How do you have a camp online?

When the ISCF Camps Committee met for our monthly planning meeting in early March 2020, we had no clue how everything would change in just one week. When the first confirmed case of covid 19 hit our shores, everything stopped. Schools were closed. Persons were working from home. The country was placed under lock down - only essential services were allowed to go out. We had no idea how long this would last for, or what it would mean for ISCF Camp 2020. 

The only thing we knew for sure was
what the theme would be

We continued to meet online, brainstorming ideas. The hardest part was the uncertainty. How long would this last? Would we be able to have any camp activities in person? How would we advertise our camps if schools were closed? The only thing we were certain about was that we wanted to have an event - how it would look was what we were not sure of. By mid-May we decided to envision having a camp online. We knew there were elements of camp that we would not be able to replicate online, and that the lack of physical interaction would be a hindrance, especially for those who have been exposed to the joys of ISCF camps before. But we figured that something was better than nothing, so we started planning for our very first ever online camp, to be conducted via Zoom.

By this point, "Zoom" was now a part of our everyday vocabulary,
even though before March we did not know it existed

We started planning online training sessions for our counselors, and reached out to our pool of campworkers to see who would be available for this new format of camp. There were more questions than answers at that point, and we really are appreciative of those who took this leap of faith with us. With no prior online camp experience, we had to depend heavily on God's guidance to determine what elements of traditional camp we would be able to incorporate, and what new features could be added since it would be done online. In July we had 3 training sessions for our counselors. We focused on how to lead a young person to Christ, tools for discipling youths online and how to help youths navigate challenges incurred as a result of the lock down. We also had a dry run of our online camp, so counselors would have an idea of how it would work.

One of our counselors entertaining campers online

Since everything was now online, we started using social media to promote camp. On the first day that the flyer was launched, 8 persons registered. Two weeks later, just before camp was scheduled to start, we had 67 registrations. 17 persons registered the day after the official registration deadline, but we still had space so they kept on coming in. Even after camp started, new persons were added daily. The interesting thing is that the majority of those who registered had never been to an ISCF Camp before. As a matter of fact, most of our 'die hard' seasoned ISCF campers wanted no part in an online version of camp. They knew what their camp experience was like, and there was no way an electronic version would be an acceptable substitute.

Since we could not play conventional camp games we had
to get creative

The first 5 minutes of camp were the hardest. The counselors were nervous as we had no idea what to expect. The campers were shy as this was the first time they were meeting each other. But once we started interacting with them, they warmed up and started talking. We actually got to the stage where they were all talking at the same time - it was at this point that we appreciated the beauty of the 'Mute' button! We introduced the counselors, shared the theme and the memory verse for the day, then handed over to our camp speaker, who was phenomenal! Kosi 'Cosy Bear' Graham really has a gift for Children's Ministry. Using a combination of storytelling, puppets and object lessons, he brought the scripture passage to life in a way that was engaging for all our primary campers - from the 3 year old to the 11 year old.

Showing how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live a godly life

One of the highlights of our online camp was the time the campers spent in break out rooms in their dorms. Like in traditional camping, we placed the campers in dorms headed by counselors with others in their age groups. After the chapel sessions, the counselors were able to use this time to reinforce the message, answer any questions the campers had, hear from the campers their thoughts about the message, and pray with them. For many of the campers, this was one of the few opportunities they had to interact with the peers since school was closed four months ago. It was hard for them to stop talking. In one of the sessions, we allowed the campers to share about issues they were facing, and how they were feeling about the changes brought about by the pandemic, and offered them encouragement from the Word of God. We are really grateful for the opportunity we had to speak truth into the lives of these campers.

We even had campers all the way from Barbados!

One unexpected benefit of having camp online was the level of parental involvement in the program. Normally when children go to camp, the parents pack their bags and send them off. With the younger campers, parents were in the room with them, listening to the message with them. They helped them when they had to do the Scavenger Hunt. They assisted in making their hats for the fancy hat challenge. One parent messaged me excitedly after sending a video of her 6 year old son saying his memory verse - it was the first time he had learnt a memory verse in his life, and she was so proud of him. Some of them messaged afterwards saying that they thoroughly enjoyed camp, even though they were adults!

One of the winners in our "Fancy Hat Challenge"

One of the reasons why I have remained active in the camping ministry for the past 25 years is because I have seen first hand the transformation that happens with a camper between the first and the last day of camp. It is amazing to see how children who were shy and withdrawn initially start to open up as they begin to socialize with the other campers and counselors. We were not sure how this would translate in our online camp, because physical interaction plays a huge role in this process, so we were very encouraged to get this message from the aunt of one of our primary campers:

"My nephew is enjoying the camp. Initially he was a bit apprehensive, didn't want his camera on, however, yesterday he REMINDED me that he had a session. Also yesterday, I heard him singing along loudly during what I guessed was song time (he is by nature a very quiet child, so this is noteworthy) Today, half an hour before the session, he put the IPAD to 'charge' even though it's capacity was more than 50%; he wanted to ensure the battery didn't die. Already, he is looking forward to 'baking' tomorrow. You guys are making an impact, I am sure of it."

One of the pieces created by a Primary camper,
depicting a Memory Verse - John 15:5

In brainstorming ideas for our online camp, one of our committee members who usually serves in the kitchen had a novel suggestion - that we should have a cooking segment! She found a simple recipe for cookies with basic ingredients, which we sent to all the parents so they could prepare in advance. The campers could not wait for this session, which was held on the second to last day of camp. The response was so fantastic that we are thinking of integrating it into our program when we go back to camping in person :)

So proud of their creations!

In the weeks leading up to camp, I was telling one of my prayer supporters that we needed a lot of prayer because we had no clue what we were doing. She assured me that it would all work out. I told her that when it did, God would get all the glory, because we didn't know in advance what would work, or how the campers would respond. Looking back at our inaugural week of camp I can truly say, "To God be the glory, great things He has done!" He brought us through the uncertainty, the challenges of dropped internet connections, and the awkwardness that comes from meeting persons for the first time online. On the day after our camp ended, one camper was insistent on logging in to the zoom call, even though her parent told her there was none. Such was the impact of ISCF Primary Camp 2020 - the online experience! We trust God that the seeds of His Word which were planted would take root and grow and bring forth much fruit in due season.