In the gaming world, “noobs” is internet smack talk, meaning hapless, unskilled beginners who don’t know what they are doing or at least that is what my twelve-year-old daughter keeps telling me. It’s an alteration of “newbies,” which was what Rev. Kyle Sorensen called the Iowa camper contingent and me upon our arrival at Camp Sinawa. While I had plenty of church camp experience as a counselor and camper in a different denomination from which to boast, this was my and a camper-packed SUV’s worth of campers first experience at an RCUS camp.
It would be remiss of me not to mention briefly the trip to Manitowoc, WI. We left Immanuel Reformed Fellowship in Pella, IA, to gather the crew at Peace Reformed at Garner. Who knew that the 2.5-hour trip to Garner would be the most peaceful part of the journey? Upon picking up recently ordained and installed Rev. Matthew Dawn, I was privileged to hear for the remaining seven hours Brother Dawn’s imparting to our covenant youth his vast trivia knowledge from ancient Roman Caesars and generals to every U.S. President and what they ate for breakfast. If that was not a temptation to push the speed limit, his consecutive caveman impressions were challenging my sanctification, but I confess that Rev. Dawn made the trip up there epic. I might also mention that he brought his walking stick with him, which he evidently had named Brenda. There is a whole story, or more accurately stories, behind that cane about which he would later regale the campers around the campfire and captivate many a camper with his globetrotting adventures.
Upon arriving at Covenant Camp, we could sense immediately that the next few days were going to be one memorable moment after another. Camp Director Kayla Shillcox and her right-hand woman, Lindsey Pankratz, along with the camp committee, were exceptionally organized and welcoming. Shillcox noted, “68 campers reported in with 26 counselors/pastors, totaling 94 altogether. Of the 26 counselors, we had 12 men and 14 women. Attending churches (by their nicknames) include: Emmaus, Hamburg, Immanuel, Kansas City, Salem Ebenezer, Christ OPC in Janesville, Garner, Redeemer, Rogers, Grace URC in Waupun, and Sovereign Grace in Nebraska.”
The Covenant Cup
That Tuesday afternoon after registration the campers were sorted into eight teams for a round of Frisbee golf. My group, Team 6, would later be called the “M&M’s,” named after the campers, Emily and Emilee, among us. After observing our collective athleticism, I gathered my team, and gave my best motivational speech: “Hey, it’s okay if Frisbee golf isn’t our thing, let’s just shoot for not being in last place.” What was at stake was the coveted Covenant Cup that would be awarded to the team with the most points. By lowering the bar for Team 6, I thought maybe that reverse thinking could turn things around, and it worked, as we would eventually land in second place.
Team 7, Rev. Todd Seay’s group, took the cup. Can you believe that? How can a minister from another classis come into our house, our camp, and take the Covenant Cup? I thought of the quote attributed to former Notre Dame coach Dan Devine from the movie Rudy: “No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around.” Kudos to brother Todd, who as one camper observed bears an uncanny resemblance to Russell Crowe of Gladiator fame. The actual secret sauce behind Team 7’s victory was the camp counselor Deacon Peter Wegener. He rallied Team 7 with this singular motivation: “We take the cup, and I will shave my head.” He left the camp with the Cup and a bald head!
The Teaching
As much fun as earning points toward the Cup WAS, the real highlight came from the teaching. Rev. Dan Schnabel kicked off the camp theme of Missions with his lesson “The Motivation for Missions!” taken from Matthew 9:35-38.
Rev. Steve Carr would follow that up with “Whose Mission Is It Anyway?” Carr summarized:
This is a question more fundamental than how to do missions. The answer to the question whose mission will help us answer the how question. A glance through the Bible from the proto-gospel in Genesis 3:15, the Abrahamic covenant, the Law, the Psalms, the Prophets, to the teaching of the Lord Jesus, the Lord’s prayer, the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul, and the book of Revelation shows us that the mission of the church is first of all God’s mission. He is the one who promised deliverance to His people, sent His Son to die for them, calls them by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, reconciles them, adopts them as children, and promises them an eternal kingdom in glory. Because it is God’s mission, we must obey God and follow His methods, we can trust that He will equip us for this task, and we can trust Him for success. Hudson Taylor said, “Depend upon it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.”
Rev. Christopher Campbell addressed the question, “Who is a Missionary?” In short, he told the campers that, “Not every Christian is called to be a missionary, but every Christian has a role to play in the missionary work of the church. What is that work? To make Jesus known to the nations and to our neighbors. We make Jesus known to the nations by sending and supporting missionaries through prayer, hospitality, giving and helping. We make Jesus known to our neighbors by living a missional lifestyle telling others about Jesus and serving others like Jesus.”
