6 minute read
Crandall Goes Camping
This summer, Crandall University sent a ministry team of five students to nine Christian camps throughout the Maritimes including Camp Shiktehawk, Camp Pagweak, Greenhill Lake Camp, Caton’s Island, Camp Seggie, Kingswood Camp, Camp Wildwood, Bayside Camp, and Camp Tulakadik. The team’s job was to spend the summer providing live worship for the camps, since many rely on pre-recorded worship music out of ease and convenience and tend to lack a personal worship experience.
The initiative was not only a great way for some of our Worship Apprenticeship students to gain some real-life worship and ministry experience, but also to introduce camp staff and campers to Crandall University.
Recently, Crandall University Vice President for Advancement Dr. Robert Knowles, sat down with members of the team to discuss their summer on the road.
Robert Knowles (RK): So, out of all the jobs that you could have applied for this summer, why did you choose the Camp Team for your summer job?
Benjamin Wilson (BW), BBA '24: I chose this job because I loved the idea of working at different summer camps around the Maritimes and serving in whatever way I could. This desire for a "Christian Adventure" of sorts started at the beginning of 2023 and I was blessed that my desire was fulfilled in this position.
Rebekah Swanson (RS), BBA ‘23, BEd '25: This job was provided by God when I was not sure what other job options I would have this summer. I was thankful to not only be offered a job, but to also be offered one that sounded interesting and beneficial to me and my faith.
RK: That’s great! I’m glad that you were both excited to take on the role. It sounds like there were most likely plenty of memories made, but what would you say were some of your best memories from the experience?
BW: Some of my best memories were seeing the Holy Spirit work in the lives of the campers and spending time with my teammates! I also had the opportunity to be a camp pastor for a week, which showed me how God can use me to do amazing things!
RS: I cherish star gazing on a lake dock and singing around a campfire, those are the memories that taught me to love camp. I also really enjoyed just playing music with my wonderful team members and worshiping God with a different community of amazing people each week.
RK: Both of your answers seem to involve the social and community aspect of camp and your team, how would you say your experience was as a group in terms of chemistry, team building, and playing to each other’s strengths?
BW: I felt like God put the best possible group together for this adventure! We worked really well together and are now great friends as a result of this ministry.
RS: The experience I had with this particular group was definitely one of my favourite parts of the summer. I was able to build wonderful, godly relationships with the people I worked with, and it was so beneficial to learn how to live and work closely with people who may do things differently than I do. I have no doubt that God put the team together because our strengths and weaknesses complimented each other perfectly and we were able to really help each other grow in beautiful ways while we worked.
RK: That is great to hear! Obviously after spending a summer on the road at various camps, you learned a lot about summer camp, but did you have any camp experience before this summer?
BW: I worked as a Leader in Training at Camp Tulakadik for one summer and attended as a camper 6 years prior. It was really cool seeing how each camp was unique, from having late night corn boils at one camp, to campfire Q&As with the Camp Pastor at another.
RS: Before this summer, my previous camp experiences were minimal. Since I had such little experience, it was so nice to be able to expand my understanding and see the different ways summer camps can be operated!
RK: Now that the summer is over, are there ways that you think the experiences that you gained helped prepare you for the school year at Crandall?
BW: Since the summer, I have felt challenged to be bolder in how I interact with people on campus and to take risks for Jesus.
RS: Through this experience I was able to grow in ways that helped better prepare me for this upcoming school year. I was able to grow closer to God, learn the importance of nurturing godly relationships in my life, and learn how important it is to develop the skills God has given me to further His Kingdom.
RK: Aside from how the experience benefitted you personally, how do you think visiting these camps will impact the University?
BW: This summer was a great way to not only help our local camps with worship and serving, but also to make lasting connections with kids and teens that will truly impact how they view Crandall. As a result of the work that we did this summer, more youth see our school as a place they could consider to be their community!
RS: I think this was an invaluable opportunity for me, and, as someone who heard about Crandall through a representative at a youth event, I believe many youth who would not have otherwise heard about Crandall can now consider coming to school here because of our journey this summer.
The Camp Leaders shared in the students’ sentiment that the summer was a positive and impactful experience. Jenna MacLeod (’21), Summer Director of Shiktehawk Bible Camp, shared, “The Crandall team came during our staff training week which was a huge benefit to our staff. We run our own worship team during the summer program, but it is always a bit of a stretch to have the team together and practiced in time for our chapel sessions. Having the Crandall team alleviated a lot of pressure and allowed all our staff to be able to fully engage in worship. They brought spiritual depth to our chapel discussion groups after the message and participated in most of our games and activities as well. There are so many things I could pick as my favourite part of having them here, but I think fellowship and friendship were the biggest highlights!”
