"God’s People, Many Gifts"
Outdoor Ministry Curriculum for Children

THEMES / MAJOR LEARNINGS

                The oneness of the church rests on the activity of God in Christ and the response of people who confess that Jesus is the Christ.

The campers will be able to:

A. Move easily around the campsite.
B. Care for their personal needs while in the camp setting.
C. State the purposes and expectations of the week.
D. Acknowledge 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 as the ongoing scripture for the week.
E. Discuss the camp group as church.
F. State some similarities/differences of various churches and of people within the church.

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                What separates God from the human sphere makes God holy. Because God is holy, anything that is of God is holy. The church is not holy in and of itself, but partakes of the holiness of God. To understand ourselves as holy because of our growing relationship with God is exciting and affirming.

                Because of God's grace, we are invited into God's holiness. This grace, freely given by God, calls for a response. And that response is to extend a favor or kindness to others - even to those whom we may think don't deserve it.

The campers will be able to:

A. Make symbols of God's holiness.
B. Identify several differences between the church and other human institutions.
C. Retell a scriptural encounter with the holiness of God.
D. Explore the concepts of holiness and grace.
E. Examine biblical images of the church and express one through an art form.
F. Discover ways that God's holiness (wholeness) is expressed through
                the interrelatedness of the created order.
G. Share ways in which someone has passed on his or her faith to them.

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                The church responds to God's holiness through worship and adoration. As a community of people united through time and across cultures by Jesus Christ and God's Spirit, the church worships God and witnesses to the world by sharing the good news of Christ.

The campers will be able to:

A. Identify reasons why the church worships.
B. Discover and reenact some ways of worship that have been handed down
                through the generations.
C. Experience some ways worship is done in other Christian cultures.
D. Develop a service of worship to God that is sensitive of and adapted to
                the natural environment.
E. Transmit the good news of Jesus Christ through a story, song, or other art form,
                using natural materials if possible.
F. Practice ways in which the campers may share their faith with family and friends.

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                Because the church worships a God of love, it is continually in the process of being formed into a community of people who love and care for one another. This community is expressed not just in attitude, but in action within the community of faith - through a sharing of resources (stewardship), through interpersonal relationships and efforts at reconciliation, and through enhancing and affirming the worth of all people as God's children.

The campers will be able to:

A. Identify some barriers that divide Christians and name ways of overcoming the barriers.
B. Discover some examples of abuse in the natural environment, including people,
                and participate in ways to love and care for the environment.
C. Engage in acts of reconciliation and forgiveness.
D. Develop fair and just ways of sharing and conserving resources in the camping community.
E. Teach one another about God's love.

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                The church isn't called just to love and care for its own, but to be an agent of God's love in the world. Each of us has been given gifts to use in ministry, and different opportunities to serve God. Sometimes exercising our ministry to the world brings us into conflict. In witnessing to and serving the needs of those who suffer, the church is sometimes called to challenge other institutions of society.

The campers will be able to:

A. Identify at least one gift/talent in themselves that can be used in the church and in the world.
B. Name and affirm at least one gift of each camper in the group.
C. Act out a biblical story where ministry in the world led to conflict.
D. Cite some of the ministries presently being performed by their denomination
                and their home church.
E. Plan ways in which campers can become involved in ministry at home.
F. Name some human and environmental needs that call for Christian response.
G. Participate in an act of service to the camp, the environment, or to people in need.

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                Built on the act of God in Christ Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church is a living and growing community, ever open to the presence and nurture of God and sensitive to the needs of a changing world. From the concentration and intensity of the camp experience, people are called to return to their various settings to be the church, to worship, to live out Christian community, to share the good news, and to engage in ministry and service.

The campers will be able to:

A. Tell how they have experienced being the church during the camp week.
B. Express their understanding of the church in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.
C. Share in a time of worship that it is important for both the church and
                individual Christians to assume responsibility for stewardship of the creation.
D. Recognize their home congregation as a vital part of the larger church.
E. Carry the ideas presented this week back to their local congregations.
F. Identify several ways in which they can be responsible participants
                in their home congregations and in the world.
G. Show appreciation to people who have helped make the week meaningful and fun.