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Shrine mont camps 2023

Bloggin' on the mountain

Camp is Closed for the Summer!

8/7/2023

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It all just seemed to go by in a blink of an eye, didn't it? I feel like it was just yesterday I was writing the first ever blog post introducing all the staff, just last night I was posting about the first evening of the summer with St. George's Session 1. So much has happened this summer. Hundreds of campers came through and had their lives changed as love was showered upon them by all who work to bring them an amazing summer. From the Program Lead coordinating all camp Kingball to Cabin Counselors creating their cabin count off to Chaplains planning for what reading or Bible passage to focus on for worship or for Chaplain's time, so much love and energy was pushed into every second of camp.

Most everyone has left the mountain as of today, August 7th 2023, leaving only ~ 7 of us in Vienna to clean up the last of camp and prepare for next year. Last night to take a load off before digging deep into cleaning today, we shared with one another stories and feedback we have received from parents and kids who have left the mountain. James shared with us about a few parent emails he received who thanked him from the bottom of their hearts, about their campers who went home and experienced Missing Camp for the first time, as I like to call it; that moment when they're happy to be home, but wishing they were also back on the mountain. How they are already wishing they could come back, already asking to go next year, already preparing their packing lists for when the time comess. 

Missing Camp is not quite like Missing Home - which happens to all of us here on the mountain at least once or twice - where we are yearning for our own beds, a less extreme wake-up time, our families. But Missing Camp is a feeling we all experience when we go home, letting our bodies hit our bedroom pillows in relief but then finding the inexplicably hollow point in our chests that we won't be singing the Goodnight song together before we go to sleep, that we won't be having feeling checks with our cabins and we won't be playing any evening games or participating in any electives tomorrow. That we won't see our cabin mates, our friends, our counselors, tomorrow or even the day after. It doesn't help to know that next year won't be the same; there will be different people on the mountain, different cabin counselors, different leadership, maybe even different camp structures. Camp as we know it is over.

But there's a beauty in that. That makes the memories made all the more precious, something to share when we return next June. Memories of what we loved and what went well to influence how we want camp to be this year, guided by our hearts to create new memories. Yes, camp is over, no, we'll never have the exact same moments like it again... but there is one thing that will always stay the same, and that is the sense of belonging. That everyone has a place here, regardless of where we are coming from because we all want to get to the same place, a place of unity, a place of total commitment to community.
It's nice to reflect on the summer, though I find that many times my reflection turns into yearning turns into Missing Camp, so I'll only go a little further. I remember earlier this year when I was just starting to write the blog that a camper asked me what the blog is for. "Why bother with that when there's like, Instagram and stuff?" they'd said specifically. I remember because it had gotten me thinking; what is my purpose with the blog? What am I accomplishing that's different than the awesome hard workers on the Shrine Mont Camp social media?

And I finally decided what does make it different is that ultimately, the social media people are trying to keep their own voices hidden in their posts. They are posting about the organic camp experience and showing people what is going on at camp, but not from their specific perspective.

So I think what makes the blog so special, what I tried to capture and cultivate this summer, was using my voice with intention. Showing you my perspective, my experience, to be a voice for the campers and their camp experience. I was a camper since I was 8 years old, and as soon as I was old enough (and actually a little before then, too) I jumped at the chance to work make the magic of my childhood a reality for other kids. I intimately remember being a camper, how chaotic and insane and fun and whole I felt while there, and watching those same feelings bloom in the campers' hearts while they are with us.

I hope it was effective. I hope that came across, that in reading this you felt a bit like a camper, seeing everything they were doing, what they were feeling, to capture what camp really means.

So until next time, dear reader. As we say at camp, this is not goodbye, but see you later. Our circle is only getting bigger.
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Stories of Camp!

8/4/2023

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Shrine Mont Camp is an inspiring place for all of us, not just our campers or even those who visit the mountain for a day. There's just something so special about camp that transcends just the programming experience that touches us all throughout our lives. Some of us choose to express ourselves and our stories in creative ways, such as poems, short stories, sermans, even running lists and pictures. I wanted to share with you those stories I heard from those who have been touched by this place.

