How a Director Gets Staff for Summer Camp

The most challenging task of a summer camp director is in assembling the staff for the week. So, as a camp director, let me tell you how Nancy and I assemble our staff.

First and foremost is prayer. We pray for divine direction and intervention because we know that the camp belongs to God. Souls are at stake, and we want to get out of the way and let God be the Great I AM that He is and have complete control. Only He knows who the people are that need to be there for the camp program in order to minister to the needs of the children that He brings to the camp. So, as we pray continually, God works in several ways to bring us and staffers together.

Some examples of His ways are: 1.) He gave us previous year staffers, 2.) He prompts committed people to call us, 3.) He sends us folks who are recommended by pastors, 4.) He brings names to our mind that we inquire about and pray over, 5.) current and former staff provide recommendations, 6.) folks approach us at state sponsored church events and 7.) there are many other mysterious ways too numerous to list on how God provides.

Before calling anyone, we first pray about the staff members from the previous year. Every year, a persons circumstances will be different. They may have gone to work for a new company and can't get off because of schedule deadlines, they may not have accumulated enough vacation hours, or maybe a relative is sick and they have to attend to them. Or they might say, "yes" right away. We have had folks say "yes", and their circumstances change to where they couldn't serve. Others who said "no" before, may call us back and say "yes". Whatever a persons circumstances, its important for the director to be wise in the staffing process for the sake of spiritual unity.

Unity of Spirit among the staffers is imperative for the success of the camp. Each person should be more apt to follow than to lead, and to listen to God's whisper more than to be quick to speak their mind. The mark of a good leader is one who can be led, be honest, be meek, be humble, be kind and gentle, and above all be able to love the unlovable. Unity of Spirit occurs when there is no murmering among staff about other staff or campers, and everyone is marching to the same drum and following the same mission laid out by the director at the beginning of the camp week. As a strong "imperative", Unity of Spirit among staffers could be a fabulous sermon, but the point is that souls need God and "unity of spirit" will keep man aside and let God abide.

Sometimes God will bring a name to mind for a specific staff position and we'll get approval and call them on the phone. When this happens, the person on occasion has already been praying and thinking about working in camp, and God may have already placed our week of camp on their mind. Other times, a person may have been praying that God use them to minister in some capacity somewhere, somehow, and then they receive a call from us as an answer to their prayer. Others are led by the Holy Ghost and call us.

As long as there's prayer and trust in God, there's going to be a miracle. For example, before the 2005 camping season, Nancy decided to change the class logistics and have the campers attend a different class each day with a different teacher rather than have a teacher study for 5 separate lessons and teach the same group of campers each day. Weeks later, the name Mark Benning comes to mind. Now, we haven't seen, heard from, thought of, nor even prayed for Mark in over 5 years prior to this moment when his name came to mind. When I called Mark, and inquired about him serving as a cabin leader, he told me he had been disillusioned about working in camps but God had given him a dream while sleeping, two weeks prior, where Mark was standing before a different group of kids each day delivering a specific message that God had given him. Mark was confused about what the dream was all about. He had no intention of ever working in a camp again, but left it in God's hands. A chill went up my spine as I explained to Mark that Nancy was going to try, for he first time, a logistics change with the campers' changing classes. We both knew in that instant that Mark would also serve as a class teacher as well as a cabin leader, thereby bringing to pass God's intent on having Mark at Camp Boothe that year. Mark stated that his experience working in camp that year was the best ever!

Prior to the 2006 season, Mark was party to another miracle from God concerning camp. Nancy and I were having difficulty finding an evangelist, so we decided to ask some of our confirmed staff (who were also church pastors) to preach one specific night of the camp week. Well, the camp week started, and in the middle of the week one of pastors reported that a member of their church had passed away and therefore could not preach at the camp. After praying about what to do, I asked pastor Mark about preaching a second time. Mark explained to me that while praying and studying for the sermon prior to the camp week, the Lord had given him not just one message, but two. At the time, Mark had no idea what the Lord had in store. But once again, God provided the camp with the right message for the right group of campers at just the right time.

So, here is a list to give you a general idea of what a director thinks about when considering individuals for a staff position: 1.) faithful in attendance to local church, 2.) candidate may hold an appointed position in local church which requires some level of leadership responsibility, 3.) has a strong propensity to follow camp policy, 4.) respects leaders and their position and acts accordingly, 5.) demonstrates a unity of spirit and always speaks kind and positive words in conversation, 6.) apt to pray with others, 7.) ready, able, and proactive toward leading another person to Christ, and 8.) demonstrates a positive attitude and exemplifies the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Whether it be early in the staff gathering process or in the middle, there's a state mandated requirement for every potential staff person to be authorized by the state office before they can serve. Therefore, the Staff Application is an "application" and not a guarantee; and everyone must fill out a new application every year, early, before the camping season.

Because of the very stringent requirements for assembling a camp staff, it would be very easy for someone to allow themselves to believe that staff are assembled in a "clickish" manner. This is obviously a lie/deception from the devil. Much prayer, fasting, and seeking for God's direction takes place in assembling a staff. Every application is evaluated fairly and with equal consideration of Godly intent and care. Therefore, everyone who applies may not get to serve.

We truly believe in the providential miracles of God in everything including the process of assembling a staff for summer camp. And God never fails to provide. Whether it be in assembling staff, developing activities, setting up for the week, operating the camp, or cleaning up afterward, there are miracles that occur every year in relation to summer camp. That's why I keep going back. God always makes Himself known in a real and undeniable way! And it always comes to pass by the hand of God with a committed, dedicated, and responsive staff whose desire is to point the way to Jesus Christ for the Glory of God!

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2006 Senior Camp DVD's

For only $15 you can still get your very own copy of the sights and sounds of Senior Camp 2006. To order, send your check or money order payble to "The Church of God of Prophecy", c/o Jeffrey & Nancy Lawson, 4907 Fallbrook Circle, Huntsville, AL 35811. No charge for shipping, and all proceeds benefit the upcoming Senior Camp 2007. Thanks.

New Pavement in 2006!

Do you see all that gravel in the photo? Well, the next time you visit the camp, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see pavement there instead. That's right, lots of new pavement has been added to the driveways around the facility.

The new pavement starts behind the cafeteria where the other stopped and covers the drive toward the chapel where it meets the sidewalk and turns up the hill behind the staff house. It continues to the top of the hill and covers the entire area in front of the pool, staff house, snack shack, and the front of the nurse station building. The pavement also covers the drive down to the first girls cabin where it meets the sidewalk there.

It really makes a huge difference in the look and feel of the facility. It's incredibly nice.

We give thanks and praise to the Lord for making a way for this facility upgrade to take place. A big "Thank You" to the contributors, and a big thanks to the state leadership for their vision.