Director’s Blog
Tuesday, June 16, 2026: 9:45pm
It has been a really good day parents. The Gnome Hunt was a ton of fun and is always a blast with campers of this age. Campers are getting ready for bed now as light’s out approaches. Now that we have a full day under our belt, everyone should sleep really well tonight given how hard we have gone all day. Cabins B4 and G11 are camping out in our newly designed camp sites. I pontooned Cabin B4 over to their site this evening with their counselors and with one of our Eagle Scout leadership members. As I type this, they are enjoying a nice campfire and a special treat of Smores (don’t worry-we will brush teeth extra good in the morning). We have thick ground pads and sleeping bags for everyone to ensure warmth and safety. We had so many cabins sign up for the campouts that we had to hold a special lottery this morning at breakfast. You can’t ask for better sleeping weather up here with an expected low of 63 degrees-we will gladly take it because it can be as hot as a turkish bath this time of year. Look for an update first thing in the morning as I will be sharing some research-based data on the power of summer camps and I will give some normal mid-week updates.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026: 4:00pm
Apologies for the lack of updates from today. I have been out and about all over the place and have had limited time in the office. We are doing well on this Tuesday afternoon. Campers are acclimating well to their first full day. We are now heading to Free Time where we will be in the water for the next 90 minutes. Our evening activity today is the epic game known as Gnome Hunt. The Gnome Hunt is a camp wide game where cabins will travel together armed with water balloons. The goal is to hit dressed up “gnomes” with the balloons so they can collect as many points for their cabin as possible. This game is a lot of fun to watch and to be a part of.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026: 7:15am
We are waking up to a beautiful and very cool morning here at camp. Monday was a great day all the way around with campers getting adjusted to being here. For our first full day of camp, we have all kinds of activities planned from morning flag, breakfast, morning Anchor which is our morning worship service, cabin devotional time, cabin activities, and CVP Games which is a camp wide activity that all cabins play. We tend to see campers begin to shift by the end of this day to being a bit hesitant to gaining comfort in being here with a full day under their belt. Learning to be away from home for a short period of time is a huge milestone for kids at this age. Attending a summer camp can build confidence skills in learning independence but also in learning new skills. One of the most important things that we talk about up here with our staff is our desire to build “hope skills” in each camper. Everything we do up here is centered around being a part of a small group (aka cabins), teamwork, and hope. Later today, I will share more about this in terms of our new low ropes course and why we focus so much on activity based/experiential learning. I will also share more about our camp theme which is, “Seen and Known”-inspired by Psalm 139.
Monday, June 15, 2026: 10:30pm
Parents-all is well as everyone is in bed at this hour. Guy and Girl night was a huge success and a lot of fun. I attended the guy night and I can assure you that it was a blast. Look for an update early on Tuesday.
Monday, June 15, 2026: 6:15pm
We have had a picture-perfect day on the lake this afternoon. While the lake feels great, the outdoor temps and breeze actually make you feel cold when you got out—a far cry from what we are used to. After dinner this evening (chicken with marinera, green beans, bread, and banana pudding), we will head to Vespers, Evening Flag, and then our evening program. Our guys will be playing a rotation of kickball on our new baseball field, battleball in our pavilion, and a gotcha battleball tournament. Our girls will be playing a version of capture the flag on our field. After the campers burn off some energy, everyone should be extra tired and ready for bed after our activities. With kids this young, our goal is to get them in bed earlier compared to older campers to ensure that they get the proper sleep.
Did you know that our camp was named “Vesper Point” in 1963 by the campers that summer. Vespers means, “evening worship” which was a staple of the camp during those early summers. We hold Vespers at a special point that overlooks the lake which is located just north of the dining hall. At that time, the campers suggested the name, “Vesper Point” instead of, “First Presbyterian Church Camp”. The name stuck and for 72 years, we have been meeting at this point. Our camp name literally means, “Evening Worship Point”.
Monday, June 15, 2026: 3:00pm
Parents-at the 3:00 hour, we are being spoiled by this cool weather. Last week, we were in the thick of the humidity but that is long gone this week. We just left sugar shack and are headed to Clinics which are our skilled based classes. More updates later……
Monday, June 15, 2026: 12:00pm
We are off and running for Week #3 here at camp and we are excited. I am happy to report that everyone passed the swim test and did great. We triple up on lifeguards (including me and my wife Alex) to make sure that everyone is supervised like a hawk. From this point forth, all campers are required to wear lifejackets anytime they are at the waterfront. The reason we do the swim test is our lifeguarding team will wants to know who may struggle with their swimming in the event that a lifejacket falls off. The swim test is also a great way to get kids introduced to camp and to just cool off—the water feels great! Over the past month, our lake hydrology has been MUCH better with the recent rains.