Holy Me - Finn
an awesome camper who performed at St. George's Session IV Talent Show
I plant my feet in the newly dewed grasses of the land,
Head held high,
Bubbly blue eyes shaped from the harsh rays,
Bandana wrapped against my poorly bleached and dyed hot fuchsia strands.

I am like the insect reflected off of my glass enclosure,
Yet, as the cork is popped, light bleeds into my world,
And I am given possibility.
I am given breath.
I am given bright-eyed interaction.
I am given comfort,
And I am given peace.

Shrine Mont is a home away from home,
A door locked from frigid and scary,
Yet a house without walls.
An endless, boundless sight,
Yet must work for my please.

I love getting spies.
Sun-soaked bodies, sweat-streaks chins,
Rusted limbs protesting against my thudding heart,
Cheeks flushed like two newly ripened pomegranates.
Hills.
Rocks shifting underfoot, wobbly posture, uphill, downhill,
80 feet, blistering paths, exhausting.
Trodding to destination to point of due
Three Points, Upper Ballfield, Hotel.

But isn't the point of reality to love despite the flaw?
To not love all, including the hardship? 
To live in a world with poverty, oppression, and discrimination,
And yet for I have searched for the hope never lost.
To glimpse that everlasting hope,
That all will be better when the world matures and grows?
Can I hope for a better tomorrow?

I am the boyish mind in a feminine figure,
I am an experience.
I am wrong, abnormal, and disgrace,
I whisper subconsciously into the cracks of my mushy and weathered mind,
Yet, am I?
Is that not what society has preached for decades?
Is that not what others believe?
Is that not what I believe?

Perhaps instead of the ghost's time capsule
We consider that we have broken the mold, the stiff,
The concrete barriers society forged,
And express ourselves regardless of what others call "the norm."
Can we not explore the self beyond other children?
Beyond youth, beyond opinions?
Can I not just be?

When I wear my pride,
My white, pink, and blue,
My love, my life, my breath,
I feel invincible.
Here, this mountain, this sacred and holy location,
I feel invincible.
Even if I do not believe in Him, in God, in divinities above and alike,
I still feel warmth in my chest,
A sense of community, not independent or obligated.

I feel strangely whole.
I feel like a version of myself I can be proud of.
I feel, I laugh, I love, I live, I experience in Shrine Mont,
And I hope others can connect and find a place such as I have,
That make them feel as strong as steel,
As open as a bird and free in flight,
And as hopeful as you would for a sunny day as we stride to the pool.
I hope others can find that place and thrive fully,
I hope, I hope, I hope,
And I truly believe, if you'd let me.

I want to go back to summer camp - by John Henry
assistant director of camper care

