Yesterday was a field day for our Creation Care Camp. After our usual opening exercises in the church sanctuary, we walked to a nearby park for outdoor art, an opportunity to learn about trees from a forester, and a few outdoor games. The weather was perfect for our adventure. It was slightly cool as we been our walk, but the sun came out and warmed the park. By the time a volunteer delivered popsicles for the children, it was hot and they were ready for the cool treat.

The park that is close to the church and easily accessible by walking has a wide lawn area bordered by a variety of trees. It was perfect for the children to make rubbings of bark and leaves, to learn about the growth of trees and ways that trees communicate through their roots and a variety of organic materials in the soil.

Boulevard park was once at the edge of the city, near the end of the streetcar line when there were streetcars serving the community. At one time the area was heavily forested, but it was logged around the turn of the 20th century. Most of the trees in the park were planted in the early1940’s, making the oldest trees in the park a bit over 80 years of age. Our area is a healthy environment for trees and many of the trees in the park are large. The park boasts a large number of trees making it a good place for the children to identify different species of trees. The park district has a brochure that shows 47 different species of trees growing in the park.

Outdoor art included making nature mandalas, sketching, and painting trees.

My role was to provide a few activities for children who were seeking opportunities to run and play. I led parachute games, a beanbag toss game, an old fashioned tug-o-war and other games.

There are always delightful moments of watching children learn and play. One of those special moments occurred yesterday when several children spotted a hawk in the tree. As we watched, we were able to identify three Cooper’s Hawks that remained in the area for the entire morning. The hawks frequently called out to one another. It is likely that what we were seeing was a nesting pair and a fledgling that was learning to fly and hunt. The children were fascinated by the hawks’ cries and enjoyed spotting them as they flew from tree to tree. A possible nest site was observed.

It was interesting to see the group of about 20 children react to the outdoor setting. Some of them used the open space to simply run and feel the joy of being outdoors. Others were engrossed in the drawing and painting opportunities. Others could hardly concentrate on anything except the hawks. I was able to observe them as other adults assumed various responsibilities to guide children through the planned activities.

After the children were picked up by their parents and grandparents, I invested part of my afternoon in sorting some of the photographs we had taken of the activities. I am preparing a slide show that will be presented to children and parents at the closing ceremonies of our four-day camp just before noon today. The slide show as a high point of last year’s camp and I’m expecting the children to enjoy this display of them engaging in their activities. Looking at the photographs reminded me once again of the value and meaning of faith formation work in the church. As we engage with one another, all of us grow in faith.

I grew up in an era of “Vacation Bible School.” It was part of all of my elementary school summers and I looked forward to it each year. Our understandings of how children learn has changed over time and the activities of our Creation Care Camp are more immersive and engage all of the senses a bit more than the classroom-based activities of my childhood. Nonetheless, those activities had a deep impact on my life as I was coming to age. Most important were the relationships I developed with adults who were outside of our immediate family circle.

Being in a position to observe growing relationships between the children and the group of volunteers who were providing leadership to our program was another reminder of the importance of community in developing faith. Our Creation Care Camp also reminds me of how the community is much broader than just the people of our church. We are connected with all of creation. The health of our environment is a concern for people of faith. Learning to become involved and engaged in working for environmental justice is one of the most important aspects of faith formation. Getting outside of the building is a critical part of our learning.

I couldn’t help but see the parallels between the activities of the hawks in the trees and the children below. Adults were investing their time in witnessing and assisting in the growth and development of younger members of our families. Ways of life that have been passed down for generations are being discovered by yet another generation.

I’m not quite as old as the trees in the park, but I’m definitely of the grandparent generation. In fact two of the participants in this week’s Creation Care Camp are our granddaughters. The hawks don’t have the benefit of three generations. By the time adult birds are nesting they have separated from their parents. We humans, however, have the benefit of being able to engage multiple generations. Our time on this earth is, however, shorter than that of the trees. A healthy forest has many generations of trees growing near each other. The trees in the park can be around for the grandchildren of the youngest children in the park if they are allowed to grow. Our perspective on tie is much shorter than that of the trees.

It is a good week for the last week of our time in this position. Going out with a flurry of activity and memory-building seems appropriate. I know I will take memories of this time with me and I trust the children will as well.