Faith & Traditions
Camp Wide Game
Every year there is a game that involves all campers and staff. The details of this years game will be announced at camp!
Prayer and Scripture
Whether it is playing, singing, sitting around the campfire, laughing, catching frogs, swimming or climbing, Jesus Christ is seen in everything at Servant Camp! It’s all about friendship with Jesus Christ and one another. All campers are encouraged to memorize and reflect on the camp scripture. This year, our camp scripture is: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Each night we have an all-camp activity. Some years we have treasure hunts around the whole camp; some years we organize into teams and play a wide game. There are skit nights, Junior Staff showdowns, carnivals, Olympics, Crazy Bingo nights, as well as our Opening and Closing Ceremony nights.
Embers
Each night, after evening program, campers gather in their units around a campfire and listen to a short talk by a staff member; the talks are about some aspect of our relationship with Jesus. Then each unit meets in a smaller group to talk and enjoy a quiet starlit night.
Flag ceremony
Each day begins with putting up the American flag and before dinner the flag is taken down. Most units will have an opportunity to raise and lower the flag. We are happy to also raise a Canadian flag when we have Canadian citizens with us at Servant Camp.
…So Much More
We can’t begin to tell you everything about Servant Camp! Come and experience it!
- Crazy theme lunches – every day brings a new idea:
- Mismatched Monday, Team Tuesday, World Wide Wednesday, & Tinsel Thursday.
- Campfires! Smores!
Servant Camp was born out of the creative minds of a few Christian parents looking for good summer activities for their children in St. Paul, MN. Allen and Debbie Saunders started the camp in 1978 because they had a dream that children would experience God through fun activities. That summer children met weekly and did interesting activities in yards and homes. The families were part of a Christian community called Servants of the Lord. The first year of camp was open to children of families in the community who were St. Paul residents. Another couple, Carmen and Gail Lee, joined with the Saunders as camp leaders.
After that first year, it became clear that the Lord had an even bigger vision for Servant Camp. The format grew from a day camp to an overnight camp for grades 4-8; older campers were later added. Since the first year when camp was hosted in back yards, 7 different sites have been used. Participation has grown from 15 children to 500+ campers and staff. It is estimated that by now, more than 6000 campers have come through the gates of camp.
The goal of Servant Camp is to give each camper and staff member an opportunity to grow spiritually, make new friends and have fun with new activities.
Over the years, many people have willingly given a week of their summer to serve at Servant Camp. We’ve had some who have served for more than 20 years, and we also have many former campers now serving as staff.
In 2009, Gail Lee died of breast cancer. We will always miss her gentle, yet tenacious, spirit as an assistant director and friend. She worked very hard to make Servant Camp a wonderful place for all of us. In 2011, Carmen Lee stepped down after 25+ years of running the show. We are deeply indebted to them both for the time, sacrifices and love they poured into Servant Camp. It is not an exaggeration to say they formed Servant Camp and made it the treasure it is.
Pat Ficker and John Ostby came on board in 2011 as director and assistant director, joining Jeanne and Mike Oberg and Ginny DeSanto. Kathy Stauble joined our team in 2015. Each of the six directors has been part of Servant Camp for many years and bring a great deal of experience and passion for bringing youth to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Servant Camp received its name from the Christian community, Servants of the Lord, which the original directors were all a part of. Servants of the Lord joined the ecumenical Christian community, People of Praise, in 1986. People of Praise has 21 branches around North America with 2,900 members.
Learn more at People of Praise.