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19 November, 2008 |
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Feature Articles |
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Why Do We Do It?
Wednesday,
15 September, 2004
I would be surprised if that question did not cross the mind of every Team Leader at some stage in the run up to leading a holiday team and possibly at several stages during the event itself. For some the question is answered as they see transformation in young lives during the course of a week, hard hearts softened and testimony given to what God has done. For others, the only answer is that we do it out of obedience to the call of God, the outcome not at all apparent.
So why do we as an organisation do camps, missions and holiday clubs? The straightforward and obvious answer is that we do it because we’ve been doing it for a very long time. It remains an amazing opportunity to meet with thousands of young people and share the Gospel with them. The doors are open. They may not always remain so for residential ministry.
We take young people away on holiday and offer weekends away for very much the same reasons we have always done. Building relationships, living out what it means to be a Christian, explaining the Gospel day by day, providing opportunities for personal conversation and group discussion – these make a powerful mix. The things I remember from my first camp at Kingscross as a 12 year old are the same things that make an impact now. The combination of direct, relevant and memorable teaching of Gospel truth explained by adults whose lives spoke of their love of Jesus and an indefinable quality of life that made me long for what they had.
But working with children and young people, relying on volunteers as the work-force is a high risk, high cost strategy in today’s world. We need more staff than we once did. Risk assessments, legislative compliance, procedures, policies – all these play a much bigger part, year on year.
What’s the difference? – 1
In conversation with a social worker the other day, as we worked through a situation involving a 15 year old boy in local authority care, she commented that we in SU must see the difference in terms of the number of very vulnerable and damaged young people. She was right. Family breakdown, deterioration in values, lack of respect for authority – there’s a price to be paid for these things. All too often it is the children, the most vulnerable, who pay that price. They grow up never having been allowed to be children. They are sexualised long before they have the maturity to handle that. They never feel valued for themselves, ending up insecure, damaged, aggressive, unable to give or receive love.
What’s the difference? – 2
It is impossible to over-estimate the significance of changes in how we work with volunteers. We now have a Volunteers Unit, manned by three full-time staff, who spend the bulk of their time ensuring that the thousands of volunteers who sign up with SU every year have completed all the appropriate forms. In practical terms this means endless phone calls, e-mails and arrangements to get Disclosure forms signed off.
What’s the difference? – 3
15 or 20 years ago upwards of 60% of our volunteer force were students. That proportion is now around 25%. There are now more team members bringing their own children to camp and more team members arriving at events straight from the pressure of very demanding and busy work situations.
What’s the difference? – 4
When I started as Camps Organiser in 1981, we had 10 or 12 riding holidays based in village halls or schools. We had 3 this summer. There used to be boys only canvas camps at Ballater and Kincraig. It is likely that the summer of 2004 was the last on the field at Ballater but it has been looking very different with girls included! The field at Kincraig gave way to the magnificent surroundings of Alltnacriche in the late 80’s, also a mixed event. As we go into this winter, we are looking forward with anticipation to a major refurbishment and extension programme at Alltnacriche. Over the past 16 years, we’ve had cause to rejoice time and again in the amazing provision of such a wonderful resource. Not just for camps, but for year round ministry with children and young people. We marked the 50th anniversary of camping at Kingscross and Scoughall over the last couple of years. And of course, we now have Lendrick Muir, catering for 150 at a time, providing the base for 1 in 3 of our camp spaces, and also being used year-round by church groups and for a whole range of children’s and youth ministry.
What never ceases to thrill me year by year is the sheer dedication and commitment of volunteers and staff. As an organisation, God has blessed us beyond measure through sending us people who delight to go the second mile and beyond. I could tell you story after story of individuals whose giving of themselves, whose willingness to take on a challenge is immensely moving. What is even more encouraging is that this extraordinary commitment is not confined to any one generation. It is neither the preserve of the young and enthusiastic, nor of an older generation with a different ethos. There are many in every generation who rise to the challenge, who step up to the plate. It is not determined by gender, nor by whether people are volunteers or staff.
Why do they do it? They do it because it works. Camps are really effective as a tool for sharing the Gospel, for demonstrating Christian love as well as speaking about it. They do it because they see God at work, breakthroughs in the most unexpected situations and individuals.
Amazing – awesome – powerful! These are words we hear a lot as people try to describe what God has done.
Christine Murison
Director of Centres and Holidays
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This article first appeared in @SU in September 2004
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Scripture Union Scotland
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