Director’s Blog
Parents - Greeting from Vesper Point! I will be posting a daily blog each day by 9:00pm which will include highlights of the day and general updates. I also want parents to know what we are talking to the campers about during our morning Anchor and evening Vespers meetings. In addition to this, parents can see daily pictures which can be viewed by clicking on “Photo Gallery” under the “Summer Camp” tab on our website. I hope that both of these resources give you an inside look as to what is going on at camp!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Friday, DEC. 15, 2023
Dear Parents - Merry Christmas from Vesper Point. As we prepare for the Christmas season, I wanted to pass on some exciting news from camp. We are in the process of building 4 new boy cabins this winter which will be ready for Summer 2024. We currently have 7 boy cabins which were built in the 1990’s. While these cabins have served us well over the years, we have outgrown them and are needing to provide our boy campers with larger cabins which include updated and expanded bathrooms, windows, heating/cooling capabilities, and a front and back porch. In addition to these 4 new cabins, we are planning to build additional new boy cabins in the coming years. For summer 2024, this will allow us to enroll 20 additional boy campers per week for a total of 140 more boy campers! While this is great news for boy campers, we certainly do not want to ignore our girl campers. We currently have 11 girl cabins which all include expanded bathrooms and plenty of space for our girl camper needs. These new cabins will bring our boy cabins up to par with the girl cabins which will be a big blessing. When we get to January, we will contact you if we can move your camper off the waitlist. I am including some pictures of the current building process of the new cabins. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a great start to 2024.
In Christ,
Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Friday, JuLY 28, 2023: 12:30pm
Parents - We made it to Friday. For the most part, this summer has been quite cool and very comfortable. I cannot say that about the weather and heat today unfortunately as it is quite steamy. Friday’s at camp are always a blast as we fit in a lot of fun activities for our grand finale. Examples of this are: Dock Party, CVP Games, our famous Chicken Teriyaki Friday night dinner, evening Vespers at the bonfire, and of course our glowstick share time at the beach this evening. Parents, we have loved having this age at camp this week. They are so much fun and I appreciate your trust in us by sending them to camp. I was reflecting with a friend this morning at breakfast about how important and formative summer camp experiences are for kids. We were discussing how most people have a photographic memory of their camp experience because it is so important and influential in their growth. Learning how to be away from Mom and Dad is huge along with being exposed to a vast array of new activities and skill sets. My friend mentioned the following quote to me this morning, “The problem with most adults is that they stop going to camp.” Even though most of us are busy in our careers and with raising our kids, I would encourage each of you to find a way to experience camp as a family. We are working on creative ways to have family camps and various family retreats up here in the future (ex. Father/Daughter retreats). My wife and I daily pinch ourselves that we get to experience camp every day - we do not take it for granted.
One of my favorite songs from the 1980’s is a song called, “I Want To Go Back” by Eddie Money. The song talks about the singer’s desire to go back to his early years of High School to experience what it was like to be young again. Whenever this song comes on the radio, it immediately makes me think of my camp days. When you pick your camper(s) up tomorrow morning, be prepared to hear a TON of stories about this week. Allow your campers to share and debrief with you - I think you will be blessed by what they will share with you.
We have also spent the week talking to our campers about our summer theme which is, “Remain Steadfast.” When you see your camper wearing their green shirt tomorrow morning, make sure to ask them about what we discussed. In short, we encouraged them that we are called to Remain Steadfast in our lives to Christ because he has always been (and always will be) steadfast with us. The word steadfast is used over 300 times in the Bible and it is such an encouraging word which spurs us on as followers of Christ.
