Summer camp proves God is with us

By Rachel Wright
Director of Congregational Excellence
The first time I went to summer camp, I was 8 years old. I attended a rather spartan camp in the Texas Hill Country, not far from my home in Comfort. I spent the week saluting my counselors, making macramé key chains in 105-degree heat and trying to stomach goulash. I spent the week formulating escape plans.
The first time I went to summer camp, I did not go to Mount Wesley for Preteen Camp—much to my detriment!
When I did make it to Mount Wesley in Kerrville later that same summer, I learned that camp could be radically different. There could be less instruction and more conversation, less competition and more cooperation, less silence before lights-out and more time for teaching the value of contemplation.
I learned that at Mount Wesley, campers were not divided by how well we rode a horse or tied a knot. We were connected because we were almost all United Methodists. Even if we weren’t, we were certainly all children of God. (Plus the food was pretty good.)
This year I have the privilege of attending the Austin District Preteen Camp at Mount Wesley Conference Center June 9-12.
We are expecting more than 100 campers who have finished third, fourth and fifth grades to explore the theme “God is with us.”
I went to my first preteen camp at Mount Wesley almost 20 years ago, and the campus is not the same. A successful conference campaign has led to many improvements to our Methodist campground.
But I know the message at Mount Wesley will be unchanged. The kingdom of God is still radically different from our secular world. And yes, the kingdom of God is here because at the pool, with our friends, in everything we do—God is with us!
To share your favorite Mount Wesley memories, support a camper scholarship or register for camp, contact rachel@umcad.org or (512) 442-9444.