Thank you to all parents for a smooth camper drop-off this morning. I fully understand how hard it can be to drop off your camper if this is their first overnight summer camp experience. My wife and I have been there, and we understand those emotions and even doubts. With this age group, we take extra care to ensure that campers are comfortable and acclimate as quickly as possible. Our counselor team are fantastic, and they are gifted in making campers feel comfortable and welcome. We are getting ready to have lunch at 12:30 (pizza, salad, etc). Here is our schedule for the rest of today and I am posting the cabin activities that each cabin is currently in. I will do my best to post 2-3 times per day so everyone can get a taste as to what we do each day!!
B1: Disc GolfB2: Home Run DerbyB3: Angle BallB4: Home Run DerbyB5: Basketball (Old Pav)B6: BB Guns (Matthew)B7: Archery (Foster)B8: Basketball (Old Pav)B9: Angle Ball
G1: BattleballG2: Low Ropes Course (Lauren)G3: BattleballG4: Porch GamesG5: Bouldering (Lily)G6: 4 SquareG7: 4 SquareG8: PickleballG9: Gaga BallG10: Gaga BallG11: Putt Putt Golf
Today’s Afternoon and Evening Schedule
12:30: Lunch
1:00-2:00: Cabin Move In Time
2:10-2:40: Sigar Shack
2:45-3:50: Clinics
4:00-5:30: Free Time + Cabin Boats
6:15: Dinner
7:15: Evening Vespers (Worship Service)
7:45: Evening Flag
8:00: Evening Activity (Guys Night Out/ Girls Night Out)
9:00: Cabin Time/Showers/Bedtime/Lights Out
Friday, June 12, 2026: 6:30pm
Quick update: We had a storm roll in which cancelled Clinics-but we gave the campers an extended rest period which I think everyone needed. We never take a chance with kids and lightening/thunder. We had a full Free-Time at the dock which included some fishing from our fishing clinic (made-up due to the rainout). We are now heading to dinner (spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and cinnamon churros). The following is a re-post that I sent to parents last week about how to debrief the week with your child—I hope that you find the following helpful.
As you make plans for Saturday morning pick-up, I wanted to offer some thoughts on how you can debrief with your child about their camp experience. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but I hope that it is helpful:
Consider taking your camper to lunch right after pick-up to allow them to share about their week. My wife and I have done this in the past, and it has been fun to hear all of the stories. For our kids, it usually took several days for us to hear about everything.
As good as #1 can be, some kids are not ready to share about their week and will need time to process. It is likely that your child will be very tired when they see you and the “camp adrenaline” wears off. If this happens, consider allowing your child to take a long nap when they get home before they share anything. I have also seen some of our kids in the past get emotional after Saturday pick-up because they did not want to leave camp or their cabin-mates.
If your child shows an interest in spiritual things such as reading the Bible or attending church, I would encourage you to allow them to pursue these things. We do encourage our campers to read the Bible every day, and we talk about how important weekly church attendance is. If your family does not attend church, consider allow them to attend with a friend or relative. Also consider attending church together. You are always welcome to attend First Presbyterian Church.
Research has shown that camp can impact a high percentage of campers for as much as 6-months after the experience. One of our goals is for campers to “take camp home” with them so that the experience doesn’t fade quickly. Consider having your camper journal about their camp experience so you can continue to listen and encourage them in all they experienced.
Research has shown that kids can oftentimes seem happier, more respectful, and more helpful around the house when they return from camp. If you notice these changes in your child, make sure to encourage them with what you are seeing. I have talked to several parents over the years who have told me that their child is “nicer” when they come home from camp and some have even said that the experience was transformational. This does not happen with every camper, but the research is compelling.
Since we have been phone and screen free all week long, consider reducing your child’s overall screen exposure for the duration of the summer.
