Bishop Ward celebrates Camping Ministries and camps Chestnut Ridge, Rockfish, and Don Lee as she shares her and her family’s experiences through these vital ministries.
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
It’s June, a wonderful time to celebrate camping and outdoor ministries in the North Carolina Annual Conference. We celebrate three wonderful spaces – Camp Don Lee, Camp Chestnut Ridge, and Camp Rockfish. Each of these places with a unique character and unique offerings for children, for young people, and for adults.My own life was profoundly shaped by experiences at our United Methodist Camps. At Camp Chestnut Ridge in the third grade, I jumped into the newly-created swimming pool. I experienced for the first time going underwater completely and coming back up, and I also learned to swim all the way across the swimming pool.
Mike and I carried our own children to Camp Don Lee. There, they enjoyed early elementary camp, middle school camp, and later, sailing camp. We journeyed with youth groups in our churches to Camp Rockfish and enjoyed the canoes. We journeyed to Chestnut Ridge and enjoyed the beauty of that place and we journeyed to Camp Don Lee and worshipped on the glorious waterfront.
You share with me these sorts of ministries. You share the thanksgiving that we all feel for this ministry which continues.
Now is a good time to give a gift to Camping and Outdoor Ministries. Thank you for your generosity, your prayers, and your support of these ministries as summer unfolds and many are blessed.