Dear Fellow Presbyterians,
I am very excited about the proposal of Lakeshore Christian Camping (LCC) to save, restore, and enhance Presbyterian Camps in Western Michigan. Their vision is especially compelling because the LCC represents both lay and ordained Presbyterians working creatively to provide ministry with young people that is vital for our denomination and the ministries of local congregations. As you may know, Presbyterians have been in a rapid state of decline. According to the statistics published on the PC(USA) website, “Between 1983 and 2008, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had a net loss of almost 1,000,000 members, dropping from 3,131,228 to 2,140,165. In relative terms, the net loss was 31.6%.” Moreover, this rapid decline is accelerating: “The greatest numerical and percentage losses are for 2008 (69,381; 3.1%), followed by 2007 (57,572; 2.5%). Indeed, the six greatest percentage declines (and five of the six largest numerical declines) took place from 2003 to 2008.” The reason we are in such dramatic decline is due in great measure to the fact that young people are absent from our churches. For every one Presbyterian worshiper under the age of 25, there are six over the age of 65. We have lost an entire generation.
Lakeshore Christian Camping (LCC) is a very bright star in this dark sky. Theirs is rallying cry around the importance of working with and for our young people through camping ministry. Their goal is not only to save Presbyterian Camps, but to improve dramatically the facilities. They have a clear and extensive plan for this and the financial resources to make it happen. I confess that even as a youth director working in the Presbytery of Chicago, I had heard about but had not taken the time to learn of the extraordinary resource of Presbyterian Camps. This changed dramatically when I actually went to Presbyterian Camps and spent time there with high school and college students. That’s when Presbyterian Camps stopped being an ‘idea’ or ‘possibility’ and started playing a real and vital role in my ministry with both young people and adults. I suspect that like me, many pastors and youth leaders know of Presbyterian camps, but they are unaware of the ways it can be a resource for them especially with young people.
In my work at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I administer a large grant from the Lilly Endowment at the Institute for Youth Ministry, I am privileged to work with pastors and youth leaders throughout the U.S. and Canada and provide them with training and valuable resources. In my view, the vision for Presbyterian Camps that has been developed by the LCC is a both tremendous resource and opportunity for congregations who are committed to working with youth and young adults — congregations who have a passion for reaching the lost generation. If you are a pastor, youth director, or lay youth leader in the Presbytery of Chicago who has a passion for what is possible with young people, I invite you to call me directly. I would love to learn about your ministry and explore practical ways of supporting the essential work you are doing including ways the LCC’s vision for Presbyterian Camps could support you. The vision of the LCC comes from Presbyterians, it is for Presbyterians, and it actively seeks partnership with local congregations to reach out for the good of our congregations and especially our young people. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to lose.
Sincerely,
Chanon Ross
Institute for Youth Ministry
Princeton Theological Seminary