Camp Luz hoping to find a few good men and women to serve as summer counselors
Fun in the summer is set for Camp Luz as myriad summer camps for kids are being prepared. However, before that can happen, the camp will need a few more counselors to lead the kids.
Whether it's on the lake or in the new pool, there are plenty of water activities at Camp Luz's summer camps. There are funds currently available to send underprivileged kids to camp for families who can't afford the cost.
The new pool is ready, the cabins are cleaned and the mess hall stands ready to dole out some serious camp meals and snacks. The staff at Camp Luz near Kidron is ready to fulfill its mission to freely proclaim the radical hope of Jesus Christ to the next generation.
All they need now are some faithful adults to serve as camp counselors for the various summer camps that will see hundreds of youth flock to Camp Luz to enjoy a week’s worth of fellowship, games, swimming, sharing and growing in their faith.
According to Camp Luz director Andrew Michaels, Camp Luz is currently seeking young adults or adults who are young at heart to serve as camp counselors for their summer camps, which include youth camp, junior high camp, junior high outpost, girls camp, boys camp, mini camp, grown up and me camp and fledgling camp.
All told, Michaels said they expect more than 400 youth to attend one of the many camps available this summer, but the key to providing a worthwhile experience for the youngsters will be providing them with camp counselors who will encourage them while leading them in many fun activities.
“We need help in all of our summer counseling camps, but in specific we need help finding senior male counselors,” Michaels said. “We need help in people tapping some shoulders to find some over-18 male counselors."
This year’s camp theme is devoted to teaching youth what it means to be rooted in Christ. Michaels said all are called to be growing in their faith through Christ, so the goal is to teach youngsters how to develop a foundation that allows those roots to grow.
Anyone wishing to volunteer at Camp Luz may do so by logging on to their website at www.CampLuz.com. There they can go to the menu, scroll down and find applications for summer staff, returning staff, new staff and lifeguard positions.
Michaels shared the story of a former junior high camper who grew up in a broken home. Going came to camp, he found his faith and wanted to figure out how to live out his faith. As a young man, he wanted to become a summer camp counselor. He did so, and Michaels said the young man did an amazing job.
One night last summer during boys camp, pastor Kent Miller was speaking to a group of 90 campers at boys camp. Around the campfire, Miller invited anyone who wanted to make a commitment to following Christ to come forward. Nearly half of the boys stood up, and the former young camper from a tough life turned counselor stood by his campers. Michaels said he was touched when the young man carefully and compassionately put his arm around a young camper whose mind was straying from the experience and helped him refocus.
“This young man who never had a dad was now being a spiritual dad to these kids at camp, and that was an amazing transformation to see,” Michaels said.
The other item Michaels shared was that they have a fund for anyone who would like to attend camp but can’t afford it. He said they are always willing to help families in need send their child or children to camp. He said lack of funds should never be a reason for keeping a child away from summer camp.
“If someone out there would like to send a child to camp but they say, ‘It’s just so expensive,’ we can fix that,” Michaels said. “That is not a problem. We just need people to help us make those connections.”
Michaels said the foundation of Camp Luz this summer has changed very little from when the camp first opened six decades ago. While the activities and schedule have continued to evolve over the years, the basis of serving God and promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ remain at the core of the camp’s philosophy.
“We remain focused on sharing Christ with kids and helping people grown in their faith,” Michaels said. “Camp Luz does not exist for the sake of camping; it exists for the sake of sharing Christ to the next generation using the tool of camping.”
Michaels said that as the world continues to change, sometimes in ways that are not very flattering, the camp has had to review all of its policies and procedures and has even changed the way they prepare their counselors. He said they now have gone to online training sessions for counselors, utilizing online video to prepare them for their time at camp.
The camp also has done a great deal of work around the lake and added a new, large pool that is open to the public on Sundays.
“The pool has opened doors for us in the community that were not opened before,” Michaels said. “We have been able to make connections and build relationships with people right down the road who we never would have met had we not had this pool.”
He said the recent improvements have set the stage for future growth, growth that is exciting.
If anyone would like to learn more about Camp Luz, volunteer as a counselor or request a youth to attend through the funds available to help children in need, visit their website at www.CampLuz.com.