Friday, June 12, 2026: 12:30pm
We are coming out of our cabin activity periods this morning and are about to head to lunch (chicken sandwiches, fries, etc). I had the chance to lead an archery activity this morning which included an epic shoot-off contest on one of our big targets. Friday’s are special because we end the week with our special Friday night bonfire Vespers service. We present special awards called the 4-year cross and the 8-year Bible awards. The 4-year cross is an award we give for any camper who attends camp for 4 summers. The 8-year Bible award is given to any camper who completes 8 full summers at camp. The Bible is a leather-bound ESV CVP engraved Bible that is beautiful. We also present an award called the “I’m Third Award” which is given to 1 male and 1 female camper who the counselors vote on. The I’m Third lifestyle stands for: God First, Others Second, and Ourselves Third. The counselors nominate 1 camper each and we present this as well. We end the night by giving campers a chance to share around the campfire about how the Lord has worked in their lives this week. It is always so meaningful to hear campers share what they have learned. Oftentimes, campers will mention their counselors or cabinmates during this share time.
Friday, June 12, 2026: 8:30am
Friday morning is here and it has arrived so fast. We are getting ready for morning flag and will enjoy a French toast and bacon breakfast. Friday’s are always special here at camp because of our end of week activities and programs. As the day progresses, I will post details about these activities. We are also releasing a special podcast episode on our podcast platform called, “Stories From the Point”. The episode is called, “Camp is in Session-Meet Our Staff”. This episode will feature several of our summer staff members-check it out here: Camp Is In Session - Meet Our Staff Part I - Stories from the Point | Podcast on Spotify
Thursday, June 11, 2026: 7:15pm
Reason #5 that camp is important for kids: We believe that it is important for kids to be in a safe environment where they can take controlled risks. At camp, these risks can be trying something for the first time such as a mountain bike, shooting a BB gun, riding on the banana boat, trying a ropes course element out, trying to get up on skis, or being vulnerable with people in their cabins with life struggles. We believe that controlled risk taking can instill confidence and grit in kids. As a Camp Director, one of my goals for each camper is that they take a safe risk in at least one area during the week.
Thursday, June 11, 2026: 6:00pm
Hot is the word for this afternoon. We have been pushing hydration, sunscreen, and cooling off today. I jumped in the lake myself today (which is rare since I am always lifeguarding) and it felt great. We are getting ready for dinner which is followed by Vespers-Flag, and then our luau on the field. Cabins B7 and G10 are camping out tonight at our new camp sites.
Thursday, June 11, 2026: 12:15pm
Reason #4 that camp is important for kids: Camp is a place where kids can make lifelong relationships and connections. When I was a camper from 1990-1992 (1990-Camp Ocoee, 1991-1992 CVP), I made many lifelong friends that are still going strong today. There is something about being in a cabin with your fellow cabinmates that is powerful. Some might call it a rite of passage or a once in a lifetime experience, but most campers never forget their camp experience or the people that they shared it with. If I could somehow reunite with all of my camper buddies from these years, I have no doubt that we could all pick up where we left off conversation wise. I am also a big believer that it is important for campers to be in a cabin with people that they do not know. Making new friends and connections is so important in life and some of these connections can end up being lifelong. Our camp administrator and I talk all the time about how the Lord has a very intentional way of putting cabins together up here. Going back to 1990, I developed a strong relationship with one of my cabinmates that I will never forget. He was a young man who was recently diagnosed with cancer and for some reason, we did not share our contact information at the end of the week which has always been a regret if mine. I have not seen or spoken with this friend since we left that Saturday morning, but I will never forget the bond we forged that week.
Thursday, June 11, 2026: 7:00am
We are waking up to another beautiful yet humid day here at camp. We had a lot of fun at our hoe-down last night. Our hoe'-downs include classic line-dance songs mixed in with some new dances. It is a great way to have fun and to burn up some energy so campers can sleep well at night. I wanted to give you a glimpse at the activities that cabins will be doing later this morning:
Cabin Activity:
G1: Drama G2: Swim & Water Inf. G3: Swim & Water Inf. G4: Banana Boat G5: Swim & Water Inf. G6: Putt-Putt Golf G7: V-dome Sports G8: Pickleball G9: Bouldering (Martha) G10: Low Ropes Course (Lauren) G11: Kayaks, etc.
B1: Tubing B2: Home Run Derby/Blitzball B3: Tubing B4: Kayaks, etc. (Matthew) B5: BB Guns (Foster) B6: Swim & Water Inf. B7: Home Run Derby/Blitzball B8: Ultimate Frisbee B9: Ultimate Frisbee
After cabin activities, all cabins will gather for a camp-wide game known as the “Potato Pageant”. Cabins will be given an uncooked potato and props and will name their potato. After this, campers will dress up the potato in creative ways with the props that were passed out. At the end of the game, each cabin must present their potato for judging.
