Camp crew wrapped up the final week of Pioneer & Rimrock’s summer season at the end of July. Campers backpacked out of our wilderness location that week, a new adventure for the camp that typically spends each night in the valley near the remains of Montana Mine next to the George Mickelson trail.
Pioneer & Rimrock incorporated its new vision and mission statement into our ministry this summer as we strove to provide unique spaces and opportunities for all people to connect with God, self and others.
The first value of our mission acrostic, community, is perhaps one of the easiest and most difficult values to fulfill at camp.
One of the definitions of community, as defined by the dictionary, is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.”
At camp, it’s fair to say we all have similar interests and goals when we pack our bags for a week of ministry. But attitudes almost always differ and a community includes people who come from a variety of backgrounds.
Our community value means we want to ensure that all of those people – regardless of background, attitude, interests or goals – can connect and grow at camp.
How do we do that?
For counselors, it might be our evening embers in the cabin, when campers share what they’ve learned and experienced that day and talk to each other. For cooking staff, that might mean cooking healthy and filling meals so campers can focus on what they’re learning, rather than growling bellies. For camp administration, that might mean keeping a close watch on medical forms, camp security and ringing the bell at 7 a.m. each morning so campers feel safe.
In the off-season, building camp community means renting out our locations to outside groups and director Jason Wiedrich traveling across the state.
Our camp community, both on-site and off-site, is made up of many parts, including parents and the churches that are part of the Presbytery of South Dakota. That community includes you.
As we wrap up the summer season, we encourage you to invest in the communities around you and celebrate the camp community that is held together not only by campers, crew and parents, but by our loving God.