In Awe of Sunday
After a week spent racing from activity to activity, Sunday gives camp a chance to exhale.
The morning moves a little slower. Campers sleep in, clean their cabins, and gather together for church before the afternoon’s events begin. It’s a day that feels different from the rest of the week. Not because less is happening, but because the entire camp experiences it together. Sundays have a way of bringing the community back together before another week of adventures begins.
This Sunday’s church service introduced a new theme for the week ahead: Awe.
Chaplain and Program Director Matt Sloan encouraged campers to think beyond the way we often use the word. Awe isn’t “aww, that’s cute.” It isn’t feeling sorry for someone. Awe is the feeling of amazement and wonder that causes us to stop, pay attention, and see something differently.
Drawing from the story of Jesus healing a man with leprosy in Luke 5, Matt reminded campers that Jesus was not afraid to approach the man when others kept their distance. The man’s awe came not only from being healed, but from being seen.
“Be captivated and awed by what Jesus has for you,” Matt told the campers. “Let Jesus stop you in your tracks.”
The challenge would linger throughout the rest of the day.
After lunch and rest hour, campers spread across camp for one of Falling Creek’s longest-running traditions: Wild Wild West.
Created by Camp Director Marisa Pharr while she was studying Outdoor Education in college, the game has become a camp favorite. Campers joined teams, searched for hidden treasures, returned lost camp equipment, protected their flag belts, and tried to earn points for their side while avoiding capture.
Part strategy, part scavenger hunt, and part controlled chaos, Wild Wild West sent campers racing across camp in search of points and bragging rights. By the end of the afternoon, the Red Team emerged victorious.
As evening arrived, campers gathered outside for a cookout, taking advantage of a beautiful mountain evening after last week’s weather forced the meal indoors.
The Sunday evening cookout is one of those simple traditions that campers come to appreciate. Sitting on the turf field with a burger in one hand and a Cheerwine in the other, boys swapped stories from the weekend with a brownie for dessert. Small groups gathered together, tossed footballs back and forth, and enjoyed the cabin time together that can be hard to find during the rest of the week. After a full Week Two and an action-packed afternoon, it was an opportunity to slow down, laugh together, and enjoy a beautiful summer evening at camp.
Later that evening, campers gathered for Campfire as the sun settled behind the mountains.
During Campfire, Stick shared Wendy Cope’s poem The Orange. In the poem, a simple orange purchased at lunch becomes the highlight of an otherwise ordinary day:
And that orange, it made me so happy, As ordinary things often do.
The campfire ring echoed with familiar songs like “Wagon Wheel,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “One Tin Soldier” before campers headed back toward their cabins beneath the evening sky.
Earlier in the day, boys had raced across camp during Wild Wild West, searched for hidden treasures, and competed for points. By evening, the pace had slowed considerably. Campfire offered a chance to sit still, sing together, and enjoy the simple moments that often becomes some of the most memorable parts of camp.
As a new week begins, campers will spend their days paddling rivers, climbing rocks, riding horses, catching fish, and building friendships. Along the way, they may discover that wonder isn’t always found in the biggest moments. Sometimes, as the poem suggests, it arrives through ordinary things.