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May 19, 2020
Dear friends in Christ,
I am writing to share with you all that I have cancelled all camp sessions at Camp Cross for this summer.
Every generation has their own seminal events, with days and times that will never be forgotten. In my life I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing when the Challenger exploded, when the Berlin Wall came down, when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 took place. When I look back on my life, I know that certain times have impact far beyond a day or a season. When Mt. St. Helen's blew up, school was cancelled for the rest of the year. The summer I spent working as part of the Camp Cross staff was a summer that shaped who I would become. Every generation, every person, has times that are joyous, and times that are full of disappointment. For each of us the question is not if those times will occur, but how will we respond when they do.
We are currently living in such a time. We are in a global pandemic, and so much of what we experience as normal life has been disrupted. We are not in our congregations worshiping together. Those who graduate this year from high school or college are doing so in different ways. For our high school youth, proms and sporting events are cancelled. For many families, trying to do school from home is an added stress. People have lost their jobs due to the closure of businesses, and our medical personnel are under great stress. Many of us are concerned about what might be next. In the midst of all of this, we are followers of Jesus, and we are called to continue to walk together in the way of love. Our call is to always act in ways that show love of God and love of neighbor. As your bishop, this has been the guiding principle behind my guidelines to the diocese, that all of our actions be loving towards our neighbor.
As we moved through this time, the question of how we can safely hold Camp Cross sessions this summer came up in conversation many times. Canon John Palarine and our business and facilities manager Skip Hubbard have worked very hard, in conjunction with our camp nurse and camp teams across the country to learn about what needs to happen for all of us to have a safe and healthy summer at Camp Cross: information that seems to be ever growing and changing. Initially, we simply made the decision to delay the start of camp with the hope that by July we would be in a much better place.
Today, I decided that it is not possible for us to open Camp Cross. This decision was made in consultation with John, Skip, and other members of the staff. This decision is heartbreaking for all of us. My times at Camp Cross are part of the happiest and most formative of my life, as is true for generations of campers from this diocese and beyond. To contemplate a summer without camp is difficult.
However, I am convinced that it is simply impossible for us to offer the programming and fellowship that is central to our Camp Cross experience this summer. As we talked about needed health and safety changes, too many aspects central to our campers' experience, were being stripped away. Foundational to Camp Cross is offering the inclusive love of God in a community that comes together. Singing, offering worship, eating in community, sharing in sacred circles and small groups, playing games, enjoying waterfront; all of those would have been drastically changed this summer, changed in ways that would have negatively impacted our campers' experience.
So this year, Camp Cross will not be open for any camping sessions. We will still offer the summer staff the opportunity to work at camp on our facilities and to engage in leadership formation. Currently, John and Skip are thinking about "what's next".
If you have already registered for camp you will be receiving communications about your registration.
I ask that you keep in your prayers all the campers, counselors, and staff who are now going to have a completely different summer than they hoped for, including all the other camps on the lake and around our country which are also now closed. I ask that you keep in your prayers all those we do not know, who will not experience God's love through camp this summer. I ask that you pray for the ministry of Camp Cross and for all who have found God during their time there.
I have said that Camp Cross is not simply a location on McDonald Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene. It is a way of being, a way of offering the love of God to all, a way of creating a community of love. We might not have camp sessions this summer, but Camp Cross still exists and continues in new ways.
Please know that this decision was not easy. I am convinced, however, that it is the correct decision to make. If you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch with me. We will be back at Camp Cross on McDonald Point again. This year will be one of those years we will never forget. It will impact us, it will change us. Let us work to make sure that it is always a change for the better, so that all we do may be in service and show love of God and love of neighbor.
God's blessings be on each one of you.
Faithfully,
Gretchen Rehberg
IX Spokane
View the Bishop's video address here |
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Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
245 E. 13th Ave
Spokane, Washington 99202-1114
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