St. Crispin’s Summer Camp Record Attendance
St. Crispin's summer camp saw record attendance this summer, with 483 registrations and 412 campers served, 118 of them first-time attendees. That's approximately a 20% increase from previous years! Our Mini and Intensives week, catering to grades 2nd-12th, was particularly popular, and we also noticed growth in our ABC session, designed for grades PreK to 2nd.
We interviewed Teresa Phares, our summer camp director, for a glimpse into this summer. The theme for this summer was "Then were we like those who dream" from Psalm 126. Staff read bedtime stories to the campers from the books "God's Dream" by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and "I Am God's Dream" by Matthew Paul Turner. The campers also participated in fun activities led by the dean teams, such as creating dream journals and boards and learning about the significance of dreams in the Bible. During these activities, they shared their hopes and dreams and discussed how to discern God's hopes and dreams for us and our communities.
Teresa shared what excited her this summer, "What excited me the most this summer was seeing the enthusiasm of the staff and the campers, and how all of the new campers came to quickly love St. Crispin's and feel like a vital part of the community already. The deep love that so many people have for this camp community is truly inspiring, and it doesn't take long for anyone who gets to be a part of this community to feel that love and to be changed by it.
She also shared what she is looking forward to next summer, "I am looking forward to the campers and staff returning next year and seeing how they continue to grow. I am excited to see how their friendships in the community develop and what they bring back to the community next year. I can already look at many of our campers and see them as future staffers, and it makes me super excited for the future of our camp! The theme for next year is "I have called you friends," and I know our dean teams and staff will have so many great ideas to go with it!"
