August 20, 2010
By Val Hymes

The Rev. Christopher Johnson, the Episcopal Church's officer for social and economic justice, went to opposite corners of the United States early in August to discern how the church can support and strengthen the summer camp ministry to children who have lost a parent to a prison cell.

First, he traveled to the Diocese of Rio Grande in New Mexico, and met with the Rev. Stephen Caldwell, who founded Camp Grace there in 1995.

Caldwell had attended a 1994 prison ministry conference in Indiana led by the Rev. Jackie Means, then director of prison ministry for the church. He asked her what more should be done in that ministry and she responded: "We need camps for the kids." Caldwell said, "It was like a thunderclap. All of a sudden, I knew why I was there. I raised the money in just a few weeks." Camp Grace continues today in Santa Fe.

Means went on to plant the seeds for nearly 30 camps for those children who, without some intervention, stand a 70 percent chance of going to prison too. A resolution she drafted for General Convention 2006 was adopted, committing $60,000 toward establishing and supporting the camps. General Convention 2009 adopted a similar resolution but did not budget any funds.

After leaving New Mexico, Johnson traveled to the Diocese of Maryland to meet with Bishop Eugene T. Sutton, Means, now retired, and leaders of Camp Amazing Grace. The group discussed the new prison ministry page on the Episcopal Church's Facebook, raised the possibility of a 2011 conference for camp leaders and vowed to have a presence at General Convention in 2012. Johnson is currently in the process of building a network of camp leaders.

The next day, Johnson and Means crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and went to visit Camp Agape – now in its fourth year – in the Diocese of Easton near the small town of Denton, Maryland, where 57 children were halfway into the week and deep into activities on sandy, shaded campgrounds owned by the Church of the Brethren.

Camp Director Brenda Dingwall and the Rev. Canon Heather E. Cook of the diocese greeted them. New this year is Camp Agape's partnership with NASA, resulting in a $40,000 grant and NASA scholars, engineers and scientists volunteering to teach the campers about flying, rocketry and space using common household items.

Backpacks were given to the children filled with all their needs for the week – including a sleeping bag, toiletries, a stuffed animal, camera, flashlights, a pillow and T-shirts for every day. When the campers left, each went home with a bag stuffed with school supplies. Dingwall gave Johnson a T-shirt and a full backpack for Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Means, who has visited many of these camps, praised the staff for making snacks available to the children at all times. Dingwall said, "Many of these kids don't have enough food, enough love, safety or material things. This is all about abundance." She said the first thing the children do when they arrive is to eat a meal, "then we sing and make circles."

She said the campers rotate through arts and crafts, worship and classes in three groups. Then they end the afternoon at the "swimming hole," a large sandy-bottomed pond, and finish the day with a campfire. There is a special leadership program for teenagers taught by a retired educator.

"Many of the children come to these camps angry, suspicious and afraid," Means said. "The staff comforts and sits with them until they accept that they are loved unconditionally and decide they want to be part of the activities."

When it was time for a tae kwon do session with Jeff Dumpson, a football coach and administrator at a local high school, Johnson got down on the floor and made himself a target for children kicking at him. The classes focused on self-discipline and by the end of the week the children were able to break boards with their bare hands. They had written on them what was stopping them from succeeding and were able to break those barriers, said Dingwall.

All of the churches in the diocese contribute in some way. "We have more than 100 volunteers," said Dingwall. Local businesses give the children bicycles and open swimming pools for them at reunions during the year. Other businesses provide free rent for storage and golf carts during camp week.

"I am shameless when it comes to this camp," said Dingwall. She said the campers and adults "got more out of the week than ever before." NASA Einstein Scholar Kristen Ann Edwards, who taught classes in science and aeronautics, later wrote, "I just had the most profound, life-changing week of my life ... I truly saw God's grace firsthand last week. I saw children with nothing of their own sharing with others what we gave them...

"For seven days, no child at that camp was hit, cursed at, or any of the other terrible things they live through in their ‘normal' lives. For seven days, they ate as much as they wanted, received as many hugs as they wanted. For seven days, their lives were full of love, full of playing and laughter," said Edwards.

"And because of those seven days, my life will never be the same," she added.

"This is a wonderful and blessed place," said Johnson.

Episcopal News Service
Val Hymes is coordinator of the Prison Ministry Task Force in the Diocese of Maryland and a sponsor of Camp Amazing Grace.