We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
THURSDAY, JuLY 27, 2023: 4:15pm
Parents - Happy Thursday! We are doing great up here at camp. The Wednesday night hoe-down was an absolute blast. I can guarantee that most of our campers had no issues sleeping last night after dancing the night away. For today, we are currently in Free Time followed by dinner (Pulled BBQ pork and the fixings!). For our evening activity, we are playing a new game called, “Fruit Frenzy.” Fruit Frenzy is a crazy game that involves ultimate frisbee, bowling, and other normal games that are all played with fruit. For example, we will play Mango Ultimate, Coconut Bowling, Lime Spike Ball, etc., all while tropical music is playing. This game has quickly become one of our favorites. More on Friday!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Wednesday, JuLY 26, 2023: 12:30pm
Parents - Happy Wednesday from a toasty Vesper Point. Even though the temps are rising, we are doing our best to stay cool and hydrated. I often think of the expression, “No news is good news” when it comes to this age of campers. As I mentioned earlier this week, it is hard to leave your camper at an overnight camp. I can remember my emotions when we dropped our daughter off at camp two years ago. My wife and I wondered, “Can she make it?”, “Will she get homesick?”, “What if she can’t sleep?”, and “What if the weather is bad?”. Our leadership team is very intentional with checking in daily and nightly with our counselors to see if any camper is struggling with homesickness or any other issue. If we have a difficult camper or if things get rough, I will always give the parent a call. So… “no news is good news” means that things are going well with your camper(s). We have all kinds of strategies that we use to work with campers who struggle or miss home.
For today, we are about to enjoy our traditional Taco Wednesday lunch, followed by a full day of activities which includes a lot of time in the water. We are having hamburgers for dinner this evening followed by our Hoe-Down which is always a ton of fun for campers and our staff. I will share more tomorrow… make sure to check out our daily photos from Tuesday.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
TUESDAY, JuLY 25, 2023: 3:30pm
Parents - Happy Tuesday! We are enjoying out first full day at camp! We are getting ready to head to Sugar Shack which will be followed by Free Time, Dinner (spaghetti tonight), and then Vespers. Without a doubt, Vespers is my favorite time of the day because two staff members share their testimonies during this time. When I was a camper here in 1991-1992, I still remember the testimonies that I heard. They served as a powerful witness and example to me. To see campers leaning into college-aged counselors sharing about their lives and commitment to Christ is truly priceless.
After Vespers, we are playing a game called “Gnome Hunt — Christmas Style” this evening. This game has quickly become a CVP classic. The cool thing about today is that we are celebrating “Christmas in July” all day since today is July 25th. I will share more details in tomorrow’s post about what we are talking about during Anchor.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
MONDAY, JuLY 24, 2023: 3:45pm
Parents - Happy Monday and Opening Day for week #7. This is our last week of camp this summer and we could not be more excited about the upcoming week. Thank you for your patience and flexibility this morning with morning drop-off. As a parent myself, I know full well how difficult it can be to drop your child off at an overnight camp for the first time. I hope that this blog and the daily pictures are a blessing to you all. One of our goals here at camp is to keep the campers busy and constantly moving with an assortment of activities. As I type this, we are getting ready to head down to the waterfront for Free Time. As hot as it is this week, the lake is going to feel great. We are blessed with an awesome waterfront facility that includes a swim area, a high dive, a low dive, 4 ski boats, a new inflatable called the rocket jr., and of course the famous blob. We also have a great area where campers can canoe, kayak, paddleboard, and use a new toy called a “corcl” which is like a circular canoe. In addition to this, we have recently invested in river kayaks that are taught during our canoe/kayak clinic and during the outdoorsman clinic. Our outdoorsman clinic also enjoys fishing on select days.
For this evening, we will head to dinner at 6:00 which will be baked chicken and assorted veggies followed by evening flag, Vespers Worship, and a camp relay race called, “The Great Banana Race.” Thank you for entrusting you camper(s) with us this summer.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
FRIDAY, JuLY 21, 2023: 12:00pm
Happy Friday Parents! After a very rainy Thursday, the sun is in full force and we are hoping for a dry and “normal” day here at camp. Even though we had some powerful storms yesterday, our program team pulled off some great rainy-day games and we didn’t miss a beat. The high temperature was a mere 77 degrees! For today, we are hoping to do a “make-up” for each cabin who missed their normally scheduled BOAT camps - we should be able to make all of those up today. For dinner tonight, we are looking forward to feasting on Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Egg Rolls, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. For Vespers this evening, we will enjoy some worship, testimonies, and our bonfire share time. Fridays are always a highlight for campers and we try to max out as much as we can. We will see each of you bright and early on Saturday morning.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
THURSDAY, JuLY 20, 2023: 3:00PM
Parents - All is well at camp! Due to a rainstorm this afternoon, I am unable to do a full length blog post, but know we are having a blast with your campers today!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
WEDNESDAY, JuLY 19, 2023: 12:30PM
Parents - Greetings from a rainy Vesper Point. We experienced rain last evening and again this morning. One of the blessings of rainy days at camp is that our program staff has an endless amount of rain plan activities that they are ready to dispatch at a moment’s notice. Even though we would obviously prefer for it not to rain, our rain plans allow campers and staff to slow down a bit and enjoy activities that are unique, different, and a lot of fun. If a cabin is rained out of BOAT camp, we will reschedule these for later in the week. The other blessing of this rain is that it has knocked the annoying haze and smoke out of the sky.
