Summer Staff Spotlight: Interview with Gage
My name is Gage and this summer I am serving as the Compassionate Care Coordinator at Camp Bethany.
What are you excited about this summer?
Each summer I look forward to being part of Camp Bethany. I enjoy the church’s supportive work environment, the team bonding amongst camp staff, connecting with our community’s youth and giving them a memorable summer camp experience. As a Post-secondary student reaching the end of my studies, I am excited to experience one last summer season as a student and use this opportunity to absorb the break and create positive memories.
What do you like about the job you do?
The work environment fostered in this job is unmatched by those I have experienced thus far. Each day I work with excitement and enthusiasm knowing that my team is equally invested and supportive of each other. As a team leader, I find joy in the opportunity to support those that are newer to leadership-type roles and help them improve. On that note, I like the
collaborative support received within the staff culture that allows me to improve my leadership abilities. Since my future career aspirations are heavily interlaced with community, society, culture, and interpersonal interaction this role has allowed me to integrate those skills and further connect with my community.
Why does the work you do matter?
Camp Bethany is more than just a day filled with entertainment for campers. In a world with increasing controversy, hate and division, the need for a safe place for youth to connect is insurmountable. Camp Bethany is a safe, judgement-free environment for youth to interact, engage in fun activities, and learn about God. The work I engage in is important as it not only facilitates a safe space for campers to grow but also fosters personal connections with the youth within the community. As campers come from varying family/life circumstances, experiencing different dynamics and lifestyles, some campers look to us leaders as their trusted adults or even a stand-in as an older sibling. These connections are vital to the development of our youth. We are an outlet for emotional support and life advice for the campers to lean to, and a helping hand both emotionally and spiritually. As youth are beginning to learn and ask questions about God, we are able to help guide them to God in ways they understand and provide them with personal connections within the church community.
In what ways has God worked through the campers this summer?
Seeing the progression of campers that have joined us this summer is a perfect example of God working within them. Often campers arrive on Monday feeling doubts, nervousness, and even anxiety. As they begin to work through the day, it is beautiful to see their personalities begin to show and their confidence begin to grow as the days and weeks progress. Students have shown their kindness and patience to both each other and their group leaders. Throughout the course of the camp, I have experienced campers that have expressed so much passion for God that they have been moved to (joyful) tears, have taken it upon themselves to want to pray for the group, check in on us leaders to make sure that we were okay, and offer to lend a helping hand whenever they saw an opportunity. Some campers have been extremely enthusiastic about serving with the church, asking when they are old enough to be able to become camp volunteers and leaders, and wondering when they can be integrated into the other programs that Bethany CC offers (youth programs etc…). Camp Bethany has set itself up to connect campers with the God and the community so much so that they are excited for the opportunities that await them within the church.