Church Camp for Labor Day Weekend Gives Welcome Pause

Andrew Fulk, for the Herald & Review

Camp Emmanuel near Astoria offers respite for families over Labor Day weekend and for other campers throughout the summer.

Summer and fall keep us busy in different ways. After enjoying family vacations, picnics, baseball and more, we must settle into a different rhythm of school, harvest, football and the ever-approaching holiday shopping season. Camp Emmanuel near Astoria, a Church of the Brethren facility my husband Andy began enjoying with his parents and siblings at age 9, has provided our family a wonderful respite from that busyness for more than a quarter-century now.

I’m talking specifically about Family Camp, a semistructured 2½ days that happen there every Labor Day weekend.

Even if I’m stressed and tense when I arrive Friday evening, the beautiful setting and warm fellowship work their magic before Saturday is done. It's a special time of reflection and relaxation.

This year was no exception, even though it was our turn to lead the camp as deans, with the help of many others.

The weather was perfect, sunny with highs in the 70s or low 80s. The lake was clean, free of lily pads and algae. The people were just as faithful to the camp and its routines as we are, with many representing the second or third generation of the same family to attend.

Some of the best traditions are the talent show, which gives us a chance to be silly, and the campfires, which give us a chance to share and sing familiar hymns and other songs.

Another of my favorites is the Bible study/discussion that happens in the pavilion behind the main building. We call it the forum.

This year’s leader was the Rev. Matthew Thiner, pastor of Astoria Christian Church, and he did a wonderful job facilitating a conversation about the first chapter of Genesis, leading us to think about each verse more deeply than we had for a while.

Not surprisingly, we spent a fair amount of time talking about how God rested on the seventh day from his labors of creating Heaven and Earth. Too often we don’t allow enough quiet spaces in our lives to simply think, pray and be with God.

Mike Gilbert, a young father who is the primary caregiver for his mother, drew an intriguing comparison between the busyness we find so hard to set aside and the grievances we hang onto, not wanting to forgive. He urged us to let go of both as “burdens on our souls.”

How right he was and what a good example he provides to explain why I love Camp Emmanuel so much.

I'm thankful it's a part of my family and a part of my year.

tchurchill@herald-review.com | (217) 421-7978