Don’t forget to check out our website for daily photos of our week together. We want parents to get a good glimpse as to what we do each day. For today, we are currently doing a rain activity. We are having tacos for lunch today and hamburgers for dinner which will lead up to our classic CVP hoedown later this evening.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
MONDAY, JuLY 17, 2023: 12:30PM
Parents - Greetings from Vesper Point. We are excited to start Week #6 today. Thank you for a flawless drop-off this morning - it was easily our most smooth Monday drop-off of the summer. Cabins are currently finishing up cabin activity this late morning after having completed the swim test. One of our main goals on Monday’s is to get the campers as active and engaged as possible so that there is a low chance of homesickness and so any butterflies can quickly disappear. For lunch today, we are planning our classic pizza lunch followed by baked chicken for dinner this evening. With it being so warm lately, the lake is a balmy 79-80 degrees which feels incredible. During Free time this afternoon, we will start our BOAT camps which allows campers to be out on the lake with their cabins either tubing or riding the banana boat. After dinner, we will head to evening Vespers at the actual Vesper Point (the place at camp where camp gets its name!) and then we will finish up the day with a camp wide relay race. By the time your camper lays their head down for bed this evening, they should be plenty tired after a day full of activity and fun. Thank you for trusting us with your camper(s) - it is an honor to get to do this. I cannot wait to see what the Lord will do this week in the hearts of these campers.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
FRIDAY, JuLY 14, 2023: 12:30PM
Parents - My apologies for not posting to the blog on Thursday. There are days when I am not able to get to my computer. We made it to Friday and things are heating up! We hit 90 degrees for the first time this summer which made the lake feel wonderful. For our last full day today, we have several exciting things planned this evening including our bonfire ceremony at the beach. We will also enjoy our traditional Friday night dinner which includes Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Egg Rolls, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. For our morning Anchor services this morning, we talked to the campers about the words Abounding and Unwavering and how these words describe our relationship with Christ. You will see all of these words on the green camper shirts that your camper(s) will be wearing tomorrow. Be sure to check out our website for a treasure trove of pictures from the week.
We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
WEDNESDAY, JuLY 12, 2023: 11:30AM
Parents - Greetings and good morning from camp! We could not ask for better weather this week as there is not a cloud in the sky. Even though we are in the 80’s, the humidity has been low which is a blessing. We had a great Tuesday at camp (don’t forget to check out the pictures) and are excited about today. Our activity this evening is the traditional CVP hoe-down which includes our dinner of hamburgers and the fixings.
As I mentioned yesterday, our theme for the summer is, “Remain Steadfast.” We are sharing with the campers what the word “Steadfast” means and how the Lord is always steadfast with us which enables and calls us to be steadfast with Him. The word steadfast is used in the Old Testament approximately 251 times. We are focusing on some key words from these scripture verses to highlight and explain how we can remain steadfast to the Lord in our lives. The words that we have focused on so far are:
Pursuing - God pursues us and wants to have a relationship with us.
Unfailing - Jesus is unfailing and offers forgiveness of our sins when we fail. We are not capable of saving ourselves.
Never Ceasing - Jesus offers us salvation that is infinite. Everything on the earth is finite but we find an infinite security and reality in Christ.
