Growing Disciples Monthly Reflections are written by a variety of leaders across our synod; as such, the language reflects the individual's personal theology. We give thanks to Pastor Josh Ehrler, pastor at Trinity Mt Morris, and Melissa Rojas, Camp Director of Strong Girls 2 Women camp, for their reflection on encouraging.
The observation: girls from an increasingly young age are encountered by words that convince them that their job prospects are limited and their place in the community is set for them because of their gender, abilities, and ethnicity. Add to this the realities of rural community life, which can hinder hopes of travel and exploration, while limiting the amount of in-person positive influences a girl can receive.
What can a person, or even a Lutheran church, do to counter these cultural challenges?
Build a camp for girls. Strong Girls 2 Women (SG2W) was created to empower girls in the Mt Morris/Oregon area to envision their potential as children of God. The goal is to inspire our campers to recognize their abilities and gifts while also widening their imagination for who they could be in the world. Psalm 139 is our anchor text, and almost immediately our campers learn to shout and sing, “I Am Enough!”
None of this can happen, though, without building relationships. Without support and a sense of community, all of our encouraging words at camp will collapse when our strong girls return to their lives and are confronted again by negative voices and influences.
SG2W is a weeklong camp hosted by Trinity Lutheran in Mt Morris since 2017. Besides games, art, music and all the fun activities of camp, two features make our camp unique. The most important work we do is to foster relationships. Our strong girls (grades 4-6) are placed in teams; those teams are together for the duration of the week. They play and participate as a group, and they are taught to respect, listen, and see the goodness in each other. They are encouraged to positively express the gifts they see in their teammates, and they spend time sharing little pieces of themselves with their team. One of our fundamental rules of camp is a clear sense of safety, which allows our strong girls to take risks, be themselves, and be courageous with others.
Along with team building, SG2W has intentional times in which the entire camp sits, stands, and sings in large circles so they can see each other and realize that no one stands alone. They light candles for each other and learn to give thanks for each other’s support. We have developed sacred moments in which every camper is honored and everyone is welcomed and affirmed, because we know that our campers need to hear those words while surrounded by their peers. Besides being super fun, even their camp shirts are intended to be a subtle sign to each other during the year that they have fellow campers all around them.
Along with striving to build meaningful relationships, the second feature that makes SG2W distinct is the direct access we create to women leaders. Our role models have been artists, conservationists, school administrators, executives and TV personalities. These women give a morning in order to talk a little about who they are in the world.
More importantly, they play, sing, and interact with our campers. Sometimes, the big group discussions inspire tons of questions and excitement, but so do the quiet one-on-one moments when a strong girl can pull the role model aside and ask whatever they want. Their questions are heard and answered. If the role model happens to live or work in our area, the camper now has another positive adult they can approach who will respect them. It’s a little extra special when they see that adult wearing a camp shirt around town.
SG2W exists to counter the cultural narratives that haunt girls, particularly in rural areas, where resources are limited. Camp is joyfully funded by the church and led by congregation leaders because a need was recognized, and an opportunity to respond was created. It does not exist for the church, and there is no evangelism. It is designed and launched every year for the sake of our young neighbors in order to encourage them to see themselves and their fellow campers as God already sees them, loved and worthy of respect.
