Every year in the run-up to camp, I get so frustratingly busy that I end up thinking of all the reasons in the world why our church shouldn’t go next year. It’s expensive, it’s messy to organize, not every child can attend, and it’s annoying to chase down parents. Yet each year, as I pull into the crowded parking lot of the campground, I begin to realize that all the hard work is worth it.

I’m reminded of the many years I spent attending camp as a child and the spiritual formation that took place in my life during those times. I’m also reminded how special and unique camp is from any other church experience a child will have.

When parents are skeptical about sending their kids to camp, I remind them of this uniqueness and explain these four elements that I believe make camp so special:

1. Kids get away from their distractions.

   In our culture, kids are surrounded by things that shield them from God—game consoles, mobile phones, tablets, television, and Netflix. These are just a few of the things that distract kids from experiencing God. Camp is such a special place because it pushes kids from their comfort zone and into a position to hear from God.

    

2. Kids get to see the bigger picture.

   I grew up in a small church where our kids’ church generally consisted of 4 to 5 kids. I used to enjoy going to camp as a kid because I got to see just how large the body of Christ was! I enjoy taking our kids to camp in Illinois because they get to worship and learn with 1000 other Christian kids! There is nothing quite as encouraging and faith-inspiring as seeing the vastness of the Church firsthand.

    

3. Kids get to spend time in God’s presence.

   I often get discouraged on Sunday mornings when I’m unsure if kids are getting to experience God’s presence in a tangible way. Time constraints, disruptive kids, and video-led worship can often be barriers to experiencing God’s presence. In the camp environment, with so much expectancy and so many kids going after God in worship, it can often be hard not to experience God’s presence!

    

4. Kids get to experience church done by someone else in a different way.

I didn’t always see this as a good thing. I think naturally we want to be in control and we want things to be done our way. However, different kids learn in different ways and excel under different teaching styles and teachers. It’s highly likely that the camp speaker will do things completely different than I would and possibly use a method I’m not fond of, but often that is what helps my kids experience God in new ways at camp. I just have to humble myself to recognize that.

Camp—it’s worth all the effort we put into it for the purpose of providing a special opportunity for our kids to connect with God in a new way. When we get to be a part of our kids’ camp experience, we are brought closer to them with a potentially deeper connection, which allows us to influence their spiritual development.