I want to go back to summer camp
Where there are ten cabins perched on a mountain
Panting, I’d arrive out of breath
Climbing that hill felt like death some days
But it was okay because it was my way out
Out of this world and into the next
I must’ve died of a broken neck
Because I’m pretty sure the sky isn’t supposed to be at my feet
Because I don’t feel that rope around my neck any more
Somebody took the poor boy out of his misery
Scratched out his history
And placed him here
Because I didn’t think about the past up there
Just how long my time would last up there
The last time I was up there, I sobbed for the first time in my life
I said goodbye to a lot up there
I want to go back to summer camp
Because one day my life fell apart
And it felt like the world was feasting on my heart
I’ve never eaten dinner out of a silver spoon
But that year
I cried tears my father’s death could shake from me
I survived on breaking breaths into small enough pieces that I could stomach them
Breaking bread every Sunday with pent up frustration
There’s no good explanation for not wanting to get out of bed
Seeing the candle in the dark cavern that is your chest
Not being able to best tiny puffs of stolen air
Use torn out hair to try and light the wick again
That summer saved my life
I turned strife into a
Song to sing
And the song started in the hum of truck tailpipes
And the drum of trunks hitting pavilion pavement
Every morning we would peel ourselves away from plastic mattress plastered in sweat
Feel ourselves awake and jump off top bunks with drops thunks
To the soundtrack of Blink-182 coming out of Johnny’s stereo
Every night we’d have feeling check
Crawl down onto the wooden deck and sit in a circle
We’d then let adolescent truths slip through the air across candle light
We would throw around grins and fight to keep the night quiet
Allow ourselves only diet fits of laughter when Sam’s farts rattled the rafters
We had no sense of what we were after
We were too young, too dumb, too tongue and cheek
To check our speak into masculine morse code
We loaded phrases with innuendo not to lure anyone, but because we could
Because nobody understood why boys had to be cool
At least not here
And from the giggles I hear in the cabin down the lane it sounds like the girls would say the same
We would go, days without worrying
Do you remember what that’s like?
Like an extended two week bike ride
Where the wind is quiet enough for you to hold perfect conversations with your best friends
Your hair whips around and stands on end
But you’re not afraid of falling
Just preoccupied with throwing your head back
and calling this place nothing but that garbled sound humans make when we jump off high places
And all the while you fly through this space with no helmet on
Voice gone like the wind we used to whip from the top of north mountain
Sucking the fountain of youth out of the blue true true of the sky
And then we would nap
Rest because we needed it and never felt guilty for this lapse
In productivity
Siesta was the only time our mountain was quiet
Changing counselor from riot police to sleeping giant
We quietly passed notes between bunks
Cobbling together chunks of words to deliver a message
Who do you like?
Who are you asking to the dance?
Do you really think there’s a chance?
Sure why not you’re amazing
I want to go back to summer camp
Because we barred bad words
And nerds could be as cool as anyone else
Sally sells friendship bracelets on the seashore
For nothing at all but a smile
My summer camp taught me what love means
That it abounds through a place as long as everyone agrees that it should
As long as you could
Put aside all the world stuff for a minute
Distill it then dilute it in the pool party
Mute it on the dance floor
Shoot it through basketball hoops
Route it through your veins
And transform it into stupid camp games
Everyone loses family for a week when they come here
And we get the same blood
The same mud sticks to everyone’s shoes when it rains
You never really get out of the honeymoon phase with all these new friends
And I am still in love
I am going back to summer camp
Not as a camper this time
I’m going to get as close to that feeling of free as I can
I AM not giving up hope yet
That there are thin places
I get to make that for someone else now
Be the Jacko Post
To say the most inconsequential thing
You should be a writer
I’ll be backstage fighter to keep the demons away
Prolong the stay in paradise
For another me
With another sob story
I’m going back to summer camp
Because there is a piece of childhood that never dies
Not even with last night after last night of goodbyes
There are superheroes called counselors
just poring out their divine and human energy
Into walls that were soundproof and pretty
Into cabins miles away from cities
Programs and all the itty bitty things too
They fed me whole breaths again
And my candle could defend against hurricanes
I love this place
And I love you
And every single face that helps make dreams come true
We rolled down together
Arms and Arms in a line
At camp you’ll find that life doesn’t have to be mean
It doesn’t even have to mean anything
But when there’s love in the air
When I KNOW you care about me
No matter what I do in the next ten seconds
It’s not tense and there’s no past tense because everyone is right now
Wow
I won’t forget, I won’t forget, I won’t forget
This time
Because I’m going back

Here I Am - Jasmine
ooc for St. George's
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"I used to change
like the seasons
But I believe
Spring is here to stay
My hypothermic hypermania
Has melted away
Nourishing my garden
No longer dry & desolate
Filling fieldss
Of pansies, peonies, and primroses
Sweet citrus perfume
With buzzing busy bees
Doing their dutiful deed
Harvesting honey
Those pleasant pollinators
I call my friends
My family"

Thoughts on Camp - Sarah
elective lead in St. George's Session IV

I was working at shrine mont camps in the summer of 2019 when my uncle died unexpectedly. It was the middle of staff training week, and I was hiking up the hill to St. George’s when my mom called me. One of my childhood friends saw me burst into tears and came running down the hill, enveloping me in a hug. He stayed with me through the call, reassured my mom that I would be okay, and then walked with me down to the camp office.

Friends of all ages - people from all kinds of camps - people I barely knew came to me, brought me tissues, rested a hand on my shoulder, or sat next to me. They found my oldest friends and brought them to me. I felt surrounded by love that night. I am surrounded by love every night that I am on the mountain, but I felt the power of community that night.

