commitment at the campfire service. I am interested to hear about Kyle’s long and varied experience with Word of Life Youth Camps. Since getting involved in camp ministry in 1999, he has had the opportunity to serve at every Word of Life Camp in the US. “It has been amazing to watch and see Word of Life Camps through different stages,” he reflects. “As I’ve watched camp happen across states and across different generations, I’ve seen the heartbeat and mission continue
to stay true. Camps adapt program- wise, but they stay focused mission- wise.” I think about that word “adapt” and how it relates to the changing climate of youth ministry. Generation Z (commonly referred to as "Gen Z") has grown up in a culture facing unique and unprecedented challenges. Amid these difficulties, Gen Z has developed a disbelief in objective truth and an alarming rise in mental health issues. The mission of Word of Life has always been to reach the next generation for Jesus Christ. It is critical, therefore, that our ministry approach strategi- cally confronts Gen Z students with the hope of the gospel. The question burning in my brain spills into our discussion: “Kyle, what do Word of Life Camps have to offer the struggling young people of our world?” Pausing to consider his answer, he responds first by explaining that camp gives young people the opportunity to separate from the difficulties and distractions of daily life. “The opportu- nity to step out of their circumstances is huge… One of my favorite things is to see campers come who are rough, who are hard, who are even rigid toward the gospel, and to know that the gospel is going to minister to their hurts and minister to their hopes.”
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The Experience
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