Episode 58: CampCast 🏕
We are closing this season of Coffee Hour at The Commons visiting Camp Washington! Calling this the CampCast or Coffee Hour at Camp. We have three individuals with us from camp. Tyler Jarvis is the Summer Camp Director and Special Programs Coordinator throughout the rest of the year, he is from Texas. Tristian Fillatio is a first time camp counselor from Newtown, CT. And, Janette Birtha is from Wallingford, CT. She has been a camp counselor for 5 summers.
Alli starts off the conversation asking what Camp means to them. Tyler said “camp is always a place where he could go and be himself… and where people were there to love him,” even when he was “being his most goofy.” This love is something that he tries to recreate for the campers and counselors at Camp Washington. Janette said that for her, camp is a place where she can go to loosen up and reconnect to things that she loves. Tristian was a camper at Camp Washington for 10 years, so camp is a special place for him where he has grown as a person.
The week Alli visited Camp Washington was a very different week at camp. Most weeks there is one camp running at Camp Washington. However, this week there were three different camps happening: Mini Camp (ages 5-10), Wilderness Adventure camp, and Service Leadership Camp. The Mini Camp is for kids who are not quite ready for a full week of camp, so there are two sessions within the week, as well as day campers. The wilderness camp focuses on backcountry living, cooking, hiking, and living in tents fo the week, Tristian is a counselor for Wilderness Adventure Camp. Janette is a counselor for Mini Camp. The Service Leadership Camp is for high school students dedicated to various service projects throughout the week — Swords to Plowshares, filling a food pantry, and other projects in nearby towns.
The theme this summer for Camp Washington that loosely directs the worship services at camp is The Way of Love. Tyler said that he has particularly enjoyed the conversations around “Turn,” one of the words of intention in the Way of Love. Camp Washington starts the weeks off with the word Turn, which has been powerful to reset each week, for Tyler, turning towards Christ. Janette agreed and said that she has learned the importance of self-care so far this summer. Tristian said that he has learned to become more adaptable, especially because this week has been very raining at camp.
Tyler, Janette, and Tristian share what the “typical’ day looks like at the various camps.
Alli asked what each person's favorite thing about Camp Washington is. Janette said it was returning and seeing the campers coming back each year, seeing how they’ve changed and grown. Tristian said that his favorite thing was that he is able to be disconnected from the world when he is a camp, which helps him focus on more important things and not just what’s happening on his phone. Tyler said his two favorite things at camp so far has been 1) obviously the food, and 2) the Eucharist at the end of every week. Campers and counselors have been impacted by the end of the camp Eucharist.
In true camp fashion, Alli closes the podcast asking for some camp folklore stories around the “camp fire” uhh… switchboard. Some of the stories Tyler, Tristian, and Janette share involve an ice cream shop in the woods, relationships at camp, and a ghost named Maxwell?? 👻
Check out Camp Washington at CampWashington.org!
Alli starts off the conversation asking what Camp means to them. Tyler said “camp is always a place where he could go and be himself… and where people were there to love him,” even when he was “being his most goofy.” This love is something that he tries to recreate for the campers and counselors at Camp Washington. Janette said that for her, camp is a place where she can go to loosen up and reconnect to things that she loves. Tristian was a camper at Camp Washington for 10 years, so camp is a special place for him where he has grown as a person.
The week Alli visited Camp Washington was a very different week at camp. Most weeks there is one camp running at Camp Washington. However, this week there were three different camps happening: Mini Camp (ages 5-10), Wilderness Adventure camp, and Service Leadership Camp. The Mini Camp is for kids who are not quite ready for a full week of camp, so there are two sessions within the week, as well as day campers. The wilderness camp focuses on backcountry living, cooking, hiking, and living in tents fo the week, Tristian is a counselor for Wilderness Adventure Camp. Janette is a counselor for Mini Camp. The Service Leadership Camp is for high school students dedicated to various service projects throughout the week — Swords to Plowshares, filling a food pantry, and other projects in nearby towns.
The theme this summer for Camp Washington that loosely directs the worship services at camp is The Way of Love. Tyler said that he has particularly enjoyed the conversations around “Turn,” one of the words of intention in the Way of Love. Camp Washington starts the weeks off with the word Turn, which has been powerful to reset each week, for Tyler, turning towards Christ. Janette agreed and said that she has learned the importance of self-care so far this summer. Tristian said that he has learned to become more adaptable, especially because this week has been very raining at camp.
Tyler, Janette, and Tristian share what the “typical’ day looks like at the various camps.
Alli asked what each person's favorite thing about Camp Washington is. Janette said it was returning and seeing the campers coming back each year, seeing how they’ve changed and grown. Tristian said that his favorite thing was that he is able to be disconnected from the world when he is a camp, which helps him focus on more important things and not just what’s happening on his phone. Tyler said his two favorite things at camp so far has been 1) obviously the food, and 2) the Eucharist at the end of every week. Campers and counselors have been impacted by the end of the camp Eucharist.
In true camp fashion, Alli closes the podcast asking for some camp folklore stories around the “camp fire” uhh… switchboard. Some of the stories Tyler, Tristian, and Janette share involve an ice cream shop in the woods, relationships at camp, and a ghost named Maxwell?? 👻
Check out Camp Washington at CampWashington.org!
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In Christ and Coffee,
Karin & Alli
In Christ and Coffee,
Karin & Alli