Church-sponsored camp programs are a traditional part of summer for many young people in the U.S. Virgin Islands, offering spiritual renewal along with recreation.
Tin Tin Hart has been teaching, entertaining and enriching young people at the Nisky Moravian Church summer camp for the past 10 years or so, and she hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for the task.
“It’s a camp of love,” she says. She calls it “Tin Tin & Friends.” Campers range in age from 3 to 12 and Hart said she expects to have about 35 participants this year.
“We build the theme on religion,” Hart said. This summer’s theme is a play on words: Son Treasure Island. Campers meet from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the school on the church grounds.
Nationally and internationally, the Moravian Church has made youth camps a part of its mission and Hart said she taps into that experience to get materials for the camp at Nisky Moravian. But she draws on local resources too. One day a week is generally set aside for a trip to the beach. She also plans field trips to such venues as Coral World and the library, and has plans for excursions to St. John. Regular activities include sewing and jewelry making, and Hart said she teaches a little Spanish. But the focus is not on academics.
With the emphasis on the spirit, children learn liturgical songs and dances, which they perform for their parents at the closing ceremony at the end of the summer.
The Cathedral Church of All Saints and Sunny Saints Summer Program is in its fourth year of operation and going strong, despite a drop in funding. By its opening day June 23, some 64 children had signed up and Valarie Thompson said, “We’re expecting a few more.” The camp runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, until July 25.
It is open to children aged 5 to 14 and is held in the All Saints Parish Hall on Garden Street in Charlotte Amalie.
Daily meditation and theme lessons are part of the curriculum. Campers also learn Bible verses. Among the academic offerings are language arts, Virgin Islands history, math and the Governor’s Reading Challenge. Other activities include arts and crafts, box gardening, basic sewing and cake decorating and karate.
“They get breakfast and they get lunch” through the Education and Agriculture Department’s summer food service program, Thompson said. Children from the neighborhood are also welcome for the meals.
Thompson said the church has had to cut back on staff because of a drop in funding but still has six teachers working at the camp and is operating on full.
“We can’t tell people to not send their children,” she said. “How can you say ‘No’?”
Sponsors include All Saints Cathedral, United Way, Heritage Mark Foundation, 21st Century Learning Service and St. Andrews Seek and Serve Outreach, in addition to the government-funded meal program.
At the Calvary Baptist Church in Freeman’s Ground, St. John, the vacation Bible school also had to cut back this year. Pastor Joseph Luke said the program ran for just a week, at the end of June.
About 35 children and youth, divided into several different groups based on age, took part in the program. It was open to campers from age 3 to 18. Besides Bible lessons, the program featured arts and crafts, basketball and a variety of games.
One of the territory’s longest-running summer programs is that sponsored by the St. Thomas Reformed Church.
“This camp has been going on for over 30 years,” said Sandy Smith, an administrator at the church. Its mission, in part, is “to provide campers with a loving Christian experience.” Smith called it “a very loving, encouraging environment.”
The camp is open to all, and Smith estimated fewer than half the participants are actually church members. One of the best parts about it, she said, is its diversity – of age, faith, ethnicity, culture and economics.
Like some other church-sponsored camps, the summer’s activities are formed around a theme. One year, the theme was peace, another year, friendship. This year it is “God’s creatures,” Smith said.
The camp is held at Magens Bay Shed No. 3 and runs from July 7 through Aug. 1. It’s open to children aged 5 to 13. Activities include Bible study, music and arts and crafts.
The staff-to-campers ratio is high, about 15 adults to about 60 children, according to Smith.
“We tend to have the same people (working) year after year because they like it,” she said. Many of the staff are former campers.
