January 2024 - Belonging

One of the words that comes to my mind when I think about Bethelwoods is “Belonging.” Camp is a place where many have found that sense of belonging. From campers to counselors to volunteers to guests, I have heard so many people describe camp as a second home, a place where they feel safe, a place where they can be their authentic selves, a place where they have met some of their life-long friends, a place they belong.

As the Director, hearing people describe camp in this way is a wonderful affirmation of our work. Helping people to have those experiences and feel that way about Bethelwoods has been a mission of mine since I took the job as Camp Director in the fall of 2015. Helping others find this sense of belonging is important to me because I was able to find that belonging at Bethelwoods while I was growing up. 

One of the things that always seems to come up when I am talking to someone about camp is, “Well, I grew up coming to camp at Bethelwoods.” Then, the conversation proceeds to highlight all of my years as a camper during my childhood and then my years serving as a counselor and on summer leadership staff during college. This personal history is not meant to brag about how long I have been at camp or how much I know about camp, but it is sincerely an attempt to show how much I appreciate this place and the sense of belonging I have felt being here. 

Something not many people may know, but my parents can attest to, is that when I was growing up, I was not always excited about coming to camp. I was an extremely shy, reserved, and anxious child. I know for many of you, this admission will be shocking! But the week leading up to camp each summer was filled with nerves about meeting new people, doing unfamiliar things, and not being accepted. However, these feelings were always unfounded, and I always came home from camp with stories of the fun things we did, the new friends I made, and not wanting to have to wait a whole year to go back. I had found a place and a community where I belonged. I am sure many of our campers and staff will find some commonality in this story. The anxiety and anticipation one feels before coming to camp is often replaced by this sense of belonging when they have experienced the community at camp.

In his novel, The Last Battle, part of the Chronicles of Narnia series, C.S. Lewis writes, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been searching for all my life, though I never knew it till now…” I love this sentiment of equating belonging with coming home. So many people describe camp as a second home, and so coming to camp is a way to come home to a place where you belong. This often is not something we are even looking for. For the staff and campers, belonging at Bethelwoods can come as a surprise, as something that you were not looking for, but as something that you needed in your life at the time. This has certainly always been true for me.

As I look forward to a new year at Bethelwoods, I pray that everyone who works, volunteers, or attends a program or retreat at Bethelwoods can find this sense of belonging.
- Stephen McDonald, Camp Director at Bethelwoods
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