In mid-March, Camp Lebanon year-round staff and some of the already-hired 2023 Summer Staff met up at a coffee shop (Corner Coffee Northeast!) in Minneapolis to get hyped for summer, play games, eat snacks, and drink some coffee! It was a great couple hours of connection and fun, and so encouraging to be reminded that SUMMER IS COMING! ☀️
CAMPmittment Day was created with the goal of “giving [[the]] summer staff a fun opportunity to hang out and get to know each other,” says Shane Hollenbeck, Camp Lebanon’s Director of Ministry. “I think they don’t know how much they have in common, and then they get to come here and really enjoy each other!” It was a great opportunity to break the ice and form some early bonds as a team, all while looking ahead to when the whole staff team of 40+ young people will be together at the start of the summer season!
“A lot of our summer staff don’t know each other yet, so we are kind of creating a space for them to come and hang out and find who their peers are [[…]] that are going to do the same mission this summer,” Shane adds, looking around the room at the staff playing games and laughing together.
Several of the summer staff who attended CAMPmittment Day agreed that it was a great chance to get to know and to reconnect with staff members they had never met or had already known from previous summers. Joshua, who will be Night Watch this summer, said, “I’m very much looking forward to being around all the awesome people.” And Lizzy, a returning staff member from last summer, back this year as a lifeguard, agreed: “I’m excited to reconnect with all the people I met last year.”
Shelby, who will be a counselor this summer, summed up her own excitement about Summer 2023 by saying that she can’t wait “to pour into kids and get to know them better and lead them spiritually” and “also just to be pushed in my own faith and to make new friends as I’m doing it.” That is part of the joy of being part of the Summer Staff team at Camp. Serving together, learning from each other, and growing closer to Jesus at the same time creates lasting bonds and forever friendships.
If you or someone you know would be a great fit for Camp Lebanon’s summer team, don’t hesitate to reach out! Camp has some spots open in both Senior and Junior Staff positions, as well as in our D3 Program (a discipleship program for ages 14+). It’s not too late to learn more and take part in an unforgettable summer!
