Pilgrimage Ponderings
Home From Church Camp
We picked up two of our children from church camp yesterday. This is the third or fourth or fifth time they've been. I don't remember exactly. There have been some leadership changes over the past year or so, and I wanted to know if they could tell that anything had changed.
I asked them how this year compared to previous years. My youngest son said that he could tell things were different but he couldn't explain how. My middle son had an interesting response. He noticed the new rowboats and canoes and the new wood ties outlining the trails and the area around the pool. He said that it is obvious that they are spending money on the camp.
From what I saw, things were neat and tidy, but I didn't notice a whole lot different when we were dropping them off and picking them up. But from his teenage perspective, it seemed that people cared about the camp because there was some new equipment.
Next year there will be new cabins. I suppose there are some folks who wonder why they would go to the trouble to tear down perfectly serviceable cabins that worked just fine for them when they attended the camp (I would never have stayed in them!). I wonder what sort of new feeling there will be for next year's campers.
And I can't help thinking about how sometimes I want to keep things just as they are because I am comfortable with the familiarity, even if it means turning my back on a change for the better. I got a "new" laptop this week (which means it is newer than the one I had). It has more memory than the one I had, which ultimately will be a good thing. But it's not just like my old one. I had to be grouchy about that for a day, especially when it was being uncooperative about certain things.
I wonder how often we try to keep things just the way we are used to them being at church. If someone moved away from your community of faith tomorrow and came back a few years from now, would anything be different? There are times when I think that answering that question "no" is a good thing. And then I think about my son's perspective on church camp. He has enjoyed going for years and is looking forward to going back next year. But he could tell a difference this year, and in his mind, it seemed like somebody somewhere cares more about the camp than they used to.
Does our resistance to change at church make it seem like we care less than we actually do?
Brad: On my blog...thereverendsgray.blogspot.com (08/03/08)
Brad: Great minds think alike...see Changes (08/03/08)