Rev. Ryan Kron spoke on “The Power and Perils of Missions” from Matthew 10:16-42. He said, “We are reminded that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that we don’t need to fear what man may do to us.” He added, “We were privileged to have Pastor Rudy Rubio from the Reformed Church of L.A. join us over the phone to talk to the kids about the work of Christ in his own life and ministry. We also asked some kids and counselors to share about missions opportunities that they had experienced. This gave the kids an opportunity to interact together.”
The final presentation, “Lessons from Missionaries Around the World” was given by Rev. Matthew Dawn. He shared insights from his labors in South Korea and from the Philippines.
Toward the end of each day at camp, time was given to “Ask the Pastor Anything!” From the silly to the serious, this camper-to-pastor exchange was very meaningful as levity and the tough stuff of living out discipleship was shared. Director Shillcox remarked, “This past year of camp has been my favorite by far. I especially want to speak to how insightful all the pastors’ lectures were, and how God certainly used you all to work in our hearts the desire for continued missions after camp!”
Other Highlights
Shillcox noted, “Lindsey Pankratz headed the musical side of the camp/choir arrangement. She also organized the womens’ devotions as Rev. Muether did for guys.
Positive additions to the ‘logistics’ of this past year include a camp website. Special thanks to Crystal Carr for her fantastic work in this area and for creating the design for our t-shirts.”
Pankratz added, “It was wonderful to see people enjoying the activities they love, as well as being open to trying new things. Campers and counselors enjoyed kayaking, looking for seashells during a water scavenger hunt, creating and decorating biblical bookmarks and keepsake journals, learning new songs with which to praise God, hearing campfire tales, becoming king in four square, and many more activities in which they laughed and connected with new and old friends.”
She said that this year many firsts occurred. One of those firsts was asking the different attending church groups to prepare a game that could be played in the Covenant Cup. where teams of campers and counselors compete for the chance to win a small prize and bragging rights. “It was wonderful to see the creativity of the churches. Campers got the pleasure of making and eating gummy worm Nutella sandwiches, playing tug of war even with the pastors, chucking the infamous chicken, racing with paper plates, coming up with a funny and meaningful skit in the talent show, and getting to know and have fun with everyone on their team, as well as many more fun games!”
Rev. Campbell emceed the talent show and also had the pastors stand up in a line. Shillcox observed, “Many especially enjoyed watching the pastors being sorted out by age through the campers guessing youngest to oldest! The tone of the camp certainly was impacted by the efforts of our leaders, and our pastors did a wonderful job making that tone light-hearted and welcoming.” For the record, the campers pegged the kid, Rev. Dawn, as the youngest and I got the distinction of being the old man. Counselor Megan Gross attempted to console me, her pastor, “It’s okay, Chuck, to be the old guy. Look at it this way, the Iowa pastors bookended the line-up.” I told her that was comforting.
The Talent Show
On Thursday night, the highlight of highlights kicked off with an amazing musical rendition of Psalm 90, “From Everlasting.” Under the direction of Pankratz, pastors, counselors, and campers made a joyful noise that resonated throughout the lodge. It was a compelling moment to have Scripture sung with such precision, beauty, and joy. The song harmonized well the theme and spirit of camp: “O God, before the mountains were brought forth, or days of spring and summer filled the earth, from everlasting you are God. We dwell beneath the stars in ancient skies, a thousand years are nothing in your sight, from everlasting you are God. And all our days are held within your hands, your perfect love and favor have no end, we rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting God….”
The skits ranged from the silly to the serious, with solo presentations in between that showcased talent, wit, and the outrageous. One skit, “To Tell the Truth,” based on the vintage game show and directed by camp veteran-turned-counselor, Grace Bruin, had the audience guessing who the real missionary was among several seeming “missionary impostor contestants,” who appeared not to have the expected skillset or education for outreach. As it turned out, every participant was a missionary, demonstrating the point that all believers, regardless of ability, are called to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of Christ. This dovetailed superbly with the missionary theme of camp.
Rev. James Grossmann, pastor of the Salem Ebenezer Reformed Church, the host church that oversees Covenant Camp, wore many hats. He was the resident EMT, and he masterfully tended to my daughter’s toe injury. He also led the daily morning roundup of counselors and staff. All the hours spent by the camp committee, the host church, and Camp director Shillcox in the organizing of the lessons, crafts, water activities, games, and the continual fellowship were evident to this newbie. No one warned me that in the subsequent weeks I would have to hear one camp story after another from my kid.
I would say Lindsay Pankratz summed it up well: “Christ was present in the ways people shared stories with each other, lent helping hands without being asked, prayed for one another, and shared their love with brothers and sisters.” Is there a better outcome from camp than that?
The trip home did not yield the same drama as the trip up to Manitowoc, as Brother Dawn pulled an all-nighter with the senior campers, leaving me to drive home in blissful silence as he snored the miles away. It was a wonderful week.
Rev. Chuck Muether
Reformed Herald Special Correspondent
Pella, IA