Staying at camp in the midst of my grieving was one of the best decisions I ever made. Grief is a funny thing. Sometimes it is ever present, and sometimes it slips your mind. Sometimes you want to forget it’s happening, so you immerse yourself in the laughter and love that you can find. Camp is full of those things. I spent my days waking early to get campers ready for days of hiking, of art time, of songs and games and campfires. I laughed at their silliness and marveled at their depth and solemness, too. I loved campers through sprained ankles, peeing on the floor, and hiking back to camp to grab a forgotten inhaler. There were bee stings and nights stayed up 'til midnight making 140 sun-butter and jelly sandwiches. There were hayrides where songs were bellowed at the top of our lungs and we smiled wider than we ever had before. There were conversations on porches, watermelons eaten in the woods, racing back to camp to beat a thunderstorm, and real, genuine laughter and joy.

Camp people love me best, and made what would have been one of the hardest weeks of my life one of the best weeks of my life. I know it was not an accident that I was on the mountain when my uncle passed. At the start of the summer, during staff training, we wrote ourselves notes to read at the end of the season. Mine read, “you are exactly where you are meant to be.”

It was a reminder to myself of the power of summer camp, an affirmation that in a world that values internships over personal connections, there is still a place for summer camp. I had written it to remind myself that the work we do at camp is valuable and meaningful and powerful, to remind myself not to compare my summer experience to that of others, whether they held high powered positions in DC or were traveling abroad. I was employed at a place where eight year olds build lifelong friendships, where children who spend the rest of the year on the outskirts find a place where they belong, a place where campers and counselors learn to talk about themselves and God in ways they have never considered before. I work in a place where everything we do is worshiping, whether it takes the form of a camp dance, or a hike, or screaming God’s praises at the top of our lungs, camp is transformative. I was thankful to be at camp that summer and proud of the work I was doing. but most importantly, I am grateful  to be part of a community that loves people through thick and thin.

Camp is the place to be, and the place where many young people in this Diocese begin their Christian formation. When you send your kids to camp, or when you send your kids to work at camp, you are sending them into a community that loves fiercely and boldly, without lines drawn or divisions made. You are sending them into a thin place, where the connection between the kingdom of God that is to come and this earthly world is a little bit closer. You are sending them into a place where the holy spirit is in every breath, where the circle is drawn wider every minute. A place where every child and adult is called to be their authentic self, to be loved by a god who is bigger and more than we can describe with words. You are sending them into a place where their whole self will be welcomed and loved, where they can explore their feelings, their identity, and their faith. A place where nothing is assumed about them, and each child is known for who they are and who they want to be. 


unrealistic expectations - by me!
i tick in a slow clock that quickens with tiny heartbeats hiking up that hill
one moment the contract value is full, and the next his or her or their eyes pierce you wondering how you are going to lead them
some days i am an endless pool, come all and drink your fill, i am more than enough
then other days i've just got a 30 second fuse shortened to three, become unintelligable because thats all i can be 'til I just want to scream.
Then I remember your 3 second fuse when i'm a pool and i judge too harshly, forgetting i'm human too and not the Perfect Creation
but it's okay not to be perfect, i tell them everyday. why do i not expect the same?
because they are perfect. he is perfect. she is perfect.
and i love them.

What am I supposed to do while I'm here? - Jordan
Infirmary Counselor and Cabin Counselor for SHYC

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Transcription:
"What am I supposed to do while I'm here?
fall in love, take chances, experience things in the fullest. To laugh and cry and scream. To kiss with no regrets. To make gifts with my own two hands. To jump from bench to bench with my skirt hiked to my knees. To jump in puddles and stick my tongue out in the rain. To scream-sing my favorite songs out of tune in my lovers lap. To drive too fast with the windows all the way down. To do favors for my friends and finish tasks for my community. To trip and fall and laugh it off. To get lost and enjoy that moment. Too be silly out loud and in public unabashedly. To roll around in the mud and place your trust in acquaintances (soon to be friends)."

