I am a program director of a camp near the southern gate of Yosemite, called Calvin Crest.

I am not a big camp guy, but I love calling 80 college students together each summer to be a community of faith. The camp part of the ministry comes out of the community, not the other way around. It doesn't just happen, it is allowed, encouraged, somewhat planned, and always reacted to. My calling is to this staff. The staff's calling is to the camper. It is out of this that we see God moving by His spirit.

Last year we started a program called CommonFire, a planned discipleship community. People just out of high school and college came to work on the staff and create a community. Expectations were to program the learning and activities so that community would happen. We made it mandatory to show up to Bible studies, book readings, prayer times, and just community informational meeting. The proverbial "fan" turned brown around December and fecal matter being greatly contributed and distributed by March. People started to not show up or sleep at "meetings" people not liking the room assignments or the roommate, etc. I tried to have conversations regarding "higher ground" and large picture thinking, but mostly felt like a failure. If I was going to design a shirt for the program it would say... "CommonFire, This is community, damn it!"

The last few weeks of May we went camping at Lime Kiln near Big Sur and shared frustrations and watching God work and change our hearts towards Him, each other, and ourselves. Program didn't do this, they stuck around and allowed God to work through these ticked off people for His glory and our edification.

This fall we are starting up again, Sept. 2, only this time no mandatory meetings, but giving the authority and responsibility to the staff to allow community to come to the surface. We will pray, eat, ski, and other things together... if they want. Love will be the rule, chores are not optional though.