Our staff always looks forward to Thursday dinner which includes Orange Chicken, Rice, Veggies, and a special desert. Stay tuned for more posts later today.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026: 3:00pm
At the 3:00pm hour, things are heating up here at camp. We are about to head to Sugar Shack where we will debut our brand new warm soft pretzel bites which were a big hit with the campers last week. After sugar shack, we will be on the lake for the next 90 minutes swimming, blobbing, canoeing, yaking, paddleboarding, etc. The lake is at a good temperature now to cool off in the hot sun. Our staff is not yet acclimated to these temperatures as we were spoiled last week in the 50’s-70’s. Did you know that our boat camps run all day long with cabins. Boat camp is a chance for cabins to ride on our double-tubes and banana boat or to simply go “pontooning” on our pontoon boat. Cabins B4 and G6 will be camping out tonight at our new camp sites.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026: 10:15am
Reason #3 that camp is important for kids: Learning independence and being away from mom and dad. As hard as it is to admit it as parents, our kids need to learn how to be away from us for a period of time. When we dropped our oldest daughter off at camp 5 years ago, it was hard on my wife and I. We struggled with wondering if she would miss us too much or if she was going to be able to sleep at night. After we worked through those emotions, picking her up on that Saturday morning taught us a great lesson. Not only did she do great, but she didn’t want to leave. In reflection, my wife and I realized that we also needed to learn how to gradually let her be away from us. When she turns 18 in 4 short years, all of her camp experiences will no doubt prepare her for that day when she will leave our home to launch out on her own. Camp is not the only signpost moment that prepares our kids for this moment, but we have found that it is a big part of that equation. Thank you for trusting us as a summer camp destination for our kids so they can learn these valuable lessons.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026: 8:15am
Another good morning has greeted us here at camp parents. Campers are already buzzing around the Dining Hall as we await morning flag and breakfast. Temps will rise to near 90 today (ugh!) but we always benefit from our forest canopy and lake front breezes. I will post more about today after a while…..
Tuesday, June 9, 2026: 9:30pm
We were able to dodge the storms this evening which allowed us to finish our evening activity. Campers are headed to bed for a good night’s sleep to prepare for a full day tomorrow. Wednesday will feature our classic hamburger cookout and hoe-down. We will also be opening up our campsites for cabins to camp out in tomorrow night. These camp sites include tents, hammocks, a fire ring, and seats around the fire. Goodnight from CVP.
Tuesday, June 9, 2026: 6:15pm
Today has turned out to be a beautiful day after a dubious forecast this morning. A 60% chance of rain turned into a 30% chance with temps soaring into the 80’s. We took full advantage of the day and have been outside all day long. We are 10 minutes away from dinner (BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Potato Wedges, Desert) and then Vespers, Evening Flag, and then our coveted evening activity known as Gnome Hunt. All of the campers have been great-super respectful, easy, and eager to be here. Gnome Hunt is a close cousin to the infamous counselor hunt with several interesting and unique twists.
Reason #2 that camp is important for kids: It introduces them to new skills and allows them to try things for the first time. While I was on lifeguard duty today, one of our girl campers came up to me and shared with me: “Mr. Forrest, I tried knee boarding today and I got up!” We had another cabin who signed up for our BB shooting range and shot a BB gun at targets for the first time (with eye protection of course). Trying new things increases confidence in kids which can lead to growth and more independence. We also want campers to leave camp with skill exposure that they can use in the future. We want kids to be able to say in the future, “Hey, I have done this skill before and I can do it again with confidence around this group of people.” Introducing kids to new skills and activities is a daily goal of our camp.
I will try to post more tonight…..
Tuesday, June 9, 2026: 11:30am
We are off and running on our first full day of camp and all is well. We had a good night’s sleep, a hearty breakfast of pancakes, breakfast nuggets, sausage, fruit parfait, and OJ. We also have our morning worship time called Anchor where we worship together in song (led by our worship team) and then we hold our daily Anchor talk. The morning anchor talk is geared around our camp theme which is, “Seen and Known” this summer. The theme was inspired by Psalm 139 which we are reading to the campers this week. Since there are 24 verses, we are focusing on 6 verses per day. Today, we read verses 1-6 and talked about how each of us have a deep desire to be seen and known. We will focus on verses 7-12 tomorrow. After anchor, we divide up into cabins for cabin devotional time which is followed by cabin activities. I had the privilege of helping out Cabin G-8 with their river kayaking activity. We learned how to put on kayak skirts, and we let the girls kayak in our shallow lake pool area for 30 minutes. Since none of the girls had ever done this before, it was really neat to see them try out a new skill!
