I spent a good part of my young adult life learning about, and working with, middle school youth at the Diocese of Baker summer camps. At twenty years of age, I thought spending a week with middle school youth would be fun! It turned out to be a life changing experience, and solidified the notion that I was being called to the field of youth ministry. That summer, my role was to facilitate a small group of ten youth. For those of us who worked at the camp, there was a sense of accomplishment, a sense that lives had been touched and transformed. The question was, whose lives were changed more, ours as young adults or the young people with whom we had worked? It was a great summer, but I did not realize how great until the following year.

Year Two

I will never forget the first cars pulling into camp the following summer. Families were bringing the youth an hour to an hour and a half early. The road to camp was dirt, and as cars stopped, doors flew open even as the dust was still settling. Young people came running out of their family cars excited to be spending a week at ‘church camp.’ It was at that moment that I thought to myself, we might be have something here.

Fast Forward

It was 1997, and I was a parish youth minister. Having spent seven years working my way up through the middle school camps in Oregon, I was now at a parish in San Diego that, by itself, could have between seventy to a hundred youth at a middle school camp. This was different from my past experience in that it would take our whole diocese sending youth from various parishes to provide that many young people. I wondered if having a middle school camp at our parish was truly a possibility and what would result from it. As it turned out, the benefits helped grow youth ministry in our parish tremendously.

As I stated at the outset, the youth that second summer of camp came pouring out of their cars. It was great to see young people express excitement about their faith. Practical skills were taught and shared, giving them the tools to express their faith in their schools, in their homes, and in a world where trying to live your faith out loud can be very difficult for a young person.

Parish Camp Grows Ministry

At the parish level, some really exciting things happened that I believe most youth ministers hope happen in their ministries as well. First, in addition to youth being excited about their faith, parents were excited about the impact the camp experience had on their child. As such, parents were very supportive about future youth ministry endeavors. Parents willingly wanted to become volunteers. Parents were more open to things such as justice and service trips with young people, family prayer nights either at the parish or at home, and most importantly, parents became advocates for the youth and the youth ministry needs of the parish.

Next, as middle school youth became high school youth, there was a growth in the high school program. In addition, youth who had gone to camp were now bringing their friends who were on the fringes of the church. They were bringing youth who were Catholic but were not too sure about attending Mass and other youth ministry related functions. Not only did youth ministry activities such as catechesis and youth nights become a must attend event, so did Mass. Why?

• Young adults and adults who had staffed the camp were still involved back home at the parish. When young people saw this, they wanted to be there. Church as a whole became an acceptable place to be. These same young adults and adults were helping facilitate faith formation classes, leading youth nights and retreats, etc. Did the young adults and adults have to be at everything? No. But they were at enough gatherings that the connection was there. A mentorship had been established where these young adults and adults were taking just as much responsibility for the young people as the parish youth minister.
• Middle school youth brought back what they experienced at camp and started sharing those experiences with the parish community at large. While young adults inspired the youth, the youth, in turn, inspired the young adults. As a result of these camps, I have seen young adults become youth ministers, go into the priesthood, become doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.

When looking at any ministry, it is important to remember to be patient. While much success can, and should, come from having something like a summer camp, it will take time for the stories of success to spread. As it does, and support builds over time, opportunities for furthering the ministry will arise, providing avenues to grow a more comprehensive ministry to young people at all levels.