MAINTAINING
MOMENTUM HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE AFTER THE CAMP EXPERIENCE
NIGEL WINDER | SUNZ Children and Families Consultant and Southern Regional Director
C
amps can light a rocket under our faith sending us temporarily into spiritual orbit. On returning home, however, the euphoria of camp can quickly wear off leaving us crashing back to earth and reality. It can be like a runners’ high that wears off leaving us feeling flat and lethargic. When we hit a spiritual mountain-top we realise that realistically the only way to go is down—unless we own a rocket backpack! Leaving camp may mean returning to loneliness, an unhappy family, school or
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tertiary environment or to work pressures— and to plenty of distractions and vices. When reality hits, it’s not uncommon to experience some form of post-camp depression and realise we are not able to maintain that mountain-top experience. While no one can sustainably operate at the full revs of camp life for too long, we do need to keep some momentum going, creating a slower descent for our campers rather than dropping off the side or burning up on our reentry to every-day life.
