Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your camper(s) are coming home from a “Mountain top” experience and, as excited as they may be, this comes with tiredness and fatigue. Below you may find some tips in engaging your child after their time at Aldersgate.​

  Your child may not be as delighted to see you as you are to see them. Going home and saying goodbye to their counselors and new friends can result in a challenging transition.​When you arrive home be sure to provide extra time for rest and sleep. ​Listen diligently as your child shares what they experienced. Ask questions and be interested, but try not to probe too much.

  For a child who is quiet, reserved, and doesn’t open up easily, allow time for them to do so. It’s fun to share what the family did while the camper was away, but be sure to ask your child to share in return.​It is not uncommon for your child to have a somewhat different attitude when arriving back home to their everyday community. Your child may say statements such as “Our youth group’s not much fun, but at camp…” or “I don’t want to go to Sunday school. My teacher is not like my counselor at camp.” Patiently wait out the comments; the transition can be difficult.

  We recommend letting your child write to the people they met in order to keep the connections they developed. For younger children, they often will want to stay in contact with their counselors; for older teens, it may be other campers.​If you find your child mentioning one particular staff member who was an excellent role model, encourage your child to write and thank that person.

  Many of our staff members have been encouraged because a camper from a previous week wrote a note of thanks.​Please keep in mind that Aldersgate hires an amazing set of staff and counselors; however, we do not supervise them outside of the camp experience.

  We do background checks, follow up with their references, and evaluate them through an interview process. We are confident that they are wholehearted followers of Christ. However, as a parent you should keep an eye on how your child interacts with their friends, online contacts, and those they met at camp, including staff and counselors. Ensure that any continued relationships/conversations with camp staff after summer camp are appropriate. This has not been a problem for us in the past, but in today’s world one cannot be too careful.​

  We encourage you to show interest in what decisions or commitments your child may have made at camp. Allow them time to share those decisions upon arriving home; they may be on a spiritual high. We encourage you to connect with churches, youth groups, or another community to continue their journey of faith. Help your camper realize that whether they are up or down on the spiritual roller coaster, the commitment still stands.​

  We will notify your church if your child indicated they made a decision about their faith. Please do not criticize your child if you learned about the decision through other sources.​The period after camp is a great time to begin a new prayer time with your child and help them follow through with commitments made at camp. The realness of their time at camp will extend beyond their week at Aldersgate if God is part of their daily rhythm.​Once again, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to know and work with your child.

We hope to see them again next year! ​- Zane Johns-Morrison Executive Director