Camp Whatever is an opportunity to unplug from the distractions of the world and connect to a fun and encouraging environment to intentionally take kids deeper in the word rooted in the gospel.

Camp Whatever is offered to students who just completed 6th grade up to those who just graduated 12th grade. There is a mixture of students who are devoted Christ followers, regular attenders who have not yet surrendered to the Gospel, students who do not attend LP regularly who are Christ followers & students who are experiencing Jesus for the first time, along with everything in between. While deep discipleship is happening at camp, there is also a large focus on outreach.

A small group leader is matched to a group of students that they will spend the week with. They will sleep in the same room, sit together at large group worship sessions, travel together to camp activities including meals, recreation rotations, and large group. Some of the most important time leaders will spend with students are one-on-one conversations throughout the week and focused time together as a group in morning & evening group time discussing quiet times, topics covered in the sessions and what Christ is revealing to each of them.

A leader:

• Is expected to be a devoted Christ follower who can commit to a week of disconnecting from the world.
• Should have a deep understanding of the Gospel & be able to clearly present it to students.
• Desires to engage with students (not just those in their small group) & be a reflection of Christ in their lives.
• Can be both fun & firm with the ability to encourage, and has the discernment to know when to do which one.
• Can spend a week with students (at nearly all times).
• Confident in their ability to talk about heavy topics with students with the support & training of student ministry.
• Discerns when a student’s needs should be escalated to other camp staff (deans, counselors & the student ministry team).
• Is willing to engage in all of the activities with students.
• Is flexible & gracious. This is a large scale event with lots of moving parts & while we spend a lot of time planning & thinking through logistics for varying ages & needs, things may need to change on the fly. An example of this was last year when a concern was raised the Monday morning we were leaving for camp about where students would sit in worship & we put together a row-assigning system at camp. While it was not perfect, it solved the initial problem & was welcomed by most leaders. We need support from leaders as we adapt like this based on what is thrown at us. If leaders become easily agitated, it will trickle into co-leaders & students.

Leaders will be provided with training materials throughout the Spring, that each leader is expected to read, as well as a mandatory in person training in late May. Leaders who are new to Camp Whatever or would like a refresher will have additional training offered at the in person training to help layout the systems of camp. Staff will be available to answer questions at these in-person meetings and throughout the month leading up to camp to help leaders feel prepared. These materials are going to include conversation starters for your small group times as well as cover questions & talking points you may receive based on the topics that are covered. Once we are at camp there will be staff assigned to caring for leaders as well as systems in place to help when matters need to be passed off. We will also have some students who are provided with buddies either the entire week of camp or during certain times when it is beneficial to have another adult present.

Over the course of camp week, you will be with your group of students the entirety of the week, with the exception of:
• Any leader-specific events or training times.
• Meal times when you do not have to sit as a group, but you still travel to & from the meal as a group.

In addition to the week of camp, you will want to set aside a couple of hours this Spring to read through leader training materials & mark the mandatory in person leader training (2-3 hours depending on if you are new or not) on your calendar to attend.

We pass out lists once we arrive to camp or the morning prior to departure. There are often last minute changes that are made. We have found that allowing lists out sooner results in both leaders & students being upset if their group is one affected by these changes.

Our goal is to max out groups at 14 students & 2 leaders. This is the maximum size for a bunk room. Groups have the option to split between the 2 leaders for small group time to give each student more time to talk. This also allows for overall smaller circles so that information shared in a group doesn’t have to be loud in order for those in the circle to hear it.

Our heartbeat is for you to lead your regular Wednesday night group, but this is not guaranteed. Due to the capacity of the camp and the mass amount of students, there is a probability that you will have students in your group, or in your room, that you're not familiar with. Please know that we as a ministry team are prayerfully and strategically putting these groups together in order to create the best environment for the gospel to take root.

The sooner our leader spots are filled, the sooner we are able to make these assignments and share them. If possible, we like to make sure that a new leader is with a seasoned leader before pairing up seasoned leaders. This is all pending how quickly our leader spots are filled. If you have a friend who you can get to sign up who is new, we will try our best to keep the two of you together. Email camp@lifept.org with this info if you do have a friend sign up who is new to camp that you would like to serve with.

Please email camp@lifept.org with this information.