Meet Our Summer Staff: David

Welcome David Nirushikan Velupillai to our 2018 summer staff team! David was born in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Last fall, he traveled to the states to attend Eden Theological Seminary. This summer, he will be serving as a Counselor/Activity Specialist.

David grew up in a well-respected Christian family. Growing up, he participated in a variety of children’s programs sponsored by the church. In his youth, he joined the Scouts and participated in camps in different parts of the country. He enjoyed all these experiences, especially the campfires! While in seminary in Jaffna, he was involved in a number of outdoor activities, but especially enjoyed volleyball and cricket.

David has worked with children in a variety of settings. After seminary, he was the director of his church’s after-school program. In this role, he was able to provide young people with educational and cultural experiences that might not otherwise have been accessible to them. David wrote, “As a pastor, I would say that my goal is creating the community for the transformed community of the society.”

While in the USA, he would like to experience the culture of Americans, and see how we are involved in the ministry of children for a transformed community. David’s favorite foods are fried rice and spicy beef or chicken curry. He is hoping to have the opportunity to cook a couple of his favorite dishes for our summer staff sometime during the season. He is also looking forward to working with an international team. Welcome David! We can’t wait to learn more about you and your island home.

David 2

Prayers for Our Summer Staff

Today, Wednesday, May 30, our summer camp program staff officially arrived for nine days of intensive training covering topics such as health and safety, faith formation, activity leadership, behavior management and so much more! They have come from local Illinois South Conference churches and from communities of faith around the world – literally.

Please keep the leadership team, program staff and site staff in your thoughts and prayers. They have an awesome task in front of them! We also ask that you keep our international staff, long distance staff and their families close to your heart. These staff members have traveled from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Wales, Virginia, and Washington (state), and will be far from their homes for three months or even longer. Thank you!

Why Church Camp?

Because church camp is joyful fun! It is a sacred place. It is intensely relational, and positive role models abound! Though an integral part of many congregations’ year-round faith formation efforts, church camp is different from Vacation Bible School or Sunday School. Campers and leaders live, work, play and worship together from early morning until late into the evening. They grow together through shared experiences in God’s amazing creation and form an intentional community. They hear our faith stories in new places and new ways, and find opportunities to share their own. The activities are fun, challenging and filled with opportunities to grow as part of a Christian community.

Click here to learn more.

What’s in a Name?

Twig, Sparkle, Pastor Skippy, Simba, Kayak, Nurse Bandit, Sparrow, Mr. T, Shark Bait – What’s with all the weird names? Since 2011, “camp names” have been the norm for summer staff and volunteers at DuBois Center. Some are silly and pulled from… who knows where. Others have stories and traditions behind them. To avoid inhaling pollen and dust, Nurse Bandit wears a bandana over her nose and mouth when driving around camp. Pastor Skippy, who loves Ryanpeanut butter, has been a camp chaplain for decades at a variety of different camps and his name has traveled with him.

We use “camp names” during the summer at DuBois Center because they are FUN, and because sometimes there are just too many Rachels and Ryans running around. Real names are shared on the last day of each camp, and they are listed on the sign-out sheets when parents pick up their children at the end of a session. If a counselor senses that a parent is nervous about not knowing their “real name,” the leader might take them aside and share that detail in advance.

What’s in a name – a lot of silliness and camp fun!

Summer Camp Volunteers

Our summer staff team has been hired. Chaplains are busy working on the curriculum for their sessions. Parents are making plans and campers are getting excited. What’s left?! Each week of the summer, 4-6 volunteers work hand in hand with paid staff members to provide our fun and faith-filled program. We hope you will consider a week (or even a few days) of service at DuBois Center.

Wanted: engaging and caring volunteers to serve as nurses, cabin counselors, activity specialists and barn helpers. Minimum age is 18 for most positions; young adults and older adults are welcome. Share your time and talent, make a difference, and gain a wonderful sense of satisfaction. Check out the photo above. Can you pick out the four volunteers?

For more information, go to the volunteer page of our web site or email or call 618-787-2202. If camp isn’t your thing, but you know someone who would be perfect, check out this form or send their contact information directly to Shirley.

High School Week at DuBois Center – June 17-22

Older youth (completed grades 8-12) take over the Rustic Village. One week, two great options: Wranglers and X-Plore! It’s a week to be yourself, make good friends, find new adventures and grow with God.