I will share more key words later in the week. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
TUESDAY, JuLY 11, 2023: 10:45AM
Happy Tuesday from camp, parents! We woke up this morning to a very unusual temperature of 64 degrees - a heavenly morning for July. The weather could not be more beautiful and the lake is a very comfortable 78 degrees this morning (water temp). After morning flag and a breakfast of eggs, hot biscuits, and sausage, we are off and running. We just completed our morning Anchor Worship Time followed by cabin devotions. Cabins have dismissed to Cabin Activities and will then head to a new activity called “CVP Games.” For tonight’s evening activity, we will play a new CVP classic called, “Gnome Hunt.” Please do yourself a favor and ask your camper to explain this game, because you are going to get an epic explanation. Gnome Hunt is a mix of the classic counselor hunt with several twists and turns that involves characters dressed up in costume.
For those that are interested in what we are eating today, our Tuesday menu includes Grilled Chicken Sandwiches for lunch and Spaghetti for dinner tonight. One of my favorite things to see at camp each week is campers learning how to be away from home for a week and learning new skills to increase their confidence and learning base. For tomorrow’s post, I will share what we have been talking about during our morning Anchor talks which revolve around our summer theme which is, “Remain Steadfast.”
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
MONDAY, JuLY 10, 2023: 12:00PM
Greetings and Happy Monday Parents! Thank you for your patience and flexibility with camper drop off this morning. I appreciate your understanding with parking and luggage drop-off. We are off and running today with an awesome day of activities and classic camp fun. We just completed the swim test (the lake temp. is a perfect 78 degrees today) and are about to enjoy a pizza lunch. Cabins are wrapping up cabin activities as I type this. After lunch, we will head to Clinics, Sugar Shack, CVP Games, and then Free Time. Each cabin will enjoy two, “BOAT CAMPS” during the week which is an activity where individual cabins will be on our ski boats either tubing or going on the banana boat. We try to get campers on the water as much as possible during the week. After free time, we will head to dinner, evening flag, vespers, and then our evening activity which is a camp wide relay race. We are so busy up here that your camper should be plenty tired by bedtime this evening. Don’t forget to check our website each day for pictures and my daily Director’s blog. Thank you for entrusting your camper(s) to Vesper Point!!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Friday, June 30, 2023: 1:30PM
Parents - Friday has come fast for us this week. We had a strong thunderstorm hit camp this morning which moved us into our rain plan. Our program team is constantly looking at the weather to see if we need to move into rain plan. As I type this, the sun is out and we are about to enjoy a normal afternoon of camp activities and fun. After a special 4th of July BBQ dinner this evening, we are looking forward to our Friday night bonfire Vespers service where campers will have a chance to share around the bonfire. Campers will begin to pack up later this evening as we prepare for Saturday morning. Saturday mornings are always bittersweet for us at camp because we don’t want your campers to go home but we know that you can’t wait to see them!
We seek for Vesper Point to be a place where we disciple, coach, and care for our staff members. I wanted to share that each staff member is a part of small group which meets twice a week. We are studying the book of 1st Peter this summer as a staff and we go verse by verse during our small group meetings. We do this because we know how important it is to pour into our staff members so they can be equipped to pour into your kids.
We will see each of you bright and early tomorrow!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
THURSDAY, June 29, 2023: 4:00PM
Parents - Greetings from a busy Thursday at CVP. We are having a blast today with several activities. The weather has been very tolerable today thanks to a cloud cover which has kept the heat down by a good bit. The dust and haze are not fun, but the lakefront helps out with that.
Campers enjoyed a hilarious game today called “Potato Pageant” where each group dresses a potato up with various props. The potatoes are judged and the winning potato wins points towards the dock party on Friday. For tonight’s evening activity, we will be playing, “Fruit Frenzy” which is a new game this summer involving mangos, coconuts, and plums. Campers will enjoy games like, “Mango Ultimate Frisbee,” “Coconut Bowling,” and “Plum Ultimate.” Make sure to check out the pictures on the website tomorrow. The game has been a camper favorite all summer long.
During our Anchor worship time, we have been unpacking our theme this summer which is, “Remain Steadfast.” There are approximately 251 times in the Old Testament where the Lord uses the word Steadfast. We are looking at certain key words that surround the word steadfast in the Bible to highlight and describe why it is important for us to Remain Steadfast in our faith and commitment to Christ. Here are the words that we have discussed so far around the theme:
Pursuing - God pursued us by coming down from Heaven as a baby to ultimately die for our sins. He was steadfast in His pursuit of us so that we could be steadfast in seeking after Him.