Reason #1 that camp is important for kids: It provides campers with a screen/phone/tech free environment. Research has shown strong evidence that an overexposure to phones, social media, and screens has caused a sharp increase in anxiety, depression, and other symptoms in kids. While technology is great in and of itself, we believe that it is important for campers to take a break from the constancy of these things while they are at camp. We want campers to be able to notice things like pine trees in the woods, birds chirping, the quiet of the night, crickets singing, and eagles flying around. We believe that a week without phones is healthy and allows campers to focus on things that they may not be able to otherwise. On Monday morning, our summer staff members turn their phones in so we can ensure that distractions are not constantly going off in our pockets and so we can focus on campers instead of text messages and news alerts. We also want staff and campers to be in an environment where they can be still enough to hear the Lord speaking to them. Being in a space where real conversations can take place between campers and counselors is sacred to us and we hope that you value this as a parent.
Monday, June 8, 2026: 8:15pm
Quick update-We were able to dodge the rain most of the day which allowed us to have Clinics (skill-based classes) and Free Time without interruption. Right at dinner time, the skies opened up and we have been hammered with some much-needed rain. Our program team is always ready to pivot with a rain plan to keep our schedule moving. The storm dumped a good bit of rain which might bring our lake levels up to full pool which would be a blessing. Our ladies are currently in our meeting room for “girls night” while our boys are at our pavilion for “boys’ night”. For the boys, imagine a sea of boys playing battle ball and gotcha while music is blaring! Needless to say, the boys are having a blast right now. Quick note-I did not attend girls’ night, but I heard they had a great time. To be honest, I was not allowed to attend girl’s night…what is up with that? :)
Monday, June 8, 2026: 2:00pm
Parents, welcome to the Director’s Blog for Week #2 of camp. I want to extend a big thank you to each of you for your patience and flexibility as we pivoted to our rain luggage plan this morning. I didn’t want to take a chance on having camper luggage get doused this morning by the rain. We are off and running with Week #2 with 199 7th-10th graders. This week is a lot different for our staff having just come off of a week where we had 3rd-6th graders. Our staff enjoys the variety that each week brings and we are looking forward to having a blast with your camper(s) this week. This week is special for my wife and I as our two girls are are campers. I have always looked at coming to summer camp as a rite of passage for kids due to how much our they can learn and experience in an environment like this. Our son was a camper last week and it took all weekend for us to unpack all of the stories and experiences that he had. Today is Monday and he is still telling us stories and memories. My goal with this blog is to post 2-3 times per day so you can get a sneak peak into what we are doing. I plan to include activities, menu items, and what we are talking to the kids about during our worship times. We have a new podcast called, “Stories From The Point” that we released back in March. We just finished a series called, “The Case for Camp” on the podcast where we highlight reasons why camp is so beneficial to kids. I will share our Top 10 list on this blog throughout the week so you get a glimpse as to what we are trying to do with campers. We are getting ready to head to “Sugar Shack” now which is our mid-day snack time. After that, we will head to Clinics-Free-Time-Dinner-Vespers-Evening Flag-and our special evening activity called “Guy/Girls Night”. We have been able to dodge the rain so far and we are loving these cool temperates. In case you are interested, here is the link to our new podcast:
Stories from the Point | Podcast on Spotify
-Forrest Walker-CVP Director
Friday, June 5, 2026: 1:15pm
We just completed lunch (chicken sandwiches, fries, etc) and are headed to Clinics for the final time this week. After rest period, we will head to Sugar Shack, Free, Time, and our special final dinner which will include spaghetti & meatballs, bread, and cinnamon churros.
Getting back from the discussion from earlier this morning, I wanted to share an excellent resource that I have been reading this year called, “Sacred Playgrounds” by Jacob Sorenson. If you have any kind of interest in the history of Christian summer camps and a research-based explanation as to the power of camps, I highly recommend this book. In the book, Sorenson refers to camps as “Sacred Playgrounds”. I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes with you to help you prepare for pick-up tomorrow.
“Out of our comfort zones is where we grow. Even the strongest of trees requires frequent stiff winds to ensure proper growth and root strength.”
“Once you actually get away from your life, you can see a whole different angle. One of the greatest benefits of the camp experience is providing the chance to see life from a different perspective. This new perspective and the act of stepping outside their comfort zones prime the campers for growth.”
“Camp is closely related to the practice of Christian pilgrimage. The value of a pilgrimage includes community and the ability to get outside of God’s creation (away from screens!—added by me).
