Excerpt from Valley of the Shadow by Elizabeth and
Erin Stone, © 2014.
Christian parents often think that
engendering faith in their children is a natural. For those of us who came to Christ
independent of our families, we think that our kids will get it and will always
cling to it, just because they have the benefit of being raised by Christian
parents. But the truth is that every
child has to come to Christ on his or her own.
Every person has to make that commitment, not as an extension of what
they have been taught and seen in their parents, but independently. I prayed for all of my children. From the moment I knew they existed I prayed
that always they would know the love of God.
I prayed for them to know how we loved them, and that they would see the
Kingdom of God lived out in the microcosm of our family life. But I also prayed that God would make Himself
real to each of them, that all of them would make the decision to follow Christ
and accept salvation through Him. But
for our kids, the most significant factor in finding faith was church camp. . .
Our church camp is what you would call
“rustic.” We slept in cabins with
electric lights, the bathroom was several hundred yards down the path. It was on a man-made lake in Ohio, and we
swam in the lake. Folks who have passed
through that camp all have a great love of it, and most try to spend time there
every year. What made it special was the
genuine faith of the people there, the sacrificial servanthood of the staff and
volunteers, the ultimate authority of the Bible in the organization and
teaching, and the mission of sharing the Gospel with as many kids as
possible. Going to camp is like stepping
into a faith community from the book of Acts, if just for a week. The whole camp is like an impromptu church,
organized around the teaching of the apostles.
The small groups and cabin groups are like house churches, having
devotions, learning and working together.
Everyone comes together for a common meal, and then goes off for their
various activities, only to come together at the open-air chapel by the lake
for vespers every evening. Kids come
from all kinds of families, and they get to participate in a Christian
community in miniature, and experience God’s love in that context. As parents, I think Greg and I did
everything we could to catechize our children, to bring them up in the fear and
admonition of the Lord. But every one of
our kids, without exception, says that the place where Jesus Christ became real
to them was at church camp. . .
One by one, my children took their turns
going off to camp. They started when
they were five and they still try to go every year. And one by one, each made
his or her commitment to Christ, maybe at the outdoor chapel, maybe at the
prayer rock, maybe at the campfire, or in the gazebo. And to our great joy and eternal blessing,
every one of them from Josh on down, turned around and served as a
counselor. Patrick and Rebekah also hired
on as staff, John-Mark has now followed in his father’s footsteps and taught high
school camp, and Erin directed junior camp.
Camp’s great benefit is that we received more than we ever
contributed. Our kids not only learned
faith in a dynamic Christian community, but they fellowshipped with people from
other church traditions. Our camp would often have a missionary staff person
from another country: Russia or Kenya or Latin America. The lasting impact on camp and on our kids
has been so much for the good, because as they interacted with people from
different Christian backgrounds and different cultures, they saw that the grace
of Christ is the same throughout the Church and throughout the world. Whatever our outward skin color or culture or
rituals, there was always a common denominator of faith, a marker that was
recognizable in any person who belonged to Christ. And instead of being a barrier to Christian
community, everyone learned to appreciate the gifts and the diversity without
losing the focus on Christ. In a few
weeks of intensive fellowship every summer a foundation of grace was built in
the hearts of these kids, and a kindred spirit among them that expressed itself
across the miles and months of the school year with letters and phone calls and
impromptu gatherings, as well as lifelong friendships. This foundation became an anchor – one of the
many God provided – to tether us to hope during the difficult times ahead.
Copyright © 2014 Elizabeth Stone. All rights reserved.
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