Helping Children Bloom through Earth Camp

We delight in God’s children! We delight in God’s world. At Earth Camp, St. Andrew teachers share their love and care for our planet with another generation, the generation that will inherit both the successes and failures of our stewardship. At Earth Camp, we sing together and play and learn. We dedicate ourselves to making Eden bloom once more.

Moments from Earth Camp 2022
June 27-July 1

Monday, June 27, 2022

“Consider the Lilies of the Field” (Genesis 1:31a; Matthew 6:28–29)

According to Genesis 1:31a, when God finished creating everything, “God saw everything that [God] had made, and indeed, it was very good.” A more precise translation of the Hebrew would be: God saw everything God had made, and behold, it was exceedingly good. God delighted in the beauty of all God had created. It was, in a sense, love at first sight. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gazes on the lilies of the field and marvels at their beauty. We want to cultivate in our children a deep love of all creatures and a deep appreciation of their beauty. We want them to learn to see all things as God sees them—as beautifully delightful.

Allison leads kids singing “On the 8th Day.”
Earth Campers decorate their totes.
Everyone gathers in the Sanctuary of the Firs.
Pat introduces her class to Douglas firs.
Everyone creates a bark rubbing.
Eric shares the story of volcanoes and the rocks they leave behind.
The children say hello without words.
Tiny fungal filaments carry messages between trees.
LuAnn introduces the Wood-Wide-Web.

Tuesday, June 28

“Discovering All Our Earth Kin” (Psalm 104:10–18)

St. Francis of Assisi defined the relationship of human beings to creation as a sibling relationship. Since all things were created and reconciled through Jesus Christ, it was obvious to St. Francis that we must all be kin. He spoke of both our kinship with other living creatures and our kinship with “non-living” members of creation such as Brother Sun and Sister Moon. The concept of kinship has been far more prominent in indigenous traditions than it has been in Christian traditions.  We want our children to come to know how interconnected our well-being is with the well-being of other creatures, our kin.

86-year-old Jeannine walked 8,600 steps on Monday and came back rarin’ to go!
Pastor Mark introduced St. Francis of Assisi with the story of a hungry wolf and frightened villagers.
On Tuesday, the youngest campers did leaf rubbings in the Sanctuary of the Firs.
Red wigglers and other earthworms break down compost and feed the soil.
Liz introduced classes to the worms who make a home in her compost.
Who says girls are afraid of worms? Our campers cradled them with delight!
Pat described how mason bees belly flop into flowers to collect pollen all over their fuzzy little bodies.
Camp artists used clay to create worms, bugs, slugs, and other garden thugs on Tuesday.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

WEDNESDAY: “Suffering with Our Earth Kin” (Hosea 4:3)

In Hosea 4:3 the prophet asserts that even the land mourns what we human beings have done to our Earth home and so many of its inhabitants. The wild animals, the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea are perishing. We want our children to share in God’s sadness over the destruction human beings have caused. We want them to know that God’s sadness and our sadness are signs of deep love for all our suffering kin in the creation.

Eager campers gather to start their third day of camp with Pastor Mark’s welcome.
The spirit of St. Francis watches over Earth Camp and everyone involved.
The Western Red Cedars had a blast sifting soil with Isaac.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

THURSDAY: “God’s Plan for Well-Being” (Jeremiah 29:11)

In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord assures the people of God in exile: “For surely I know the plans that I have for you . . . plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” “Welfare” is the translation of the Hebrew word shalom. The more common translation of shalom is “peace.” Shalom defines God’s hope for the well-being of our Earth home and all our fellow creatures, our kin. We want our children to come to know how interconnected our well-being is with all life. We cannot love God whom we have not seen apart from a loving relationship with our fellow human beings and our fellow creatures whom we have seen. Creatures that we eat are sacrificing their lives for our sake.

Pastor Mark explained how animals like the oxpecker birds on this rhinoceros help each other.
In art, kids made seed tags that they can plant at home.
Water-soluble glue is drying on these seed papers.
Sometimes the silliness just seeps out of these kids! They’re having a great time and learning about caring for the planet, too.
Eric helped kids discover Johnson Creek and its floodplain before heading down to the Sanctuary of the Firs.
Pat and Don pose with the Ponderosa Pines after discovering what our native beavers have been building on Johnson Creek.
Learning how to sort household waste is a valuable skill and it protects the planet, too!

Friday, July 1, 2022

FRIDAY: “Caring for All Our Earth Kin” (Micah 6:8)

In Micah 6:8 the Lord instructs the people of Israel what is good: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” During Earth Camp we want to cultivate in campers a deep desire to be kind to all our Earth kin and to seek justice for all creatures. Ecojustice reigns when the goodness of each creature is affirmed, the rights of all creatures are respected, all creatures have an opportunity to thrive, and relationships among creatures are as God intended them to be. Wangari Maathai showed how one person can have a major impact on the well-being of our Earth home and all our Earth kin.

