I had the joy of spending the week out at the Christian Conference Center with 37 Jr. High youth (6-8th grade) and 12 wonderful adults. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) call their Jr. High Youth Groups/ Camps Chi-Rho; the Chi and Rho are the first two letters of Christ in Greek.
The way the Christian Conference Center runs the Chi-Rho camps are very unique. There are 4 “villages” in their part of the camp. Each village has 2 screened huts, a fire pit with benches around it, a “kitchen” that is really a place to wash and dry your dishes, and a large table for eating. Each day the group cooks their own breakfast and dinner over the fire; the youth rotate jobs around the village. We also care for our part of the camp every day, refilling our own firewood, cleaning the bathhouse, and general cleaning around the camp. It is truly a week of camp that is what you give to it and you really notice when someone (or a group) does not do their part. Everyone is essential to life at Chi-Rho camp.
Each morning we start our day with the Chi-Rho Pledge:
With the help of Jesus and to the best of my ability, I will love and honor God, love and serve others, and love and respect myself.
Each part of the pledge is important to running life at Chi-Rho camp.
- We love and honor God by studying and worship daily and through our daily interactions
- We serve and love others through cleaning and cooking, and through respecting each person because they are a child of God
- We love and respect ourselves by taking care of our physical bodies, spiritual and emotional needs.
As we went through the week, I could not help by think so many times how much the world could change if we all worked to live into the Chi-Rho Pledge each and every day in the real world.
What if we woke up every morning and almost as a prayer said:
With the help of Jesus and to the best of my ability, I will love and honor God, love and serve others, and love and respect myself.
