Higher Goals
Adventure activities foster more than bonding — they’re catalysts for spiritual growth.
By Marc Boisclair
When Matt Oxendale recalls his early teen years he admits to spending more time outdoors having fun with friends than inside praying at his local Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB). That changed, however, when he caught wind of the church’s summer youth conference in Banff National Park in Canada. “I was a sophomore in high school and all I heard were the words ‘whitewater rafting,’” says Oxendale, who, along with his best friend, immediately signed up for the event. “We knew and liked some of the kids going anyway but it was the rafting that really grabbed our attention.”
These days you’ll find Oxendale, now 27, still hiking and rafting with his buddy, but with a higher goal in mind. “I’m in charge of that same youth group that went to Banff 12 years ago and my good friend is one of our volunteers,” he says. “That was how I got roped into this whole church thing — I guess you could say it had a lasting effect on me.”
BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE
More youth ministries are adding challenging outdoor activities to their conference agendas, from climbing and canoeing to rafting and mountain biking, as a way to promote group bonding and help keep kids interested. In the end, the rewards can be bountiful as young people discover how pushing their individual limits in a group setting leads to a new appreciation of religion in their lives.
The idea of “pushing one’s limits,” of course, comes with a proven track record, both for troubled youths (through organizations like Outward Bound) and with adults, thanks to those requisite team-building rituals at many meetings and retreats. Youth ministries in particular, though, can take the concept’s core elements of faith and trust among peers to a broader, more spiritual level, all the while giving kids a chance to explore the world outside their standard comfort zone.
“A lot of our kids don’t ever get out of the city, so even the drive out of state is a big deal for them,” says Oxendale. “It’s also good for them to see that the world is bigger than what they’re used to every day. They’re more open to talking about a variety of things then as well.” That head-clearing process can also extend a teen’s perception of the church itself. “The Banff trip was the first time I saw that Christian people were also normal people,” says Oxendale. “They had a lot of fun and a lot of love to give.”
For Chris Hansen, director of student ministries at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Neb., challenging his youth group with adventure activities seems both logical and continuously rewarding. “The idea of our trips is much more than just going somewhere to work in a soup kitchen,” says Hansen. “We absolutely want these kids to challenge themselves. You put them in a river raft or on a ropes course with their peers and they go back to school two months later and still remember who helped them paddle around the rocks or work their way off the ropes. They take those lessons home with them forever.”
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
Having accepted the idea of melding physical challenges into a youth group’s spiritual program, the actual planning phase should come naturally. For starters, there is no shortage of exciting destinations and professional adventure operators out there to assist planners, whether you’re organizing a youth camp in rural Georgia or a week’s retreat in the Pacific Northwest.
“Every summer we do a number of youth groups locally and from out of town,” says Anne Long, reservation manager with the Cascade Raft and Kayak in Boise, Idaho. Long’s team offers a complete Class III rapids package on the Payette River, which includes equipment, changing rooms and action photography, as well as a redwood riverside lodge to rest at afterward. “We have a Christian group coming in soon from the [San Francisco] Bay Area to do some work projects at a youth ranch nearby and then go rafting,” she says. “It’s guided rafting, so we let everyone know when and where to paddle.” Kids also get to play (e.g., water fights, raft wheelies) and perform trust games at the river’s slow points. “They’ll stand up inside the raft itself, holding hands and forming a link to stay balanced — you’d be surprised how hard that is to do,” Long adds. “If you’re not balanced, look out, because someone’s going to get wet.”
For those groups under tighter time and budget constraints a growing number of resorts and conference centers offer recreational instructors and activities like cycling, horseback riding and climbing walls, along with guest rooms and meeting space, in one, self-contained package. The event calendar for Christ in Youth (CIY) includes 22 weeks of MOVE youth conferences at various Midwest colleges and one week at the Windermere Baptist Conference Center in Roach, Mo. “One reason we chose Windermere is because they offer several activities — hiking, ropes courses, spelunking — that really tackle the unity aspects of our event,” says CIY’s MOVE program director Chase Allcott. “We encourage the youths to go through those things together because it can build community and teach them to trust adults.”
