Vision & Mission
VISION:
A world that loves God and appreciates His creation
MISSION:
To encounter and celebrate God's love for His children through relationships and experiences in Creation
Core Beliefs
CORE BELIEFS:
As a diverse group of Christians, we seek to find our center in Christ for the purpose of serving God together at Camp. We won’t get it perfect. Sometimes we won’t get it right. We’re all on a spiritual journey. But we believe that Christ is the one redeeming the world, and he has invited us to be his fellow workers through his Spirit.
We believe that Christians share some core beliefs and convictions:
We believe that Christians share some core beliefs and convictions:
- First, there is one true God who is made known to his creation through the persons of the Trinity: The Father who created us, Jesus Christ the Son who died for us, and the Holy Spirit who guides us
- Second, the Bible is the true and inspired Word of God, revealing God’s character and redemptive story of his creation
- Third, God’s worldwide church, which includes all Christians, has been called and equipped to co-labor with Christ in building the kingdom on earth
Commitment to Belonging
COMMITMENT TO BELONGING:
Our Commitment to Belonging is: A person feels like they belong at Camp when they feel accepted, when Camp feels like a place that exists specifically for them. There is a hole at Camp without them. Their gifts and personalities are embraced and utilized. Camp becomes their camp, and they love it. They feel wanted, loved, and desired when they are at Camp. They feel like they are their best and true selves at Camp. Belonging done well reflects the unconditional love that we receive from God.
It is an expansion of our mission through increased belonging, diversity, and accessibility, where:
- People feel welcomed, loved, and that they belong
- The beautiful ethnic and cultural diversity of God’s kingdom is present
- Accessibility for those with disabilities or language barriers is increased
- Financial and transportation barriers are minimized
Ongoing Work
ONGOING WORK:
Guided by Christ's teachings, we are committed to taking intentional steps to know better and do better. In the end, there is no one, great big sweeping change that will create belonging. It is going to take a thousand small steps.
Here are a few examples:
Here are a few examples:
- By focusing our conversations and educational efforts on belonging, we are learning how to grow beyond inclusion and capture the voices of God's beautiful, cultural diversity present in God's kingdom
- By consulting with local Native leaders, we learned that having indigenous tribal names for cabins was disrespectful to indigenous people, and they strongly recommended we rename them.
- By working with partners across West Michigan (Potter’s House, Baxter Community Center, Sibley Elementary School, Urban Family Ministries, Angel Tree Camping, Trinitas Classical School, Cezar E. Chavez Elementary School, and many others), we build trust that develops and deepens relationships
- By providing an on-site summer social worker and educational professionals, we are meeting the mental health needs and supporting the disabilities of campers in broader ways
- By providing flexible pricing and day camp transportation, we are allowing households and schools to have ownership over their camp fees and school field trip fees
- By centering our programs on God's love, our staff intentionally lifts our students, partners, campers, families, guests, and donors in regular prayer.