High school youth grow in faith at LTC
“Students get to come and spend time in a place that is safe and peaceful. At camp everyone is accepted, everyone is encouraged, so if students feel out of place in other places, they’ll feel a sense of calming here.” -Stephanie Caro, Guest Speaker
Students worshiping at Leadership Training Camp (LTC). Photos by Beata Ferris.
Leadership Training Camp (LTC) is a five-day camp that helps high schoolers focus on growing connections not only with each other, but with God. The counseling staff strive to stretch the high schoolers to think about their faith in different and unique ways, fostering personal growth. The students leave camp with skills on how they can continue to grow their faith once they are back home.
Each year, LTC takes on a new theme that has been chosen by previous Conference Council on Youth Ministry (CCYM) students. The CCYM, a group of dedicated and passionate young leaders, carefully selects a theme that resonates with the campers. This year’s theme was “Learn(ing) to Swim” focusing on the passage Ezekiel 47:1-7. Rev. Peggy Hanson, CCYM adult chair, talked about the meaning behind the theme saying, “Sometimes we get thrown into these deep waters and our natural instinct is to feel like we are sinking. How do we know that God is with us and will help us swim?”
One of the ways campers experience the theme is through the activities during the week. Rev. Melissa Gall, a CCYM adult, shared, “During activities like the scavenger hunt and Wacky Olympics you aren’t telling the kids how the games are connecting to the theme, but they are able to live out the theme together in fun ways.”
Stephanie Caro was the guest speaker at LTC this year. Stephanie has spoken at many CCYM events before and is someone the students look forward to learning from. Each morning Stephanie led a time of teaching for the students. Following the theme, each day they would step “deeper into the river” and learn about way to survive deep waters with the help of God.
Campers participating in the yoga class that was offered.
“We talked a lot about what happens when the water is getting so deep that we are going to drown. Our God is a God who rescues. We can rejoice in the times we aren’t drowning and remember during the times we feel like we are in over our head, God will be there with his hand to rescue us.” said Caro.
One thing that campers look forward to each day are the classes that are offered in the afternoon. This year there were three unique classes led by counselors that the students could choose. One of the classes was a yoga class that focused on stretching both your body and your mind. Another class focused on mental health and the ways to support the mental health of yourself and those around you in healthy ways. Finally, guest speaker Stephanie Caro held a class about the different ways you can serve others, and how to live out your faith in the world.
It was the second year that Teddy Bear Camp and LTC have collided, and the campers couldn’t be happier. Melissa mentioned, “It was an accident the first year it happened, and we weren’t sure how the students would react to it. The two groups kind of just became one. The LTC campers found so much joy in showing the Teddy Bear campers what camp was all about, and as counselors we had so much fun watching them interact.”
Being a first time LTC camper and a newly-elected member of CCYM, Noah Mutzenberger shared about the impact of the Teddy Bear campers, “It was great to see the littlest disciples come to camp and to see the joy in their faces during worship.” Staff hope that the two camps will continue to be scheduled during the same week in years to come so that LTC students can experience the joy of mentoring the next generation.
The Grinager Goose Gang and the Hubbard Hubbard Hippos ready to compete in the Wacky Olympics.
Every day is packed full of activities at LTC and on top of that, each night there is a special event. One of the most famous traditions at LTC is the Wacky Olympics, a fun-filled event that brings joy and excitement to the campers. The Wacky Olympics take place on Tuesday afternoon, and it is a great bonding experience for the cabins. In the Wacky Olympics, each cabin competes in a variety of wacky games with the hope of being awarded the most points and being crowned the champions at the end of the games. Each cabin decides on a team name, creates a flag, and if they are feeling crafty, they can even create accessories for their team to wear. This year’s team names were the Hubbard Hubbard Hippos and the Grinager Goose Gang.
Ava Laffey, CCYM chair, says “LTC is a great place to build community. It is a space where teens and young adults can explore their faith and how they can further develop it.”
Ava and the rest of CCYM hope you will join them at one of their other events. DakYouth will take place October 11-13, 2024, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Winter Connection will connect youth at regional locations in January 2025.