Witnessing God’s Presence at Sleep Away Camp

Abrielle (Abby) Monaghan, a University of Buffalo Sophomore studying English and Communications, and a lifelong member of St. Luke’s in Jamestown will be offering her skills intermittently through the year to share stories from around the Diocese of Western New York.

The importance of being a witness and bearing witness to God’s presence in our human lives is an essential faith practice that goes back to the earliest followers of Christ. It was and is so important that the Greek word of bearing witness actually entered the English language: martyr.

This year, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the LCLC Episcopal Diocese camp for the first time since I was a camper eight years ago, but I was no martyr. It felt like I was a kid again, returning to my ‘second home’ after a year. Being able to sit back and purely observe the camp was a whole new experience for me, as if I was watching my own childhood from a third person perspective.

Wendy Schumacher, the incredible director of the camp, was someone who always made me feel at ease at camp as a kid, and that did not change when I saw her again this year. Not only did I get to observe the activities at camp, but I got to see the genuine joy that the kids had that was given to them by the counselors. Wendy shared with me that within the camp, she’s most proud of witnessing all of the staff members who were once campers return to give the next generation the same experience they once had. Everyone who works at the camp has an obvious passion for the camp itself and they work very hard to provide a safe, fun experience for the kids.

Experiences like this camp remind me how powerful God’s influence is in your life even when you’re unaware of it. We all feel God’s power and presence when we are at church or chapel, having active prayer or discussions about or for God. But what we often forget are how powerful the moments are when we are engaged in another activity and how undeniable God’s presence is.

As I sat with the campers on Tuesday night, watching the talent show and laughing at the beautiful displays of fearlessness and youth being shown to us, all I could think about was how present God truly was. God is who brought everyone in that space together and God was who made that experience truly joyous. God was who everyone was gathered there for, and the joy and memories were the result of that.