On the Mountaintop - anonymous
Magical and free
I run to thee,
Where I find
Everyone is kind

The circle where I stand
Bottom edge is crumpled
Where nothing is banned
Where the stars are dimpled

We are one
Everyone
Sole and sweet
"We are SHYC"

Falling behind and running ahead
I see nothing to remind me
Of the valley illuminated red
Of those who refuse to see

I see nothing wrong
I hear only the Goodnight Song
I feel all the sweat and tears
Coming back through all the years
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2023 Electives and Elective Leaders

8/4/2023

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In each of our St. George’s and All Saints sessions, we each had fun electives where kids could explore interests they've never tried, or dig deeper into a pre-existing passion. At the beginning of the week, the campers would get a signup sheet for one of a handful of electives that they would go to every morning after breakfast until just before lunch when they’d have either cabin clean up or camper free time, or some mix of both.
The St. George’s Session 1 Elective Leaders were Stephen (he/him), Hollis (he/him), and Alexis (she/her). Stephen taught a super fun martial arts elective where he taught campers the basics of karate. Alexis, also our Communications Assistant Director, taught a theater elective for the older kids at St. G’s, playing all kinds of fun improvization and theater games and honing in on their creative instincts. Hollis was heading a rather interesting elective that he called “Career Counseling,” where he showed the campers all about life in business; he taught the kids about traffic and commuting (in games of red light - green light), how to talk at the water cooler with their co-workers, dressing professionally by making paper ties to wear, and avoiding tasks from the manager (by playing ghosts in the graveyard, except the ghosts are your co-workers). All 3 electives were fun and hilarious for all who took them, I'd say all thanks to the talented people who led them!

The St. George’s Session 2 Elective Leaders were Hadley (she/her), Caroline G. (she/her), and Kathryn (she/her). Hadley taught an outdoorsy exploration elective where they practiced survival skills such as building lean-tos and fire-making. Caroline G. ran the Olympics elective where the kids competed in several sports to represent countries of their own making, earning medals of honor by the end of the week. Kathryn, not only being a knowledgeable and talented artist but also a former director of Art Camp, ran the art elective where they sketched and learned about colors and color theory - neat!
The St. George’s Session 3 Elective Leaders were Jacob (he/him) and Nora (she/her), Amasa (they/he), and me (Liam, he/him)! Jacob and Nora headed the games-games-games elective where they played all kinds of games-games-games! Amasa ran a geocaching exploration elective where they hiked and explored all different areas and found different “geocaches,” which are little spots in geographically neat areas where you can take or leave something in the cache for others to find later, kind of like treasure hunting. I led the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) elective where they learned about stories, collaborative storytelling, character creation, and the D&D system so that they could tell a story together, being their own main characters!
During the same week, All Saints' Elective Leaders were Clara (she/her) with MATS (Music, Art, Theatre) and Frannie (she/they) with an exciting sports and exploration elective, where they played games and hiked all over the mountain! Clara’s elective performed the song Rise and Shine (which is about the bible story of Noah) with fun movements and props, including a 2 person horse costume, a big blue tarp, cutouts of animals, the sun, and rain clouds.
The St. George’s Session 4 Elective Leaders were split into two parts, one half for the older half of campers 11-14 and the other half for the younger half of campers 8-11: Sarah (she/her), Rosa (she/her), Olivia (she/her), Emme (she/her), and I led electives in this session! Olivia and I led the older kids and Emme, Sarah, and Rosa led electives for the younger kids. Emme ran a really fun art elective where her campers made fairy houses, friendship bracelets, and all sorts of really cool stuff! Sarah led an outdoor elective where they learned how to build fires and lean-to's. Rosa led the “Questing” elective where the kids would go on quests to accomplish different fun activities, exploring the Orkney Spring, exploring themselves at the Labyrinth, and more! And again I ran the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) elective, though with a bit more time for playing the game and the system and less time digging into what is and how to do story-telling.
These humans would work along with the counselors who hung out with the kids doing regular ole camp things to support and better the wellfare of the kids in their care. They were an absolutely awesome group of fantastic and loving individuals; we could not have done camp without their guidance and support, for the campers and for the counselor staff alike.
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St. Elizabeth's Session II: Fun Fun Fun!