Unfailing - God’s love never fails us and He forgives our sins.
Never Ceasing - God is eternal and infinite and our relationship with Him never ends, even after death.
Abounding & Immovable - God’s love is huge and He is immovable and we are the crown of His creation.
For tomorrow’s post, I will share with you how we pursue and care for our staff during the summer months so that they can pour into campers.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
WEDNESDAY, June 28, 2023: 11:45aM
Parents - My apologies for not posting to the blog on Tuesday. There are days up here where I cannot get to my computer - Tuesday was one of those days. We are doing well and having a blast up at camp this week. As I type this, the campers are at the V-Dome having a “Christmas Carol in June” competition. Tuesday was another great weather day which allowed us to be on the water most of the day. We played “Gnome Hunt” last evening which is akin to Counselor Hunt with several twists thrown in. We have characters roaming the camp called Gnomes, along with other characters such as: The Fairy God-Mother, The Freeze, The King and Queen of the Gnomes, and the Wise Old Owl. Campers are armed with water balloons and are trying to hit gnomes for points.
Wednesday started off with a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast followed by our morning Anchor worship time. After Anchor, cabins head off to cabin activity before lunch. We will be having out traditional and much adored CVP Hoe-Down this evening. For tomorrow’s post, I will share about Vespers Worship and how we are un-packing our camp theme with the campers this week. Our camp theme this summer is, “Remain Steadfast.”
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Monday, June 26, 2023: 3:45PM
Parents - Happy Monday from Vesper Point! We are off and running with a beautiful start to the week. We finished the swim test right after morning drop off and then headed to Cabin Activities. The lake has been pretty chilly this summer due to the below normal temps and was chilly once again this morning due to all the rain last night. As I type this, the temps are rising and we are preparing for Free Time. After a delicious dinner this evening (Chicken Tenders and Mashed Potatoes), we will play a relay game called, “The Great American Banana Race” and then head to our Evening Club meeting in our meeting room. Thank you for entrusting your camper(s) to Vesper Point this summer. I will plan to post additional posts daily by 5:00pm every day. Don’t forget to check out our photo gallery which is also updated daily (sometimes multiple times a day by our media team).
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
FRIDAY, June 23, 2023: 3:45PM
Parents - Happy Friday! We are enjoying a wonderfully dry and sunny day at camp. After a week of off and on rain, we are squeezing everything in today. By God’s grace, each cabin has been able to have their 2 BOAT camps this week thanks to the dry weather today. We had an epic game of Fruit Frenzy last night with Mango Ultimate Frisbee and Bowling. In one game, the mango exploded but the campers kept playing with the “pulp ball” of the mango which was quite messy yet so much fun. For tonight, we will enjoy our traditional Friday night dinner of Teriyaki Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Broccoli, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. We will then head down to the Beach for our Friday night bonfire which is always a highlight. We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Thursday, June 22, 2023: 3:45PM
Parents - Happy Thursday from a wet CVP. We experienced a heavy rain from 5:00am until 1:00pm today. One of the blessings of a rainy day at camp is that we get to slow down a bit and enjoy activities that we only reserve for wet days. Our program team lead the campers in a spirited game of “Indoor Beach Ball Soccer” and another game called, “Majority Rules.” After lunch, the rains let up and we are enjoying a normal afternoon of fun and activities! Another blessing of rain is that it brings all of us together for a period of time that is sweet and meaningful. This is my 15th summer (not-consecutive) that I have worked at camp and I do not remember a day where our high temperature was in the 60’s. Even though we are chilly, I still prefer that to 100+ weather.
As you can probably see from the pictures on our website, the hoe-down was a smashing success last night. For tonight’s activity, we are planning to play a new game called, “Fruit Frenzy.” Fruit Frenzy has been one of our most popular activities this summer in past weeks. Fruit Frenzy involves a lot of fruit and games including “Mango Ultimate Frisbee,” “Coconut Bowling,” and other tropical surprises on our field. I know it sounds crazy, but it is quite the experience.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2023: 3:30PM
Parents - Happy Wednesday. We are doing great and having a relatively dry day today. We have been able to dodge the raindrops most of the day and have even ventured out in the light rain. We push to go outside unless it is heavy rain or thunder/lightning. We have been discussing our camp theme this week during our morning Anchor Times. Our theme this summer is, “Remain Steadfast.” There are 251 times in the Old Testament where the word Steadfast is used. We took several key words that are found in these Scriptures and have been focusing on these key words 1 day at a time. Here is what we have talked about so far as it relates to “Remaining Stedfast” in Christ.
Pursuing - God pursues us and wants to have a relationship with us.
Unfailing - God and His love are unfailing and He and only He can forgive and wash away our sins.
Never Ceasing - The Lord has never ceased to exist and we also will not cease to exist after we die. We talked this morning about the hope of the Gospel and how God promises us eternal life in Christ. We also talked about how when you “Remain Steadfast” in Christ, this is an eternal relationship.
I will share more on tomorrow’s post.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
TUESDAY, June 20, 2023: 2:30PM
Parents - Good afternoon from camp! Day #2 has been dry so far. We are hoping to dodge the raindrops today so we can have as normal a day as possible. As I mentioned yesterday, we are ready to implement our rain plan should that be necessary. We are headed to Clinics this afternoon, followed by Sugar Shack, and then the beloved Free Time. Did you know that each cabin gets two special time periods during the week called “BOAT CAMP?” BOAT CAMP is a time where individual cabins are on our ski boats. Cabins can elect to double tube, ride the banana boat, or even try their hand at skiing or knee boarding. We seek to get the kids out on the water on boats as much as possible because we are blessed with an incredible water and lake front. On most days, traffic on the lake is at a minimum and we love teaching the campers how to do these water activities. For tonight, we will play a new CVP classic called, “Gnome Hunt.” Gnome Hunt is a mixture between the old classic “Counselor Hunt” mixed in with a bunch of special characters who will be dispersed all around the property. Make sure to ask your camper about this game when you see them on Saturday. For tomorrow’s Blog Post, I will share with you what we are talking about during our Worship and morning Anchor times. We have been talking to the campers about our camp theme which is, “Remain Steadfast.” I want our parents to know what we are talking about with the campers so y’all can follow up with more questions and conversations on Saturday and beyond.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Monday, June 19, 2023: 3:30PM
Parents - Good afternoon from CVP! We are off and running for the week. Thank you for your flexibility this morning with luggage drop-off due to the rain. We were able to fit the swim test in shortly after luggage drop off before a tremendous amount of rain hit us again right before lunch. Thankfully, we have a very talented leadership team this summer who have experience in rain planning and implementation when programming is impacted by rain. As I type this, the sun is shining and we are getting ready to head to Free Time at the waterfront after campers complete a new activity called, “CVP Games.” For dinner this evening, campers will enjoy a delicious recipe of Baked Chicken, Rice, Carrots, and Rolls… and a surprise dessert. Our evening activity tonight is a relay race where we use a banana as the “baton” which campers will pass from station to station. Thank you for entrusting your camper(s) to us this summer. Look for my next update tomorrow afternoon/evening.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
FRIDAY, June 16, 2023: 6:00PM
Parents - We have made it to Friday! Today has been the most sunny and warm day of the week. We made it up to 86 degrees with a perfect day on the lake. Our kayak clinic was able to finally get out on the water with our new river kayaks and skirts and our outdoorsman clinic enjoyed an afternoon of fishing with a few fish caught! We spent all day pulling tubes, banana boats, skiing, and even wake surfing. We are gearing up for our famous Friday night dinner which includes Teriyaki Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, and Broccoli. After a fun dinner theatre which includes a game of camp wide Clue, we will head to the Bonfire for our Friday night Vespers service at the Beach.
I have been reflecting this week on how special these weeks of camp are. This specific grouping of campers will never be this age again up here. It is also likely that these exact rosters will never be exactly the same again. I tell our staff members to always take advantage of the time that we have up here with campers. I am so thankful that we get to do summer camp because it is a crucial and formative part of growing up. See you bright and early on Saturday!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Thursday, June 15, 2023: 4:00PM
Parents - Happy Thursday from Vesper Point! We have had a fun 24 hours from last evening’s hoe-down to today’s activities. We began the day with ham, eggs, and hot biscuits and then headed to our morning Anchor time. I am continuing to speak to the campers about our summer theme, “Remain Steadfast.” I have focused on the words, “Never Ceasing,” “Immovable,” and “Abounding” over the last two days. All of these key words are found in the Bible which surround certain texts where the word “Steadfast” is used. We are challenging the campers to remain steadfast in their commitment to Christ in a world and culture where that is not the popular or “in” thing to do.