SwingMeals on Rustic are back! Choice times are back! And with them more opportunities to hang with your friends and customize your week. Play disc golf – DuBois style; get super crafty; fish at Deer Run or ride horses in “the bottoms.” Play cricket or Aussie football with our international staff and check-out weird and wacky activities at the waterfront.

For details, pick up a brochure in your church office, check out the brochure online or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. Ready to register? Sign up today. Don’t delay – June is just around the corner!

Meet our Summer Staff: Selena

Welcome Selena Wellenstein to our 2018 summer staff team! Selena hails from Seattle, Washington and will be serving as a Counselor/Activity Specialist. She is a city kid with a heart for the outdoors. Selena has worked with children and youth in a variety of settings – as a babysitter, child care provider at church and volunteer at a therapeutic riding center. Her love of the outdoors has been fed by her years as a Girl Scout and as part of the Cascade Leadership Challenge program. The summer of 2016 she spent 18 days in the Northwest Territories of Canada rafting down the Nahanni River with nine other people. She wrote, “That was one of the most difficult experiences of my life, but I grew and learned so much!”

SelinaSelena is studying Animal Science with a minor in Spanish at Washington State University in Pullman. When at school, she loves being a part of the Guide Dogs for the Blind club, through which she is learning to train dogs for the program. When at home, Selena enjoys spending time in the sun and taking her dog, Roxy, to the dog park. Horses, country music and sweets are some of her “favorites.” Her favorite smell is a horse barn and she loves the movie Guardians of the Galaxy.

So how did Selena find her way to DuBois Center? “The honest story is that I was praying for a summer job, and shortly after I received an email with a flyer for the DuBois Center. When I checked them out online, I loved their welcoming and open approach to faith as well as the down-to-earth, rustic style of camp. I can’t wait to work with all different walks of people this summer and am excited to hear their stories!” Selena’s faith is very important to her and she found a wonderful church, faith family and mentor while at school. One of her hopes for this summer is to pass on her mentor’s kindness and devotion to the staff and campers at the DuBois Center.

Welcome Selena!

Save the Date – Fall Festival 2018

The ISC Outdoor Ministries Team (OMT) announces the 42nd annual Fall Festival at DuBois Center on Sunday, October 7th from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Many of the traditional favorites for this autumn fundraiser will continue to be featured, if enough supervisors and volunteers come forward. We hope many will be able to participate as a volunteer, as a donor of food, items, or money, as a crafter, a musician, and/or a buyer.

Your church will receive more information this summer about the Fall Festival and updates will be printed periodically in the Weekly Connection. For more information, please contact Norma Borgmann (OMT Chairperson) at 618-533-1658 (H) or 618-292-4617 (C) or nborgmann1658@charter.net.

Join Our Camp Welcome Team

On the five Sundays of camp – June 10 and 24 and July 8, 15 and 22 – scores of UCC campers will arrive at DuBois Center eager and excited to begin their time at camp. Twelve volunteers are needed for each of these Sundays, plus summer staff, to ensure the check-in process runs smoothly! Volunteers assist with greeting, parking, the camp store, registration, health screenings, dock duty and people-moving. They arrive by 1:15 pm and are done by 4 pm.
Please consider joining our Sunday Welcome Team on one or more check-in days. You are invited to wear a church t-shirt and show your spirit. Even consider bringing a team from your church! Let us know in advance when you can help; contact the DuBois Center office at dcinfo@duboiscenter.org or 618-787-2202.

Horse Camps – Ready to Ride?

Horse campers spend more time with the ponies, but still have time for other camp favorites such as swimming, 9-Square and crafts. If the weather cooperates, they have the option to ride each day! Some mornings, campers are up and at ’em long before chow time to feed and groom the horses before breakfast and an early morning ride. Some evenings, untacking, feeding and barn chores come before evening games.
Younger campers can hop aboard the Pony Express for an introduction to horse camp. Older ones can choose from a variety of sessions. Ready to register online? Click here. For more information, pick up a camp brochure in your church office or check out the brochure online. Or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.orgor 618-787-2202 to have one sent to you.

Horse Camps – Summer 2018:

PONY EXPRESS
     July 22-25  (completed grades 4-6)
HORSIN’ AROUND
   June 10-15July 8-13, or  July 15-20 (completed grades 5-7)
SADDLE ‘EM UP
   June 24-29, or  July 15-20 (completed grades 7-9)
 
WRANGLERS
     June 17-22 (completed grades 8-12)