TIME TO GET READY…...Finally!!
I have a video from 2009 that has become one of my favorite camp memories. It’s a time-lapse of setting up the “big table” dinner at Frontier Ranch. Let me paint the picture in case you haven’t been or don’t have time to watch the video. All the campers are in club. When they come out, there’s a surprise waiting - one giant table with hundreds of seats stretching up through camp.
During club, it’s all hands on deck. We have about an hour to line up dozens of tables, hundreds of chairs, pitchers, napkins, prep food, and more. It looks chaotic, but is well-orchestrated. A sight to behold. I think this video has resonated in this season because it feels a little like we are preparing for something big and beautiful. We’ve invested in kids this past year, and know that sometime soon (Lord willing) - be it summer camp or fall clubs - the floodgates might open. Here’s what the video is teaching me:
Focus. To get the table set, people know their role. Some are table carriers. Someone else is a chair straightener. Cooks are cooking. There are a few people directing traffic.
TAKEAWAY #1: Make sure your team is focused on key things you can do to be ready (sidenote - in our division, our four are: prayer, financial health, staff/leaders in the right seats and on-going relationships with kids).
No Changing Light Bulbs. In the midst of trying to get a big task done, there are things you aren’t doing - things that can wait. That doesn’t make them unimportant, they just aren’t part of the task at hand.
TAKEAWAY #2: Ask ourselves - what things could distract us from being able to reach lots of lost kids in the coming months?
The Timing is Loose. We’ve all run club. Sometimes an hour, as much as you rehearse, really is 55 minutes or maybe 70. At the big table dinner, you don’t know exactly when kids will show up, so you are poised and ready.
TAKEAWAY #3: Stay alert so you can be ready to start club back up, add another bus or launch a new ministry. Make sure people on your team are embedded in the world of kids so that you’ll see the clues to help you pivot and take action.
The most beautiful moment of the night was a five senses experience. First, you hear the club room doors bang open. You see the fastest little freshman from the track team pop over the hill. You can feel the pounding of a thousand feet as they find their seats.
I can’t wait for that this year. In different communities, the timing will vary. But, kids are coming over the hill. Those we’ve stayed close to during Covid will let us know when. I think countless kids are hungry for a meal of adventure, friendship, conversation and hope. May we be at our best as we set that table and stand ready to offer ourselves and our Savior to them.