Stellar Sunday
Similar to Saturdays, Sundays are also a chance for us to take a break from the regular routine of camp. The general feel of the day is a little more relaxed and reverent, as we are able to go at a slower pace and savor our surroundings. To start things off, everyone is treated to Sunday breakfast, including Krispy Kreme doughnuts that get delivered to camp that morning! Any day that begins with doughnuts is destined to be a good day. Along with the sweet treat, we also enjoyed cheesy scrambled eggs with roasted potatoes, bacon, orange slices, and a breakfast bar with yogurt and granola.
Sundays are like a reset button for the rest of the week, and after playing hard all hours of the day, we use Sundays to clean up and refresh for the week ahead. Boys have to keep their cabins clean for morning inspections each day, but on Sunday they are given extra time to catch up on cleaning, especially because their trunks have to be open and ready for inspection by the directors and tribal leaders. This helps practice responsibility, and keep everyone accountable for maintaining their own cleanliness and health. Everyone takes turns with sweeping, cleaning the bathroom, and taking out the trash. Parents might be happy to know that boys are expected to make their beds each morning, so hopefully they bring those habits home with them! The boys get some extra motivation too, because the cleanest cabins from each Line get called first in the ice cream sundae line after lunch!
After tidying their cabin areas, everyone changed into their Sunday white polos and headed to church service. Falling Creek is a Christian camp, but we are non-denominational and our church service is centered around common values that are important for everyone, no matter your specific faith background. Yesterday’s service continued with the theme of “unselfishness.” Each week of camp has a theme that guides our Evening Embers discussions, our Campfire talks, and our Church program. Unselfishness was this past week’s theme, and is often referred to here as “the Spirit of Falling Creek,” since it is such an essential quality for the camp community. During church, we sang songs, enjoyed skits, and talked about what it means to work for the greater good, or to put others before yourself.
Every Sunday we enjoy a favorite lunch meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and warm rolls. Though it’s always tasty, after lunch comes the real treat. We get to enjoy ice cream sundaes with plenty of toppings! Campers are called to line up based on their average cabin inspection scores from the past week, with the cleanest cabins getting awarded a front spot in line. We had chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, plus sprinkles, strawberries, fudge sauce, caramel, and whipped cream on an outside ice cream bar. It is definitely a highlight of the week.
After an extended rest hour to catch up on reading, take a nice nap, or write a few letters home, boys were able to spend the afternoon doing Special Signups. Sunday afternoon is a time when counselors can offer games or activities that they wouldn’t normally teach, and boys can try something different than their regular schedule. Counselors announce where they will be for the first or second half of the afternoon, and boys are free to meet them where the activity of their choice is held. We split into our three Lines, with each group rotating through the swim docks/landsports field, dining hall/tennis courts, and gym/lodge.
During the first half of the afternoon, there was ultimate frisbee hosted on the turf field, a game of “knockout” in the gym, playing “touch the fence” on the tennis courts, chess games, glazing pottery and free draw at arts and crafts, blacksmithing, writing music/rhyming poetry with Zaki, workouts in the lodge, 4 square under the dining hall, and trail running around the lakes. In the second half, there were also some great activities to choose from. Art and chess continued to be offered, and the swim docks were open for free swim and the “biggest splash” contest. The Sorrel Lineheads James and Will challenged their campers to a foosball tournament to see if anyone could beat them at the foosball tables. There was indoor soccer, wood carving, workouts in the lodge, playing Magic trading card games, and ping pong matches. It was a fun afternoon!
On Sundays for dinner, we have a cookout where we eat hamburgers and hotdogs picnic-style on the field by the gym. The burgers and dogs are grilled outdoors on the huge camp grill, which always smells amazing, and are accompanied by great sides and dessert. A highlight for the campers however, is the weekly Cheerwine soda that they get to drink with dinner! Though we eat family style with our cabins during regular meals in the dining hall, it is always a fun change of pace to enjoy an outdoor picnic.
Sunday evenings always close with Campfire, one of the most beloved times at camp where we all share stories, songs, and laughter around the fire. If you could narrow camp down to a single word, it could arguably be summed up by these six letters: Behold. “Behold” is the word that begins every Campfire, the cheer we yell at the end of team huddles, the word you whisper to yourself when you stand in awe at the Overlook, and the way that Psalm 133:1 starts out: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” The word evokes memories of campfires, brotherhood, and community, all things central to the Falling Creek experience, and all things that we get to enjoy on Sundays at camp. Since the theme of the first week has been “Unselfishness,” tonight’s Campfire introduced the theme for the upcoming week: Discipline/Self Control.
As the “Call to Quarters” bell rang after Campfire and the all boys were ready for bed in their cabins, the only sounds were the crickets and bullfrogs along the banks. After Campfire we always sing Taps, and this comforting melody is the perfect way to end the day. It’s words ring true as the whole camp prepares for a good night’s rest: All is well, safely rest, God is nigh. Goodnight.