Protect Our Campers

We believe you are here for a noble purpose this week: to personally care for our campers. Please be sure you review all information in the Staff Handbook (everything is online, Part 1 is downloadable, the other parts are webpages) and familiarize yourself with all schedules, policies and procedures of our camp. If you have any questions about any of the information, please talk to Monty, John, Jaron, or Derrick

The parents of our campers have entrusted you, and the rest of our staff, with the care of their children for the next few days—a responsibility that none of us takes lightly.

They expect you to provide a safe, positive, caring and spiritually nurturing environment for their child. Every camper has to be taken care of this week. Anything less is not acceptable to these parents or to Horizon. We will take care of and love all campers, even if they are difficult or disruptive or rude or rebellious. God loves us through our difficult times and we need to do the same for our campers.

You are asked to humbly serve our campers this week. You are asked to put off all the things of this world so through your actions, attitudes, words and dress … so that you may be a reflection of Christ to our campers.

Love our campers as Jesus would. Think about things from their perspective. Embrace your role as a discipler of students. Pray continually throughout the week.

Putting Campers First

Camp is for campers. It’s easy to say, but harder to practice.
This week is not for you, it is for them. Think of how you can best lead your group (or whatever you are leading) so that students see Jesus in everything and have a great experience at camp.
There is no such thing as an “off duty” counselor. Well, actually there is, but it happens on Friday around 10:45 (unless you're in a van going home with your group...in that case you're still on for a little while longer than 10:45. So, hopefully this is not a news flash, but you have signed on for 24 hours a day. Every minute of every day from start to finish we ask you to model Christ and serve these campers.
We work as a team. We succeed or fail as a team. So, if you're thinking about how you're better than other counselors/support staff or trying to stay in the limelight to support your ego, well, just don't. Leave your ego at home! We are all one team, so work together. Help each other.
Call each camper in your group by their NAME.
Involve all campers in your group. Work on the involvement of every student from the starting group time until the closing assembly. Some students will make this difficult. That's okay, you're a great person. And some of the students who make this difficult may be the ones who need this the most. So don't give up. Help them get involved and find ways to connect them to others.

Help our students to know this verse and the implications on their life:

Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith and your pure life. (1 Timothy 4:12)