Brother Esteban Camere, PES at the Little Catholics Bible Camp. Photo courtesy of Wendy Royston.
By Jake Geis
Picture yourself on a warm summer day, sitting under a shade tree by a lake. On the water, you can see kids paddling kayaks under the guidance of a patient adult. From behind you, the sweet voices of little children singing “This Little Light of Mine” bring a smile to your face. Your nose catches the whiff of campfire foods simmering. The image in your mind probably reflects something from a summer camp you saw in a movie.
However, you might be surprised to find this isn’t fanciful whimsy; it’s a real camp held in our diocese every summer. At Camp Arroya on Lake Mitchell, the parishes of the Sacred Heart Pastorate (Holy Spirit and Holy Family parishes in Mitchell) host the Little Catholics Bible Camp. So how did this idyllic event come into being? The Holy Spirit, of course.
From challenge to inspiration
Sarah Timmer, organizer of the camp, recalls when the idea first came to her. “Father Cesar, our priest at the time, challenged us to evaluate our priorities and ask ourselves if we are aligning them with our eternal goals,” she explained. “He spoke [about] how we take time for sports and summer camps, why don’t we take time for Jesus?” The comments set her back in her pew. “This really hit me,” she recalled, “I want my children to have opportunities for faith during the summer.”
Pondering what this could mean for her family, Sarah recalled how her mind drifted to certain childhood memories. “I worked at Leif Erickson day camp for many years and I always wanted my kids to have this experience,” she noted. After ruminating on some options, she began to formulate a plan. “I went to Camp Arroya after that Mass and asked some questions. I then went to Father and told him I had an idea.”
That idea was to start a summer camp for children in the pastorate. By blending the fun of a camp with the beauty of our faith, Sarah felt her and other parishioners’ children would enter into an experience that connected the joys of summer with the joys of their faith. With Father Cesar’s blessing, she began building a program and asking for volunteer help.
God provides through his faithful
The thought of finding help in our hyper-busy world seemed daunting to Sarah. However, as she reached out to others, the Holy Spirit moved the hearts of many.
“I went to ask for help,” Sarah said, “and I thought people would not be willing to help, but I had the opposite happen. People kept asking, ‘How can I help?’”
The enthusiasm from the adults transferred to the kids, with the program getting off to a strong start and participation growing every year since. In the five years since the Little Catholics Bible Camp was initiated, Sarah said, “We started out with around 70 campers, then 100 campers, and last year we had 130 children.”
The offerings in the camp have also increased yearly due to people’s gifts of their time.
“It’s fun to see the talents that other people have come out,” she said. “We had a high-school-aged counselor that was a lifeguard, which allowed us to do kayaking. I didn’t know we were going to have saints and science as a rotation, but a lady volunteered to help who was a science teacher that is passionate about her faith. And the PES brothers have helped immensely. Seeing how God uses everyone’s talents to contribute is a blessing.”
Structure and rhythm
With a solid start, Little Catholics Bible Camp has begun to take on a rhythm that creates tradition. It is a three-day camp for children in grades K-8, with daily chapel time and prayer every evening. Mass is celebrated at the lake on the Tuesday of the camp.
There are a host of classic camp activities, including nature hikes, fishing, crafts, saints and science, archery, outdoor cooking, knot tying and kayaking. Sarah pointed out, “The kindergarteners don’t do kayaking or archery,” to the relief of parents and the chagrin of adventurous young tots.
The children are split into age groups, as well as boys from girls. Each group has two leaders, one college-aged and a second in high school. And for the final night, parents are invited for a program where campers sing songs they learn and share what they’ve experienced, both in the activities and what they’ve heard from God through prayer. And, as a cherry on top, the evening ends with ice cream.
Evangelization through a child’s eyes
While the three days are fun-filled, the intent of Little Catholics Bible Camp is to bring the hearts of all involved closer to Christ. Sarah explained, “The camp brings us all together, adults and children, in a way to serve the Lord, to leave our worries for three days and get to enjoy each other.” This dedicating time to fellowship and God is the water and sunlight necessary to nurture the faith of the participants and volunteers in the camp.
For Sarah, at times it can be difficult to determine who is teaching who about faith. “The innocence of the children and their love of believing is a wonderful witness (for the adults). I think with children it’s so easy for them to see and believe.”
She gives an example through her time at the camp. “I lead the nature hikes, and we talk about how everything is created by God. [The children’s] awe in seeing a butterfly or hearing a bird, and their attention to everything is amazing in itself. Their child-like faith transforms me and the other adults. Seeing the children’s faith is a great conversion for us adults.”
The greatest blessing is how the children don’t outgrow that witness but mature in it. “When the camp first started, we had some sixth-graders participate. Now they are becoming the counselors of the group that ask if they can help out with the camp.”
Future possibilities
Seeing the return of former campers as counselors motivates Sarah and other volunteers to grow the program. The camp is not exclusive; it currently draws children from the Sacred Heart Pastorate and from pastorates in the surrounding communities.
“We would like to increase the number of campers each year to reach more children,” Sarah said.
Knowing the fruits the camp has borne thus far energizes camp organizers to grow the number of participants, knowing that the more people share this experience, the more people will grow deeper in their love for Christ and his Church.
Sarah also indicated the camp would like to continue to expand the number of activities and offer more opportunities for campers to grow in their faith every year. One way in particular she would like the camp to expand is through more outreach in Mitchell and area communities.
“Are there ways for campers or counselors to show stewardship, that we can give back to the community?” she asked. Some ideas that have been floated for the older, middle-school-aged campers include a city clean-up or aiding the elderly or those with disabilities at their residences.
Whatever additions may occur, Sarah is emphatic that they will only happen, just like all the activities in the camp only happen, through the generous gifts of time individual people make.
“This camp doesn’t happen without the volunteers,” Sarah emphasized. “When we ask people to help out with things, they say yes. They are the only thing that keeps it going.”
She considers their service to be one of the greatest blessings this camp has received.
As American as apple pie, summer camps are a fixture in our world. Thanks to Sarah Timmer’s positive response to a nudge from a priest and the Holy Spirit, replicated by volunteers gifting their unique talents to the cause of evangelization, Little Catholics Bible Camp melds the delightful summer camp experience with the beauty of our Catholic faith. It is a place where tradition settles like dew on the participants to establish a tradition that creates lasting memories, linking temporal joy with eternal joy.
“I want to have this continue to be part of every kid’s summer, for it to be a tradition in our area,” Sarah said. “And to ‘catch more fish,’ both figuratively in faith and literally.”
Jake Geis is a freelance writer and parishioner at Holy Spirit in Mitchell. He is a husband and father who has taught religious education and led youth groups over the years.
learn more
If you are interested in sending your children to Little Catholics Bible Camp or volunteering with the camp, please visit the registration website at https://forms.gle/CywYXP8eRtzbo7sA8.
