Transcript
Please be seated.
It is with great joy that I get to introduce Gareth, who is the executive director of Chanco on the James. He will be coming up shortly to speak to you all about Chanco. Chanco is the place of the diocesan summer camp, Camp Chanco. It is also a location where there are various retreats and other opportunities for personal growth and spiritual development. Uh it is a very special place.
It’s right over the James River Bridge, just barely outside of Smithfield. It’s very close. If you have an opportunity, go on a retreat there. Uh we have funding, we will happily support you if you can’t do it on your own. Even if you just drive out there for a couple of hours, it is so close enough that we are blessed to have that opportunity.
I will tell you I have run the roads of Chanco before the sun has risen and found God, and I have done yoga at the end of a dock overlooking the water and found God, and I have gotten to sing camp songs with children about mountains in Spanish and have seen God there. I know Chanco is a very special place and I’m very excited that Gareth is here to talk more about it. So, Gareth, the pulpit is yours.
Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Thank you for having me here with you at St. John’s. It’s an honor to be here and one of my favorite parts of the job to be able to get out across our diocese, to see the various beautiful buildings and meet the wonderful people. I’m glad to be here with you today.
God, make me an instrument of your word that I may honor your ministry at Chanco on the James and all that you do. Amen.
I know that you’ve been taking fastidious notes these past 3 weeks as you’ve been listening to the gospel and the sermons. And so, these past three Sundays we’ve heard something of a common theme from the gospel writers. Starting first on Easter Sunday with the Gospel of John, we heard about Mary Magdalene and her encounter with the risen Christ. We are told that at first she did not know that it was Jesus. It was only after Jesus called her by name that she turned and called him teacher. For whatever reason, hearing Jesus say her name was that thing that was required in order for Mary to recognize him.
Now, last week, once again, we got to hear from the Gospel of John. This time it was the familiar story of doubting Thomas. Thomas said to his buddies, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my fingers into the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Ultimately, Thomas did not end up sticking his fingers into Jesus. Probably for the best. Uh but for Thomas, seeing was believing. He believed when he saw Jesus and saw his injuries from the crucifixion.
Now, this week, we got to hear from Luke, and Luke tells us of an encounter between Jesus and two of his disciples, Cleopas and the person who doesn’t get to make it into the history books. Again, we have a case where the risen Christ is revealed to those who knew him through a specific act. Although they had been talking and walking with Jesus for quite a while and even invited him into their home, it wasn’t until he broke the bread that he was made known to them. Only then did they recognize him. Again, sort of a seeing is believing type of moment. But just like with Mary and with Thomas, it wasn’t seeing Jesus alone that led them recognize their Lord. It was a very specific act that made their believing possible. And in each of these cases, the act was different.
These three stories, when taken together, highlight for me a truth that is very real in modern times. And that is that although God is with all of us all the time, we each see him in different ways. For many of you, I’m sure that regular attendance at Sunday morning worship right here at St. John’s is a huge part of how you connect with God. And that hearing the scripture read each week by Lisa and by your lay readers, that guides and reinforces your faith. Right? Okay. And hopefully, something that I say today will spark your faith to glow just a bit more brightly as well.
But formal liturgy is only one of many ways that our creator is revealed to you, to all of us. Now, I grew up in the ’90s and I enjoy listening to a band called Live. Their song or in their song Heaven, lead singer Ed Kowalczyk sings, “I don’t need no one to tell me about heaven. I look at my daughter and I believe. I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth. I can see the sunset and I perceive.”
These are sentiments to which many of us can relate. The miracle of birth is wondrous indeed. And seeing one’s child born is a powerful revelation of God’s greatness for many. And at Chanco’s recent creation care retreat, the Reverend Mark Vance shared with us how creation is revealed through its creator. Whether through a sunset viewed over the James River, a baby fawn grazing in the field next to the spirit center, or the cool winds blowing through chalet screens at night to keep our campers cool as they sleep, there are countless opportunities at Chanco to see God through creation.
For still others, a connection to God is best felt through music. Song is how my friend Bill Beach expresses his praise of the Lord. In many denominations of our faith, music is so connected with expression of reverence for God that the term worship has become synonymous with the part of the church service that is the music. Whether you prefer deep sounds of a pipe organ and bellowing in your home parish, listening to K-Love on the radio, tuned by Ed Kowalczyk and Live, or singing camp songs like Sanctuary and Montaña, which Lisa mentioned a moment ago, there is no doubt that music can invoke strong feelings of faith.
At Chanco, we offer many different ways for our retreat guests and summer campers to experience God and to build their faith. We certainly offer traditional Episcopal worship through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. And that is very meaningful to many of our campers and staff, especially those who are members of a parish in the diocese like this one. But only about 25 to 30% of our campers come from an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Many others come from other churches, while as many as 29 to 39%, depending on the year, are campers who claim no church affiliation at all.
And just as Christ was revealed to individuals in our gospel in different ways, he is also revealed to our campers in different ways. Sometimes those ways are rather obvious, while other times they’re more subtle. That’s why it’s significant that we offer many spiritually enriching opportunities at camp. Traditional Episcopal worship, more casual discussions about scripture, time in fellowship and community, accepting personal challenges and conquering fears like jumping off the leap of faith at the ropes course, or play in God’s great outdoors are some of the ways that Chanco campers have the opportunity to get to know God.
During our daily morning worship, campers have the chance to reflect on God’s presence in their life in two uniquely Chanco ways. These are our Yay Gods and Jesus Christ Superstars. The first of these are moments when we have experienced God’s presence and blessings upon us. For our campers, this is often expressed through their interaction with nature, such as seeing a beautiful bird or an interesting lizard. Some days, campers praise God for the weather with which he has blessed us or for an unexpected opportunity. And after the camper shares that experience with God, we all go, “Yay God.”
Jesus Christ Superstars are a time of recognition that the Holy Spirit is alive within all of us. Yes, sir. Campers shout out each other for being Christ-like. Examples frequently include sharing with their peers, helping with a difficult task, or cheering up a friend who’s having a rough day. In this way, Christ is revealed to our campers through the faces of their peers. And we celebrate this after they shout that peer out, we all go, “Superstar!”
Not only do we offer these experiences to kids from both within our diocese and without, we also offer scholarships to make sure these opportunities are available to all campers regardless of their financial means. Last year, Chanco awarded scholarships to 42 individuals totaling more than $31,000, including offering full scholarships to campers from the Boys Home, and to the Housing Families First and Four Kids ministries for homeless. And we host two weeks of All God’s Children Camp, which is a program for kids with incarcerated parents. In these ways, your diocesan Camp and Retreat Ministry is an outreach of the diocese. And I am grateful to St. John’s for all the support that your parish gives in treasure and talent to make what we do possible. You are helping to make Christ known to hundreds of kids every single summer.
Thank you. And that is my prayer for us as we leave our time together today. May we each do our part to reveal God to those we encounter. Whether it be by inviting someone you know to join you next week here at St. John’s for Sunday service, by contributing to a camp scholarship fund, or through acts of kindness to those we meet. May we all be Jesus Christ superstars.
Amen. Amen.