“It is critical that our kids do not suffer from a “nature deficit disorder”..get them outside as much as you can.”
“Campers leave camp with an incresed understanding that they can accomplish things on their own and that they enjoy going outside their comfort zones, and these impacts can last months after camp is over.”
“Many campers have never experienced two days in a row without exposure to screened devices. This is a gift that camp can give them.”
There are hundreds of other quotes that I could share, but I hope that these give you a small sense as to what your child may have experienced this week.
Friday, June 5, 2026: 7:45am
We have made it to Friday which is proving to be another gorgeous day here at camp. I keep telling the staff to not get used to this cool weather because the heat will eventually settle in. We have several fun end of week activities planned for today. Cabins are divided up into teams during the week and can earn points in various ways during our evening activities and through honor cabin which is our morning cabin cleaning. At the end of breakfast, we will announce which teams and individual cabins won the coveted dock party which occurs later this morning. The dock party is a party that involves being at the waterfront and ice cream. What kid does not enjoy ice cream? After our normal morning and afternoon activities, we will dismiss for our evening program which involves skits, the weekly video, and ultimately our end of week bonfire service. I will share more about all of this later today.
Thursday, June 4, 2026: 5:45pm
We are coming back from free time as I type this on another picture-perfect day on the lake. We received 8-9 brand-new SUPS (stand up paddleboards) in the mail this week to complete our paddle-board order. Every SUP was in use when I was lifeguarding in the slough earlier today. In addition to SUPS, we also have a fleet of canoes and yaks (kayaks) that are a ton of fun. We also purchased these cool “SUP Islands” which are inflatable platforms in the middle of the slough that campers can attach their SUPS to and hang out on.
I was recently looking at a photo of my son from last summer which was his first experience as a camper. I also did the same with my girls, and I could not believe the difference in the photos from just one year ago. The growth that our kids go through from year to year is amazing when you sit back and reflect. I have read that kids tend to grow the most during the summer months when they get more sleep, sun, play, and are in environments where there is less stress. Kids need to spend their summers playing, jumping off high-dives, tubing, and taking a break from the rigors of school.
As you make plans for Saturday morning pick-up, I wanted to offer some thoughts on how you can debrief with your child about their camp experience. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but I hope that it is helpful:
Consider taking your camper to lunch right after pick-up to allow them to share about their week. My wife and I have done this in the past, and it has been fun to hear all of the stories. For our kids, it usually took several days for us to hear about everything.
As good as #1 can be, some kids are not ready to share about their week and will need time to process. It is likely that your child will be very tired when they see you and the “camp adrenaline” wears off. If this happens, consider allowing your child to take a long nap when they get home before they share anything. I have also seen some of our kids in the past get emotional after Saturday pick-up because they did not want to leave camp or their cabin-mates.
If your child shows an interest in spiritual things such as reading the Bible or attending church, I would encourage you to allow them to pursue these things. We do encourage our campers to read the Bible every day, and we talk about how important weekly church attendance is. If your family does not attend church, consider allow them to attend with a friend or relative. Also consider attending church together. You are always welcome to attend First Presbyterian Church.
Research has shown that camp can impact a high percentage of campers for as much as 6-months after the experience. One of our goals is for campers to “take camp home” with them so that the experience doesn’t fade quickly. Consider having your camper journal about their camp experience so you can continue to listen and encourage them in all they experienced.
Research has shown that kids can oftentimes seem happier, more respectful, and more helpful around the house when they return from camp. If you notice these changes in your child, make sure to encourage them with what you are seeing. I have talked to several parents over the years who have told me that their child is “nicer” when they come home from camp and some have even said that the experience was transformational. This does not happen with every camper, but the research is compelling.
Since we have been phone and screen free all week long, consider reducing your child’s overall screen exposure for the duration of the summer.
I will share some additional thoughts and research in my next post. For now, we are getting ready to enjoy our signature dinner of orange chicken, rice, and egg rolls. Cabins G7 and B4 are camping out tonight! Cabin G-7 is the first girls’ cabin to use our new girl’s campground.
Thursday, June 4, 2026: 7:30am
We are waking up to another beautiful and chilly morning here at camp. Temps are once again near 57 degrees. It’s fun to see campers really begin to acclimate to camp now that we are in our 4th day together. We can literally see rapid growth in confidence, grittiness, and overall maturity in just a few days. It is not unusual for the tears and uneasiness that we saw on a Monday or a Tuesday to be replaced with smiles and comfort. We talk a lot about how camp is a “super concentrated” experience for kids where 5 days of camp can equal as much as 30-40 “normal” days at home. The other really interesting thing about camp is that kids frequently remember their camp experiences, their counselor, and core memories decades later. I have a dear friend whose son is here this week who I worked with at Vesper Back way back in 2005. When I saw him on Monday, we were able to pick up our conversations like it was 2005 all over again. There are not many life experiences quite like coming to camp.
