sermon excerpts: "The Great Congregation" (Revelation 7: 9-17)

One of the first things that I found myself involved in when I arrived was the work of Lambton United Church Centre. I have great appreciation and respect for the work of camping ministry. It would be safe to say that I would not be in ministry were it not for the formative experiences I had at Camp Bimini outside of Stratford and Camp Menesetung north of Goderich.

A study that was presented to a London Conference Annual General Meeting cited an overwhelming majority (at least 80%) of leaders in the church today spent significant time at a camp. I am convinced that church camps are essential to the survival of the church. In fact there are many lessons that we as congregations could learn from the rustic and simple activities.

Like the saints that were gathered before the throne of God in the vision of the Revelation, the children that go to camp are diverse. We cannot assume that they go to the same school, that they have two parents, that they even go to church or know who God or Jesus is. For many, this is the introductory, and perhaps only, exposure to the message of God’s love.

Camps create community, they work hard at establishing relationships keeping safety and security at the forefront. Churches assume that community is already there, taking for granted that everyone already feels safe and secure when they arrive. That isn’t necessarily the case.

Camps take time to explain things, while there are traditions and stories, songs and games, they don’t assume that everyone knows these things and make an effort to share. Congregations are less forgiving in this regard. We don’t always make the effort to explain or teach what comes naturally to us. When someone new comes to church, there is always a few weeks’ or months’ of gradually learning how things are. If we’re lucky enough to have them coming back that long.

Within the camp community, everyone is assumed to be equal upon arrival. Gathering together for the first time, no one has any idea of another’s history or reputation back home. It can be like a fresh start for making friends.

The great commandment as written down in the gospel of John is at the heart of how we treat one another at camp. The kids, in their cabins, in their activity sessions, discover that they must love one another as God loves them. To experience such a community of acceptance and care can be a religious experience for them.

They are thrown together for hours on end, day after day, and all the conflicts and disagreements are accelerated. Yet within this dynamic is also the opportunity to address these conflicts and make amends. We all learn the valuable lessons about forgiveness, seeking solutions and working together. We can spend years in a church congregation with disputes and conflicts simmering below the surface, poisoning the atmosphere. Not so in a camp cabin, everything is out in the open.

Returning to the passage from Revelation where the suffering of the saints is ultimately rewarded, it bears mentioning that staff of our camps. It is a special kind of person who wants to work at camp. They sacrifice a lot, their social lives, their paycheques. Mind you, each of them would list how blessed they are to make friendships that will last a lifetime, to be paid to play with kids, and to make a difference in a child’s life.

Just down the road from us, Lambton United Church Centre marks its 46th anniversary. In 1961, Lambton Presbytery purchased the former Johnson Bros. Fruit Farm with the intent of establishing a camp "to promote Christian Education and fellowship utilizing the natural features of the property to portray the creative hand of God." It has done this through its summer camp program, facilities as a year round retreat centre, and a family campground. At its best, Lambton Centre is used by all people for spiritual, physical, and emotional growth; for leisure and recreation; and for a total living experience. At its worst, it’s southern Ontario’s best kept camping secret.

Camping Sunday is a reminder and a call to remember the wider creation from which the church was born and to which the church must serve. This Sunday and it’s mission is a message to simplify our lives, appreciate nature and the miracle of hundreds of children coming together to form communities of care and concern that rival the most committed and successful church congregations.

Before the throne of God, the praise and witness of the saints, sing to the wonder and majesty of a child’s faith coming into focus at camp, of the sacrifice of counsellors and program staff to give up their summer and their income, and the simplicity of command to love one another. As churches, as camps, as communities, God’s work is done in many different ways. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen.