"I can't wait for next summer!   I made tons of new friends and learned
more songs to share God's love." - summer camper

As Christians, we celebrate how our lives are defined by Jesus Christ. As Lutherans, we give special emphasis to God’s grace. Lutherans, however, are not widely known for crossing the street to knock on doors, or for sharing the Good News with others. We yearn to earn the "E" in ELCA, but many of us struggle when it comes to actually inviting others to come into our church. How do we possibly bring our friends and neighbors into the experience of Christian community?

The good news is that evangelism ins’t rocket science. It’s not always as complex as we might think. Sharing the Gospel – welcoming more people into a Christian community of faith – doesn’t depend on some skill we missed in confirmation class. Like Jonah’s brief and hesitant speech at Nineveh, God can use a few words in powerful ways. Often, all we need to do is to simply make the invitation. That’s what 13 churches across eastern Iowa did this summer…and here’s what happened.

It would take more staff, money and resources, and "recruiting season" was all but over. Of course, God opened the doors. This spring, miraculously and inexplicably apart from God’s work, we had nearly twice as many counselor applicants as last year. In a few weeks, God inspired the commitment of the churches, the Ewalu board of directors, and both synods in eastern Iowa.

An exciting thought occurred. If camping ministry could help refresh and energize evangelism within a church through Day Camps, why not encourage even more churches in the same way? Looking at the potential effect, we sensed that God might be up to something knowing there are 141 ELCA outdoor ministry sites across the United States offering some form of Day Camp.

So earlier this spring, meetings took place, staff were hired, and ideas became actions. The synods suggested 13 churches who they felt would most benefit from this ministry. For two years, they would receive free Day Camps to help spark a spirit of evangelism with a third year at half price. The churches responded with enthusiasm. Volunteers handed out brochures, posted flyers, advertised in schools and public places, utilized mass media – and members of Lutheran churches went out into their towns and knocked on hundreds of doors!

A pastor at one of the 13 churches said, "Thanks for inviting us to be part of this opportunity. It is exciting – the opportunity, but more importantly it is set up with purpose and function to do what we all say and truly want to do – outreach to our communities."

Day Camp Evangelism connects new kids with churches; they invite families who are otherwise unconnected with the church. It also involves many volunteers and strengthens bonds among children and adults who are already members. The church follows up the week with more invitations – to worship, youth events, Sunday school, faith discussion groups, and other ministry programs to welcome new families into a loving community of faith.

One volunteer from a Day Camp writes, "On Monday of the camp we were walking to visit one of the churches in the community and there were three children outside playing. I walked up to them and said that we were missing them and really would like to see them at Day Camp the next day. All three were there before 9:00 and attended the rest of the week. Many times it really takes that personal invitation. We feel we had so many attend because they each received a personal invitation to attend."

Although a traditional worship service may not attract kids all by itself, a fun week of "camp at the local church" has a different effect to initiate church participation. The kids, many formerly unassociated with church, show up at the Day Camps.

"There were 60 kids participating and the congregation added a 6th Grade to their VBS for the first time this year," writes Pastor Mark Anderson of the Northeastern Iowa Synod office. "In addition to the camp staff, the congregation also included 10 ‘helpers’ greatly increasing the congregation’s and community’s involvement in VBS. By chance one of the Ewalu camp staff was a pastor from Namibia, Africa. His presence had a great impact on the congregation, and now his congregation and the one in Dows are discussing how they could have greater ties. Thanks be to God for how His Word connects people of faith in the congregation, the community, and across the globe!"

We pray and expect that the churches involved in evangelism will gain new members. Bolstering membership would be enough reason to proceed, but this wasn’t just about new members. We hope the kids might get involved in outdoor ministries, but it’s not about Camp Ewalu or our summer program; the numbers show that financial reasons were certainly not a motivator. One mission congregation, New Hope Lutheran Church in Farley, worked with and learned from the Ewalu counselors during their Day Camp years ago and has, independently of Ewalu, conducted their own successful program each year since. Now they have over 100 kids coming to their program.

We pray that kids who attend the Day Camps will grow stronger in their relationships with God, with each other, the counselors, the church’s adult leaders, and the whole church community. The talented counselors and dedicated volunteers strive to make it a great experience for the kids. While this was the focus for the week, and alone this would be sufficient reason for the Day Camp – there is a bigger picture as well.

Pastor Anderson reflects about the impact of Day Camp on that original church whose plight helped inspire this summer’s exciting ministry, "This kind of community outreach to the neighbors is exactly one of the things we are trying to achieve with Evangelism Day Camp. It is also important to remember that not all evangelical outreach happens with the children. The congregation was very involved in the program including even home-bound members who participated by making cookies and snacks. Another unexpected outcome is that members of [a nearby Lutheran church] also sent helpers. Thanks be to God for the power of His Word to speak to kids, through kids and even when there are no kids."