Later today, I am planning on sharing some tips on how to debrief and process your child’s week with them when you pick them up on Saturday. I know that you are all eager to see them on Saturday and I have found it helpful to think through how we can best give our kids time to share and process their camp experience. Some kids will want to share everything with you as soon as they get into the car. Other kids may need some time to fully process their week in their minds and hearts before they will want to share. Here at Vesper Point, we refer to this as kids, “taking camp home with them” and how you can assist with their transition away from camp.
For those that are interested, we are releasing a brand-new podcast episode tomorrow morning (Friday, June 5) on our podcast platform called, “Stories From The Point”. This episode will conclude our current series which is called, “The Case for Camp”. I will post more later as time allows.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026: 3:00pm
Rest period is among us which gives the campers a chance to catch a quick nap or have some quiet cabin time together. After rest period, we will head to Sugar Shack which will include a brand-new soft pretzel snack which we think the campers will love. The schedule for the rest of today looks like this:
4:00-5:30: Free Time: Swimming, Blobbing, Kayaks/Canoes/Paddleboards, Boating, etc
6:15: Dinner: Hamburger cookout with chips and watermelon
7:15: Evening Vespers
7:45: Evening Flag
8:00: Hoe-Down!!!
*Cabin B-2 is camping out tonight in tents
Speaking of our hoe-down, this is a classic evening activity that we have been having since the mid-1980’s. My dear wife Alex is our hoe-down called and does a great job teaching the kids all kinds of dances.
Note: For all B-8 parents, they had a great time on their campout last night-make sure to ask about some cool stories about this when you pick them up on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026: 7:15am
Another good morning is upon us here at camp. We are waking up to 58 degrees which is a gift. We have reached the mid-way point in our week and it has come upon us fast. Our theme for the summer is, “Seen and Known” which was inspired by Psalm 139. We are spending our morning worship time (which is called Anchor) talking to the campers about this theme. We read 6 verses each day from this Psalm to talk about what it is like to know the Lord and to be seen by Him. I shared with the campers yesterday about how everyone has a need to be seen and known by someone-we are wired in this way. This morning, we will be reading verses 7-11 if you want to follow along with us daily.
Another new addition to camp that we are excited about is our low ropes course. We have had a desire to add several experiential learning elements to our camping program and are thrilled that we were able to add Phase I this Winter. Experiential Learning is a concept in which campers are introduced to complex elements that they try to solve with teamwork. Most of these elements present challenges that campers have not faced before. Examples of this are a giant balance-beam like platform that the entire cabin has to balance, a trust fall element, and a wire-based obstacle course. After a cabin completes an element, our low ropes course leaders spend some time debriefing the element with a series of questions that are designed to get the campers thinking about teamwork. At the end of this debrief, our leaders seek to connect these elements to spiritual things in our lives. We currently have 8 low ropes elements. I am currently working on Phase II of this project which will involve some high ropes elements. I will post some additional updates later today.
Parents-my apologies for the lack of pictures from Tuesday. I am working to correct that today in terms of volume and quality.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026: 8:00pm
Apologies for the gap in posting today. I have been out working on the property and hanging out with campers all day. Today has been another fantastic day of camp. I cannot stress enough how incredible it feels out here-it is like late September. We just finished dinner (BBQ, Potato Wedges, Green Beanes, Rolls, Brownies), Vespers, Evening Flag, and we are now heading to our camp-wide game called the Gnome Hunt. The Gnome Hunt is a mix of the classic counselor hunt with a very interesting and unique twist. Various characters will be walking around the campus as either a “good” or “bad” character. Campers are trying to obtain as many “tokens” as possible, and they all armed with water balloons. The game has quickly become a camp classic and is a lot of fun. Cabin B-8 is getting ready to go on their overnight campout with their counselors and a member of our camp leadership team. We finished working on the campsite today and it includes tents, hammocks, a fire ring(Smores!), and a killer view of the lake. More later…..