8/4/2023

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St. Elizabeth's Session II is now in full swing, and our campers, volunteers, and staff are having an absolute blast. Some of our campers liked coming to camp so much that they did it twice! So far they've had a fun two days of games and art, playing what we like to call Counselor Bowling where the counselors are the pins. Haha! They've been getting to know one another, their volunteer buddies, and their staff and are having a blast. So far pool time has been the highlight of their daily schedule; the campers really enjoy spending time together by jumping in, playing games, splashing each other, and relaxing in the shade. The campers have also enjoyed outdoor camp activities like a campfire, canoeing, and fishing - and not from flipping the canoe. Always a win!
Last night, St. Elizabeth's evening program was Shark Tank, but with a twist; the 'investors' were aliens from far away world. Fleep Floop is out of this world in their black space suit, the other alien's name is unpronounceable in English but roughly translates to Jimothy, and they came prepared knowing that "business casual" was the least threatening attire humans wear. These aliens wanted to learn about camp, and so the campers pitched to them different ways and technologies they could invest in to learn about camp life. Shark Tank - or as I'm starting to call it, Alien Tank - ended with a dance, uniting campers, volunteers, staff, and aliens as one body!

This is because St. Elizabeth's theme this year is outer space, emphasizing how each camper and staff are stars with unique gifts. The cabin names for this session, for example, are the Crab Nebula (aka the Crabin), Tat2ine, and Cabin Saturn. The director's cabin is even been dubbed "the Mothership"! So far they've done all kind sof space themed activities such as Alien tank including making and decorating astronaut helmets and filling galaxy themed glitter bottles! Of course, like all of Shrine Mont Camp, St. Elizabeth's also teaches the Body Passage, which I've talked about in another post, and the campers get to explore this passage during Chaplain's Time, where they took pictures of their different body parts (arms, legs, heads) and pieced them together to show how they are all parts of one body!
We still have another half of camp left to go, and it's already going so great that we know it will pass by in a blink of an eye.

Special thanks to Ad Lester, Assistant Director at St. E's, for co-writing this post!
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See You Later St. George's IV!

8/1/2023

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After a week filled of fun, of laughter, of tears of joy and plenty of sweat, Shrine Mont Camp has closed the largest session on the mountain of the summer. We laughed together, we played together, we grew in connection with one another to continue growing the Body of Camp, and the Body of Christ. Our last evening program we had a talent show where our kids did funny skits, told jokes, read poems, and danced, where afterward we sang the goodnight song and about half the camp left with wet eyes from the realization that camp was over. From camping either at Seven Springs, or glamping on the Upper Ballfield, to Kingball and cozy movie nights, the campers grew together and grew to realize that they are capable of anything. That is the beauty of what camp instills in their hearts; nothing is impossible when they have support and friends alongside them to do the hard things - and the fun and easy things - with them!
Closing itself was a beautiful service; after marching in to the Shrine singing When the Saints Come Marching in, the parents got to meet everyone involved in Camp on the mountain this week. The campers read the Body Passage, we sang our favorite camp songs, and then concluded with Will The Circle Be Unbroken while we tied the pieces of the Body String to each of our campers to take with them into the valley of the world. There are always two open ends on the string - as Adam, the Space and Spirit Lead for St. G's IV so eloquently said - because our circle is always open for more people to join our community and the Body of Christ. We sent them "into the world in peace to love and serve the Lord," as we usually say before we give the Peace, and after tearful farewells, St. George's has left the mountain for the summer.

However, it's not goodbye. We always say at camp that it's not goodbye, it's see you later, because we are all together in the Body that we can't stay apart for too long. So to St. George's campers - and staff that have left the mountain as of today - I say, "See you later! Hopefully next summer!"
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See you Later St. Elizabeth's Session 1!

7/28/2023

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After a fun couple of days together, St. Elizabeth's Session I has closed. It was a blast of new experiences in the outdoors, from a movie night, cookout, campfire, and talent show! The campers meshed well with their volunteer buddies, and had a great time together doing all things camp! They sang, they played in the pool, they canoed, they fished, they hiked, they made art, they danced, we ate good food, and we laughed. 

Marie, Ad, and Ruth, our leadership, led a fantastic group of staff and volunteers through a fun filled week, stepping outside of comfort zones and social circles to interact with all new sorts of kinds of people. Laughter and joyful noise radiated from the Happy Pavilion during the St. E's talent show, where the campers, volunteers, and staff showed their stuff with songs, music, dancing, and more!

