"The Enduring Gift of Camp" - By The Rev. Derrick Hill

As summer comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the impact summer camp has had on generations of people who have called Camp McDowell home—even if only for a week, a summer, or a season of their lives.

This August, members of Camp McDowell’s summer staff from the 1980s returned for a reunion. 40 former staff members came from 12 different states to gather once again in this wonderful, wonderful place. The years had carried them in many different directions, but as I listened to their stories, a common thread emerged.

Again and again, they spoke about how Camp had helped shape who they became. They remembered a place where they discovered they were accepted for who they were, where friendships grew into deep and lasting relationships, and where they experienced a connection with God and one another that has remained with them across the decades.

What struck me most was how familiar their stories sounded.

One of those former staff members was Beverly Hurley Hill, who served on summer camp staff in 1984. This summer, more than 40 years later, Beverly returned to summer camp in a new role, serving as a Lay Chaplain to the Clear Creek staff. Her experience brought the story full circle. She shared:

“This year I was asked to serve as a Lay Chaplain to the Clear Creek summer camp staff. I had the privilege of offering group spiritual direction ahead of each session, and porch conversations as needed in between. Those gatherings became ‘Bev time,’ and I will treasure them always. Shared meals, canteen, and the pinnacle of each day, Compline, were rich with connection, joy, songs, and awareness of God’s presence. Reflections following each session and at the end of the summer were thoughtful, full of gratitude, and proof of the lasting impact on each of this year’s amazing staff. While living at Camp McDowell, I also got to witness the fantastic summer experiences of Bethany’s Kids, Special Session, and Hope Heals. McDowell’s expansion makes abilities camps not just possible, but wonderful, and unmistakable evidence of God’s kingdom.”

The names and faces change. Buildings change, traditions evolve, and each generation leaves its own mark on Camp. But something essential endures. We hear that same truth in the words of Susie Whitsett, our 2026 Clear Creek Head Counselor:

“Camp has changed my life and continues to shape who I am. The community is unlike anything I have ever experienced. When I was a camper, I learned how to love others unconditionally and to see that God works in unconventional ways. Becoming a counselor fulfilled a dream of mine and taught me the joy of serving alongside others to create a place rooted in steadfast faith, love, and belonging.”

More than 40 years separate Beverly’s summer on staff and Susie’s service as Head Counselor. Yet their experiences reveal the same enduring gift: community, belonging, acceptance, service, and an awareness of God’s presence in the midst of it all.

And perhaps that is one of the great gifts of Camp McDowell. Summer camp eventually ends. Counselors go home. Campers return to school. Years pass, and forty former staff members suddenly find themselves returning to the place they shared decades ago.

But the experience does not remain behind.

It travels with us.

Perhaps that is part of what we mean when we say Camp McDowell seeks to show “the way the world could be.” For a little while, people experience a community rooted in faith, love, acceptance, and belonging. They glimpse the kingdom of God in shared meals, songs at Compline, conversations on porches, laughter, creation, and relationships with people who accept them for who they are.

And then they carry a piece of that experience with them into the world.

Faithfully,

Derrick+