Tuesday, June 2, 2026: 7:15am
Good morning from a calm and quiet Vesper Point. All is well as the sun comes up. We are looking forward to our first full day of camp this morning. Unseasonably cool weather continues as we expect lows in the upper 50’s/low 60’s and highs right at 77-80 all week. We allow our cabins to choose the cabin activities throughout the week by filling out a ranking sheet. To give you an idea of what cabins will be doing this morning-see below:
Cabin ActivityG1: Low Ropes Cours B1: Tubing G2: Putt-Putt Golf B2: BB Guns G4: Archery B3: Gaga Ball G5: Kayaks, etc. B4: Tubing G6: Kayaks B5: Swim & Water G7: Swim & Water B6: Mtn. Biking G9: 4 Square B7: Touch Football G10: Banana Boat B8: Touch Football G11: Bouldering B9: Gaga Ball
In addition to this, Cabin B8 will be camping out at our newly designed boys campground tonight! Some of our boy campers have begged me to allow them watch a bit of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night (Spurs vs. Knicks). Even though we are 100% screen free, I may let them catch a few moments! I will post more later……
Monday, June 1, 2026: 9:00pm
Parents, this has been an awesome first day of camp. Free Time was buzzing with swimming, blobbing, jumping off the high-dive, aqua-tramping, canoeing, kayaking, and SUPing(paddleboards). I even saw a few boys fishing. For dinner tonight, our cooks cooked up a killer dish of chicken, noodles, marinera sauce, broccoli, bread, and banana pudding. After dinner, we attended our evening worship service called, “Vespers” which is where our camp got its name. In 1963, the name of our camp changed from, “First Presbyterian Church Camp” to “Vesper Point” after the campers suggested the name change. Vespers means, “evening worship”, so our camp literally means, “Evening Worship at the Point”. We hold Vespers at a very special outdoor amphitheater which literally looks out over the lake. Vespers has been happening at this point since 1954. Vespers includes worship which is led by our worship team and two staff testimonies. I will share more about Vespers later in the week. After evening flag, we went to our evening activity which was girls night/boys night. The girls had a special game of musical capture the flag on our giant field which was a blast. The boys played in rotations that involved kickball on our new baseball field, and battle ball at our pavilion. Everyone is heading to bed now and we will have lights out shortly after showers. All is well tonight…..
Monday, June 1, 2026: 3:30pm
Quick note at 3:30. A big rain mass headed in but quickly dissipated which allowed us to have Clinics after our Sugar Shack (mid-day snack). We are getting ready to head to the waterfront for Free-Time. The following are new additions to camp this summer:
New baseball field with real bases, fence, foul lines, and foul poles
New fly-fishing class
New roof over the back porch of the dining hall
New girl’s campsite
New low ropes course (I will share more about this later in the week)
Several new paddleboards
New BB Range for safe shooting
Monday, June 1, 2026: 11:50am
Good morning and happy first day of camp parents. This is Camp Director Forrest Walker and I want to welcome you to our daily Director’s Blog. I wanted to thank each of you for an excellent camper drop-off this morning. It is always a treat for my wife(Alex) and I to meet and greet each of you. We have a lot of new campers present this morning which makes us very excited. We also love seeing returning campers which makes us smile. The purpose of this page is to give parents an inside look at what is happening at camp daily in terms of activities, menu items, games, and what we are talking to the campers about. I will try to update this page 1-3 times per day-usually first thing in the morning (I am an early riser) and throughout the afternoon and evening. If you don’t see an update posted on a certain day, just know that I am more than likely busy and not able to make it to my computer. For our first update, I wanted to let you know that we just got back from the swim test and everyone did great! The water was a bit chilly this morning due to the cool temps (which is very rare) and the recent rains. We will gladly take temps in the low 70’s on June 1. The recent rains raised our lake levels dramatically and have allowed us to resume all normal water related activities. The recent drought brought some tricky hydrological challenges to our camp, but we are thankful to have those issues resolved. We are having pizza for lunch today and will be debuting a new food item called, “pizza cupcakes” which are quite delicious. After lunch, we have a full slate of fun activities and games planned until bedtime. In later updates, I will share some of the exciting new additions that we have added to the property for the summer.
On a personal note, I wanted to let each of you know that our son is also a camper this week. In addition to this, Alex and I have several family members present who are also campers for the first time. Please know that we understand how hard it can be to drop your child off for the first time at an overnight camp. It is so important for kids to experience things away from home and I applaud each of you for giving your camper this opportunity. We have an incredible group of camp counselors who are dynamite with the campers and will do a great job in taking care of your kiddos. Our counseling staff comes from Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, and all of the typical southern states. I will try to post another update later this evening.