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Looking Ahead In Christian Ed edited by Margaret Jacobsen, M .A . Pioneer Girls (P a r t three : Camping with a Spiritual Emphasis)
by V irg in ia M . Anderson
Christ lived in the life of a counselor throughout the day— on the athletic field, at the water front or on a hike. Thus a life illustrates a teaching. Another feature of Camp Cherith is the strong emphasis placed on the in individual girl with a ratio of one counselor to six girls. Each counselor is responsible for their physical well being, the social adjustment and the spiritual development of each of her six girls. Jean is an example of a girl who needed individual attention. She first came to camp as a tall, boisterous eighth-grader. Noisy and rough on the outside, inside Jean lacked secur ity. She was a state ward and had never known the loving care of par ents. At camp she learned of the love of Christ for her and she received Him as her Saviour. Camp became a “ home” to Jean as she returned each year, expenses paid by her church, and she evidenced spiritual growth. She passed the counselor-in training course and became a junior counselor. This past fall Jean entered nurse’s training, poised and confident in the Lord. At camp there is opportunity for individual interests and talents to be developed as each girl may choose from a wide variety of activities. These include crafts, photography, archery, swimming, boating, nature, woodcraft and music. The aim is for each girl to go home with a definite sense of achievement. This may take the form of a swimming certificate, a nature badge, or a completed craft article. Understanding the Camper Recognizing that campers repre sent a variety of personalities and home backgrounds, the counselor seeks to understand each girl’s needs
and problems in order to bring her into a vital relationship to the Lord. For example, when Grace announced smugly on opening day that no one was to handle her toys, the counselor realized that Grace was from a wealthy home where she had been spoiled with material gifts but starved for affection. With wise and loving treatment, Grace grew remarkably in the Lord and was soon willing to share with cabin-mates. Because the counselor is the one who knows the individuals in her own cabin-group best, she teaches them in Bible exploration. A small group makes it possible for each in dividual to participate in the study and discussion. One girl testified, “ In my two weeks at Camp Cherith I have learned more about God and the Bible, than all my years at Sunday school have taught me.” At camp girls established the habit of private devotions each morning. A girl who was saved during morn ing watch said: “ There you are with your Bible and the Lord and no one else to talk to. You just try spending ten minutes sitting there . . . you can’t do it!” In order to realize the aims of its unique program, Pioneer Girls is de veloping its own camp materials. These include a Bible exploration se ries, songbook s, morning watch guides, counselor manuals and coun- selor-in-training course. Pioneer Girls has begun to see long- range results of its camping program as former campers have grown up and gone into various forms of Chris tian service. If Camp Cherith con tinues to grow as it has in the past, only God knows the untold numbers of girls whose lives will be thus claimed for Christ. END.
T hirteen years ago the first Pio neer Girls camp was conducted in Illinois with 31 girls present for a three-day program. Last sum mer 1,688 girls were reached at 11 camps in the United States, Hawaii and Canada. One of the outstanding features of these camps (all called Camp Cher- ith ) is the way that the secular and spiritual axe integrated. Camp Cher- ith is the ideal place to carry out the Pioneer Girl philosophy of “ Christ in every phase of a girl’s life.” Each activity of the day is Christ-centered. Sports develop coordination in bodies which are temples of the Holy Spirit. Nature acquaints girls with the won ders of God’s creation. A young camp er expressed the idea of relating Christ to every activity when she rushed up to her counselor, exclaim ing, “ I passed my swimming test! You want to know how? I asked God to help me . . . and He did.” Bible exploration is another excit ing activity, and evening campfires are perhaps the highlight of the day as hearts are drawn Godward through song and message. Living the Life There are no special Bible teachers at Camp Cherith. Each counselor teaches God’s Word. A camper sees
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