It was a wonderful week, thanks to the awesome work from our volunteers, without whom none of this could have been possible. 
Are you a camper that is too old to go to our All Saints Camp or St. George's?
Then you should come be a Volunteer at St. Elizabeth's!
Volunteering for St. E’s is a great opportunity for people age 15+ to participate in camp by spending time with campers and assisting them with daily activities! It’s a lot of fun and a great stepping stone between being a camper and a counselor.

Applications generally open up in December or January, so keep an eye on the Shrine Mont Camp website to apply!

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Camp is OPEN!

7/18/2023

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This week on the mountain is going to be our busiest one yet! We opened 4 - FOUR! - camps yesterday. St. Elizabeth's Session 1, St. George's Session 4, SHYC (Senior High Youth Conference), and The Great: our older exploration camp. With St. George's session also filled with almost 100 kids, it's our biggest camp of the summer as well, so it's going to be a mountain full of love - and children! WOO!
St. George's has a fun filled night after camp opened. They had their first all camp worship, evening games and then their first night's evening program: OLYMPICS! They competed in community in fun Olympic-style challenges: a 2 legged race, passing-the-hullahoop, and some light tossing. A great start to a great summer!
SHYC also participated in their own version of camp Olympics as well, which I hear was a definite blast. The Great participated in a fun scavenger hunt in preparation for an excursion off the mountain over the next 4 days. I hope to hang out with SHYC and the Great later this week to get insight on what they're up to, though right now I am leading an elective with the older kids at St. G's - it'll be a blast, and more on electives later! But SHYC I know did have a fantastic time at worship; many kids brought their instruments to camp, bringing a gloriously joyful noise!
St. Elizabeth's had a nice time getting to know one another over the past 24 hours, bonding with our leadership and volunteer staff buddies who accompany them throughout their time on the mountain. Gabi had on a very space warrior outfit for some of our fun activities which I thought was very funky and fun. Great vibes up at St. E's!
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There's more to come later on, so stay tuned for the next post!
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Pumpkin

7/14/2023

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Pumpkin is one of the few of our resident beloved cats on the mountain. One who has gone to camp here may know her as she is orange, soft, and extremely friendly, oftentimes trotting up to people while meowing and greeting them with a headbutt or a rub against a leg. She is what I like to call the Assistant Director of Cuteness at Shrine Mont Camps and she bears the title well.
She is not all boops and pets though, those teeth are not just for show; she is as fierce as they come. She's been known to be a bit of a menace to the local fauna, making herself well known across the mountain. She's usually found around the Moomaw's house, seeing as that is her usual home, but has been known to wander as far as up to St. George's.
If you happen to see a fluffy, orange friend throughout your travels, be sure to give Pumpkin the Honorific Greeting of Cat with a little pspspsps and let her know how much you appreciate her hard work around the mountain, uplifting and nuzzling the hearts of all who encounter her.

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The Body Passage

7/14/2023

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This passage from the Bible might be familiar to many camp returners, as it is a very popular with Shrine Monters and St. George's folks especially, but I thought to share the passage that is essentially the guiding force of all of Shrine Mont Camps. What the Body of Christ can mean is different from person to person, from camper to camper, from counselor to counselor, from parent to parent, and I thought to share the thoughts about the passage from those of us here on the mountain.
"There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts."

"Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

"The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy."


I asked some of the members of the Camps body what the body passage means to them, and shared their answers down below.
"The part that's like 'to the members with less honor get greatest honor' is the best part. It's like, so therefore to the people who don't have anything should have more because we are all one. We're all in this together, even if we aren't all religious, or aren't all the same religion, or aren't all under the same flag. At the end of the day we are all people." - Raphael

"The Body passage means that we exist with the Body with you all the time." - a camper

"To me it's about the Body of Camp. Everybody has something specific that they bring to the table. It's a great way to teach kids that everyone is important, and that they are important. Even if it's 'I talk a lot', or something they wouldn't consider a talent or a skill, it's still an important part of the Body." - Gwen

"It means that anybody, any part, is different. We can't judge them or what makes them happy." - a camper

"I don't think about the body passage super much off the mountain, but I was a St G's kid so it makes its way back into my life every summer even if I'm not looking for it. Listening to it every summer and being here every summer makes me feel like I have a special place in this world and on this mountain." - Gabi

