This is a letter wrote by our summer 2013 Program Director, Meredith.  This will be Meredith’s 3rd year on staff and 8th year at Camp Aldersgate.  She has a great story she wanted to share with the parents of our current campers.  Below is a letter we will be mailing to the families of all of our currently registered campers.  But, I thought it was worth sharing with everyone.  – Eric

Meredith (right) and Rachel, hanging out outside of camp doing the best friend thing.

Every week campers ask this question, “Why is it so much easier to be a Christian at camp than at home?” to which I reply “you are surrounded by it here, we start our day and end our day with God and fill it with Him in between. You know you are safe in your faith here and that everyone is just about on the same page.” These same campers talk about the “fallback” problem. They feel so close to God here at camp and they make resolutions in their relationship with Him and then they go home Friday and the distractions of friends, sports, school, and everything else start to pull them away.

A week at camp is an intense and powerful time, so much happens to make each camper grow inside. They learn so much about themselves and God, so many things that could help them through school and the issues that arise but so often the “fallback” happens quickly and strongly.

I fell victim to this myself for many summers as a camper but then by chance I found a solution to this problem- I came to camp with a friend. Camp had always been a place where I felt understood and grew in my relationship with Christ but the year I came with my friend Rachel changed my life. I thought that it would maybe hinder my experience because I would have to act a certain way with her, not just be the totally carefree and open person I had been at camp before, but that was not true. I was still able to be that person, I just had a friend there who really understood my life at home; the things I had been through and the things I would face going back. Having her there beside me enhanced my experience more than I ever imagined.

The best part was that it elongated the experience. Finally the resolutions and promises I made to God at camp were real at home. I had Rachel there to remind me of what I had learned and to walk beside me in living my life for Christ. We were able to continue to grow in our relationship with God outside the cabins of Camp Aldersgate. This week of camp was 5 years ago, now Rachel and I are getting ready to start our second year of being on staff together and we are still each others ‘accountabilibuddies”. Bringing a friend to camp not only enhanced my camp experience but it turned a middle school friendship into a friendship that will last a lifetime.

I wanted to share this with you to encourage you to encourage your camper to invite a friend to come to camp with them; someone who will help them bring camp home. If you decide to do this it will not only enhance their camp experience but it will enhance their life at home. We believe this so heartily and want to really encourage you to do this that through bringing a friend to camp your camper will be eligible to win a FREE WEEK OF CAMP and a Wii U. Yes, that’s true, so please contact me through email me or by phone at 330-627-4369 for any more information or if you want them to BRING A FRIEND TO CAMP!

Sincerely,

Meredith Glover,

Program Director