Friends pay homage to St. Francis with fresh blooms.
Isaac explains how the clothing choices we make can affect the environment.
Pat pours out tree drool collected during the week. It’s all about transpiration!
Youngsters enjoy snacking with Kyler on the last day of camp.
Thanks to Libby for daily skit scripts. This is the pizza wheel of choice.
Pastor Mark leaves everyone with these guiding words: “Never under-estimate the power of one person. You can make a difference!”

That’s it for Earth Camp 2022. It was a wild and wonderful week, something truly “bright and beautiful” for the campers and volunteers alike.

Thank you to the kids who came, the parents who shared them with us, the teachers who prepared fun and thought-provoking lessons, the organizers who put it all together, the guides who tromped miles during the week keeping up with their groups, the volunteers providing and running the snack program, and everyone who played a part in any way.

Now, rest up for 2023!

Highlights from Earth Camp 2021

Monday, June 12, 2021
The Earth Is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1-2; Genesis 1:1)

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them (Genesis 1:1). Psalm 24:1 affirms that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” We want to instill in our children a deep appreciation of the Creator. God has brought our Earth home and all its inhabitants into existence. As human beings we are to join with everything that breathes in praising the Creator (Psalm 150:6).

Pat and Don explain that trees are our “breathing partners.”
Eric talks about the importance of water.
Carol speaks about working with animals.
Carol and her “helper animals.”
The kids really enjoyed playing outdoors, just being kids.
Decorating cloth backpacks for toting our camp gear.

Tuesday, June 13, 2021
Precious in God’s Sight (Genesis 1:31a)

According to Genesis 1:31a, when God finished creating everything, “God saw everything that [God] had made, and, indeed, it was very good.” A more precise translation of the Hebrew would be: God saw everything God had made, and behold, it was exceedingly good—that is, God delighted in it. It was in a sense, love at firs sight. We want to cultivate in our children a deep love of our Earth home and all its inhabitants. We want them to learn to see all things as God sees them—as precious in God’s sight.

Screen trays help the soil sorting process.
Fingerpainting fun with dirt.
Shake it up and let the soil settle.
Pastor Mark invites the children to talk about the wonders of animals.
Art comes naturally to the young.
Amy teaches about the miracle of seeds.

Wednesday, June 14, 2021
Sharing in God’s Sadness (Hosea 4:3)

Genesis 6:5-6 suggests that early on God had misgivings about having created human beings: “The Lord saw the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” In Hosea 4:3 the prophet asserts that even the land mourns what we human beings have done to our Earth home and so many of its inhabitants. The wild animals, the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea are perishing. We want our children to share in God’s sadness over the destruction human beings have caused. We want them to know that God’s sadness is a sign of God’s deep love for all God has made.

Building homemade “microscopes” to put things in perspective.
Taking time to really look carefully at a tree.
Eric teaches about the Oregon Ash tree.
Recycling is one way we can “do better” in our world.

Thursday, June 15, 2021
Making Friends with Other Creatures (Isaiah 11:6-9, Colossians 1:19-20)

In Christ God has reconciled all things including all creatures. Isaiah 11:6-9 offers us a vision of the peaceable kingdom in which creatures get along who normally we would expect to be enemies (or predator and prey). Creatures need to eat to stay alive. So this vision may seem idealistic. The key point is we cannot love God apart from a loving relationship with our fellow human beings and our fellow creatures. We want our children to come to know how interconnected our well-being is with all life. We want them to come to view other creatures as friends. The creatures we ear are sacrificing themselves for us—they are being our friends.

The “Plastic Alternatives” table looks pretty orderly before the campers arrive.
Campers gather in the Sanctuary of the Firs for “NaChurch” with Allison at day’s end.
Earth Camp Program Director Kyler delivers a final word before sending kids off for snacks.

Friday, June 16, 2021
Caring for Our Earth Home (Genesis 2:15; Revelation 22:2)

The creation account in Genesis 2 affirms that human beings are made from the soil. Adam is then given the responsibility to till the Garden of Eden and keep it. The Hebrew word for “till” literally means “serve.” Human beings are not given permission to do whatever they want with what God has created. They are to care for it responsibly. We want to cultivate in our children a deep desire to care for what God has entrusted to us.

Birds, bees, and other residents of our campus were always present this week.
Janet’s adorable puffin cookies were a fitting sendoff.
Our group leaders stage a climate “protest” during worship.
“Creature Preacher” Mark reminds us that humans are “all in the same ol’ boat” when it comes to saving the earth.
What could the solution be?
The solution is a mirror – it takes each one of us to care for this world!