After a fast-moving rain storm moved in during Clinic Time, we are hoping to be able to have our normal free time today followed by our evening activity. We are playing a new game tonight called Fruit Frenzy. The game will involve coconut bowling, kiwi ultimate frisbee, and a host of other fruity surprises.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Wednesday, June 14, 2023: 4:00PM
Happy Wednesday Parents!
We are half-way through the week already and we sure are having a great time up here at camp. The weather forecast called for rain most of the morning and afternoon but the rain just missed us to the south. We were able to have a normal day with all of our activities and programs which is always great. Just so you know, our leadership team always has a rain plan in their back pocket should rain move into the area (we learned that the hard way last year). For our clinic period today, our canoe and kayak class learned how to put a river kayak skirt on and we taught them how to “wet exit” from their kayak in shallow water. It is always rewarding to see campers learn and try out a new skill.
For this evening, we are gearing up for our classic CVP Hoe-Down which is always a highlight of the week. For dinner tonight, we are grilling out hamburgers at the Dining Hall.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Tuesday, June 13, 2023: 5:00PM
Happy Tuesday Parents:
We woke up this morning to another very chilly morning where temps were in the 50’s. One of our campers asked me this morning, “Mr. Forrest, I didn’t expect camp to be so cold.” After a breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and eggs, we enjoyed an awesome morning Anchor Worship Time. Anchor is the time of the morning where we sing worship songs and I give a daily talk on our camp theme. Our camp theme for the summer is, “Remain Steadfast.” I spoke last night on how God pursues us daily and wants a relationship with us. Today we talked about sin and how Christ is, “unfailing” when it comes to the forgiveness of our sins. I told the story about a recent tree project on the property where we had several large and seemingly “healthy” trees cut down. Several of these trees appeared healthy, but upon further inspection had severe disease in them that was slowly spreading. We talked about how this is similar to our hearts - we can appear to “have it all together” but inside we are all sinful and need a Savior. The word “Steadfast” appears in the Old Testament 251 times and is surrounded by key words which we will unpack with the campers this week. As I type this, we are getting ready to head to Free Time followed by our evening activity, “Gnome Hunt” this evening. Gnome hunt is comparative to the classic counselor hunt with a tremendous amount of creativity and fun characters. Make sure to check our website later this evening for a host of new pictures.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Monday, June 12, 2023: 5:00PM
Parents - Welcome to the Director’s Blog for week #2. We are thankful that the rain did not impact camper arrival this morning. Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility with luggage drop off at the V-Dome this morning. We are off to a great start today. As I type this, it is 77 degrees at 4:30pm which is pretty unheard of for this time of year. Since this morning, we have had cabin activity, clinics, lunch (pizza!), sugar shack, CVP games, and are currently in free time. For CVP games, we played a variety of games including: Basketball Knock-Out and a new game called Angle Ball. For this evening, we will enjoy a delicious dinner of baked chicken and the fixings, followed by our evening Vespers Service, and will conclude the night with our Club Worship and Games. Our Monday night evening activity will be a brand-new game called, “The Great American Banana Race” which is a massive relay race involving carrying a banana as the “baton.” Parents, thank you for entrusting us with your campers this week - we are looking forward to a ton of fun. For my blog post on Tuesday, I will share details on our camp theme and the spiritual direction that we are planning to talk to the campers about.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Friday, June 9, 2023: 7:00pm
Parents - This has been a full and awesome last day of camp. After an evening of “Fruit Frenzy” on Thursday night (we played Cantaloupe Ultimate Frisbee and Orange Football - I know it sounds odd, but it was a blast), today has been great. We were greeted with a low of 57 degrees this morning which was heaven for a June morning. As I type this, we just finished a dinner of Teriyaki Chicken, Fried Rice, Broccoli, Egg Rolls, and Cookies. We always make Friday night a special dinner to celebrate the end of the week (note - your kids have eaten well this week). We are getting ready to head to our evening program called, “Chickamauga Dinner Theater” followed by our end of week bonfire. We will you bright and early in the morning!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Thursday, June 8, 2023: 2:00pm
It has been unusually cool this week weather wise which no one is complaining about! We had our much-loved hoe-down last evening which had a fun Western theme to it. We taught the campers all of the CVP classic dances along with some new ones. As I type this, campers are playing a new game called, “Potato Pageant” which is a game where each cabin gets to dress up a potato with clothes and various props. Each potato is judged and our panel of judges chooses a winner.
