Christian Peterson
Reporter@riverbendnews.org
On Monday, July 18, Community Presbyterian Church (CPC) set off on another adventure for the summer. They began the seven hour trek from the church to Ridgehaven a camp in Brevard, N.C. Each year, elementary to high school aged kids from CPC are invited on a trip to Ridgehaven to experience a fun and exciting summer while learning more about the Word of God. Multiple children went on the trip, saying goodbye to technology and their families for a week, and wishing one more goodbye to the volunteers as they stepped into a fresh wild world.
After registration, the kids were introduced to the counselors who would care for them as well as their cabin mates. Quickly, each child claimed their ideal bunk in their cabin. They were then escorted to meet with the rest of the students and learn about their schedule for camp, as well as the many things they could look forward to over the week.
Each morning, the campers would be awake at 8 a.m., getting ready for the day and heading to the mess hall, where they would enjoy breakfast. Then everyone was returned to their cabin for personal quiet time and devotions. The campers were then required to clean up their cabin and head to the auditorium for their morning session. After hearing from God’s Word, the campers split up with their respective cabins to discuss the morning session. After that, they were given time to play with each other in a plethora of different games. After all this, it was time for the campers’ lunch, then they split up for time to swim in the lake or the pool. Between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., the campers had free time to go to the camp store or soda shop, or even to play games of volleyball or gaga ball; sometimes, hikes were even offered. The campers then had an hour to rest in their cabins before heading to dinner. After dinner, it was time to meet again at the auditorium for an evening message. Following this, the campers were led to do rotating types of night activities; some were well-known games, while others had twists and some were made up by the camp. By 9 p.m., it was time for a snack and to see if there was any mail, before grabbing a shower and heading to bed. By 10 p.m., lights were out and the kids asleep, ready for another day of fun at camp.
One of CPC’s members, Tobie Peterson, went to Ridgehaven for months to serve as a camp intern. There, she helped out in the kitchen, with housekeeping and with the activities. She spoke highly of her time helping out with the camps’ animals, including Stanley the donkey and Boogie the miniature pony. Her highlight was the trip the counselors took the scenic Black Balsome. Her favorite song that they sang at camp was “Heal Us Emmanuel” and she loved hearing from the Book of John. “I had a great time meeting new people, growing in Christ and working with a great ministry,” Tobie said. Betsy Peterson, one of the campers said her favorite part of camp was the cabin devotions, while Daniel Peterson said his favorite part was being able to make new friends. The entire experience was amazing for the kids and all spoke highly of going back next year.