In Georgia, Camp Highland, set in rural Ellijay just 90 minutes north of Atlanta, markets itself as a purpose-built Christian camp that specifically uses adventure recreation to bring out leadership qualities in young attendees. “We love to take kids out of their elements and challenge them with rafting, ropes courses, horseback riding, rock climbing and mountain biking, anything that gets them out of their comfort zone and closer to God,” says marketing director Zach Bertram. “We then parallel everything — the risk, the trust factor, the potential danger in a situation — to their relationships with families, friends and their walk with Christ. Parents know what they’re getting into here and appreciate that we introduce their kids to Christ in a fun, cool way.”
The Rev. Joel Nordtvedt is a regional CLB pastor and executive director of the church’s North American Mission, which includes the youth ministries that Matt Oxendale works with. “At our conferences we want them to be learning the ministry but doing so in a place that’s fun,” he says. To that end, this year’s youth workers retreat and the CLB’s 2011 Youth Convention will take place at Colorado’s YMCA of the Rockies, a venue specifically designed for group activities and spiritual growth. The YMCA sports two major conference facilities: The 860-acre Estes Park Center has seven lodges and 260 cabins, and Snow Mountain Ranch, with its four lodges and 62 cabins, is set on 5,000 acres. Each is set against the hard-to-forget beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
“Conferences in themselves draw more than half of our revenue, and religious and family reunions take up the majority of that segment,” says group sales director Sara Kleiber. And what are planners looking for when booking their youth groups? “They want to get their kids out of their normal environment, away from home and the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives and into the mountains,” says Kleiber. “Because we’re the YMCA people also have the freedom to come here and [worship]. We have chapels and full-time chaplains at both properties, and both offer services and Bible studies.”
And then there are the Y’s adventurous recreation options. “One of the reasons we chose Estes Park is because of the activities already available there, like hiking, climbing and doing the ropes course,” says Nordtvedt. “It’s important to give these kids an experience that’s physically, spiritually and emotionally healthy. The mountains are a natural for all of that.”
Equally important to a group’s physical environment is its mental and emotional state. Bob Sellinger is camp and leadership development director at the new Treasure Valley Family YMCA outside Boise. While bringing adventure to the activity table can work wonders with kids, he says, a wise planner keeps things in perspective. “You don’t want to put anyone in a situation that’s too far over their capabilities, either mentally or physically,” he says. “Push their limits appropriately but not over the edge.” Gauging a group’s capabilities is made easier, he adds, by having a savvy and well-trained staff. “You need good role models, beyond just teaching skills and organizing activities,” he says. “You want them to have healthy values and know how to work with teens.”
Know Before You Go
While group recreation such as rafting and ropes courses can work wonders for kids physically and spiritually, they come with certain challenges for the planner as well as the participants. Some tips worth considering:
» Get everything in writing. Whether it’s obtaining parental permission, checking park-use permits or nailing down the nitty-gritty for a forest canopy tour, make sure everything is spelled out clearly, in detail and signed in agreement by all relevant parties.
» Check out your outfitters. Any professional adventure operator should have references, operating licenses, well-trained staffers (with thorough background checks) and a business history, most of which can be found and verified either on the company’s website (another must-have) or through a local CVB.
» Be sure about insurance. Before young attendees set off rock climbing or hopping on mountain bikes, make sure you and/or your resort, tour guide or adventure outfitter are covered for the inevitable slips, spills and tumbles, as well as any collateral damages that might occur along the way.
» Less is more. Cameras aside, leave all tech toys (e.g., iPods, cell phones and handhelds) at camp and bring only essentials — food, clothing and water — for any challenging recreation.
» Keep the moment alive. Discuss the big adventure with your group immediately afterward and then again once they’ve returned home, when they can revisit their experience via trip photos and videos. Chances are they’ll be eager to reflect on how they’ve bonded with each other and their faith.