"If one person feels down, everyone gets down with them; if one is complimented or brought up, we're all brought up with it." - a camper

"I like that it's not about putting people in boxes, it's about celebrating you." - Emily

The body strings is a way that we bring the body passage to life at camp. Body strings are cut from one massive string of paracord and then knotted into bracelets that we give to every person who is a part of our Camp Body. It shows that while all the pieces are separate, together they form one paracord - one body - and that we embody all of its pieces. It's been a St. George's tradition for many many years, and over the past 5 years we've been introducing it to all of our camps because it so embodies our culture and mission.

I asked a couple other people about what the body strings mean to them, and here are some of their answers.
"For me its a visual reminder and physical touchstone of the community where I feel I truly belong, so even when I'm not there, its with me." - Paige

"Something that has stuck with me is when John Henry said during our commissioning that our body string is not just in all the places in Virginia, but all around the world, so to me it's what keeps us connected to this place. The body passage is something I've heard and read in church before, but it's different here; it's what keeps me connected to Shrine Mont Camps and to all the people here." - Caroline

"I've kept all the body strings I've ever gotten; 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. I'm never taking them off. This 2019 one has been on for 5 years now, going on year 6. I keep them on because sometimes it helps to feel connected to the mountain on times outside the summer, so its a constant reminder of camp; the reminder that the community you create in the summers is with you, even when you're not on the mountain." - Adam

Every camper leaves the mountain with a piece of the Body with them. It all started several years ago with St. George's Camp, but has since then been expanded to all Shrine Mont Camps. We have a tradition that on the first night of camp we cut the body string, burn the ends, and tie them onto campers wrists to wear with them all week. Then it takes in the camp experience; all the joy, all the excitement, all the sweat, all the pool chlorine, everything about being at camp. Then, on the last day of camp, we recollect all the Body strings and make it into a Body Necklace, an incomplete circle that everyone in the camp takes turns wearing it throughout the course of the day so that by the Closing Ceremony the following day, the necklace will be taken off and split apart once more, one string given to a new owner to take with them off the mountain. And usually, odds are that the camper is taking the body string that someone else was wearing throughout camp, bringing us as a whole closer together.
As St. George's Session 3, Family Camp, and All Saints have opened this week, I wanted to bring about this reminder of the Camp Body; it extends outside of just the camp each camper goes to, as ultimately we all are bound in Shrine Mont Camps together. It's a beautiful thing to create such an iron clad community, and it showcases what I think is the most important part about the body string: it doesn't have an end. In theory, the Body can expand ever more, always striving to include others in our community and show them the grace and beauty of being a part of a place that totally accepts you, no matter what.
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St. Cecilia's - Renovated!

7/9/2023

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Great news from the mountain! The beloved St. Cecilia's, the little chapel in the woods that lies between Woodward and Bear Wallow campsites, has been struggling a bit from the wear and tear of the elements that have battered it over the years. Legs and bench bodies rotted out, shattered tree trunks lying in the center, alter top completely gone, it was an utter shame.
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But fortunately, with the hard work and help from the staff of All Saints Camp (as well as the Infirmary Counselors!) opening later this week, we were able to give this facet of camp the refreshed support she needed! We worked all throughout this Sunday, devoting our sweat into fashioning new supports, ripping out the rotting wood from the alter and benches, and driving stakes into the ground to make sure the benches will no longer topple on the uncertain terrain!
Even though a brief thunderstorm nearly rained us out (and thoroughly drenched us), we had a nice lunch of hotel fried chicken to refuel us to get back into the groove after the storm had passed. Now, St. Cecelia's is open for use once more, and later this week once things have dried out a bit we will be able to slap on a coat of stain/paint to make it look as beautiful as its surroundings. Cheers to Matt Smith, an off the mountain member of our camp family, for spearheading the project and providing the power tools to get the job done, and for Jennifer Smith for helping to coordinate, and also for taking the pictures! (Thanks, Mom! <3)
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    Author

    Liam Lassiter
    Camper Alumni circa 2015 and staffer ever since, Liam is our resident blogger and helper at Vienna House.

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