For our Anchor talks on Wednesday and Thursday, I have focused on the following key words related to our theme, “Remain Steadfast.”
Wednesday: Never Ceasing - We talked about how God’s love for us is never ending. We also talked about what the Bible says about life after death and how those in Christ have eternal life.
Thursday: Immovable & Abounding - We talked about how HUGE and MASSIVE God is and how compared to the hugeness of the world (Grand Canyon, Oceans, Mountains, Stars in the Sky), we are God’s most precious creation and this shows how much he loves us and wants to be in relationship with us.
We are playing a brand-new game this evening called, “Fruit Frenzy” which we are excited about!
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Wednesday, June 7, 2023: 2:00pm
Happy Wednesday Parents! We had a blast Tuesday evening playing an evening activity called “Gnome Hunt.” The game is a wild mixture of counselor hunt mixed in with Disney Characters and other characters that are unique to CVP History. The campers love this game and I encourage each of you to ask your camper about it. You will no doubt hear some wild and fun stories.
I wanted to share with you that our theme for the summer is “Remain Steadfast.” We are explaining to campers what “steadfast” means and how it is a special word that we don’t normally use in our everyday vocabulary. The word steadfast appears in the Old Testament 251 times which surprised me I was doing research on this as a possible summer theme. On Monday night, I explained to the campers what the word means and how God was first steadfast with us in sending Jesus to earth to die for our sins. I told the campers that Jesus came down to earth to save us and that we are not capable of saving ourselves. We are focusing on a key word each day during our morning Anchor time which are key words in the Bible when the word steadfast is used. Here are the key words for the week, so far:
Monday: Pursuing - God pursues us and wants a relationship with us
Tuesday: Unfailing - God’s love and presence is unfailing
Wednesday: Never Ceasing - God is eternal and He and His love will never cease to exist.
I wanted each of you to know what we are talking about with campers so you can have conversations with them on Saturday and beyond. I will share more in the coming days.
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director
Tuesday, June 6, 2023: 3:00pm
Greetings Vesper Point parents! The last 24 hours have been exciting and successful here at CVP. We kicked off our 69th summer camp yesterday with an action-packed day of fun and surprises. Despite a few rumblings of thunder, we were able to stay dry until around 10:00pm when we were greeted with a much-needed heavy downpour. I told several campers this morning that rain on a cabin roof puts me to sleep every time.
After a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, and biscuits this morning, we have had a great afternoon of fun and adventure. Our program team debuted our summer skit yesterday during lunch with characters Maddie and Mason who are both Nascar Race Car Drivers. Some of you may have seen these crazy characters on the main road yesterday while you were waiting to drop your camper off.
I am posting our Tuesday-Friday schedule below for you to have an idea as to what a normal day at camp looks like. For my Wednesday post, I will be sharing information about our camp theme and what we are talking to the campers about during our morning Anchor and evening Vespers times.
Normal Tuesday-Friday Schedule:
7:30: Wake Up/Honor Cabin
8:00: Camper Quiet Time
8:25: Morning Flag
8:30: Breakfast
9:15: Anchor and Cabin Devotionals
10:15: Cabin Activity [BOAT CAMP #1]
11:15: CVP Games
12:30: Lunch
1:00: FOB [a.k.a. “Rest Time”]
2:15: Clinics
3:15: Sugar Shack
4:00-5:30: Free Time [BOAT CAMP #1 and #2]
6:00: Dinner
6:45: Evening Flag & Vespers
7:45: Evening Activity
9:00: Showers & Cabin Time
10:00: Lights Out
- Forrest Walker
Camp Director