From Generation to Generation

by Stacie Hoppman on September 7,2022 in Growing Faith Summer Camp with No Comments

There’s a famous quote from the book of Esther where Mordecai, her uncle and guardian, says to her, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther has found herself in a unique situation. She has been plucked from her home and her people, crowned... read more

Tags: Bible study, Blessed to be a blessing, Camp Wyoming, camps in Iowa, Esther, Esther 4:14, Generation to Generation, Iowa

The Way Children Play

by Stacie Hoppman on January 27,2015 in Camp Talk Parents with No Comments

As a kid, I (Stacie) would often sit and listen as my parents fondly recalled memories of playing outside—heading out right after breakfast to roam the neighborhood and not come home again until the street lights came on at night. To hear them describe it, it seemed that every kid in the neighborhood came outdoors... read more

Tags: adventure, camp, camps in Iowa, change, free play, generation, imagination, Iowa, neighborhood, outdoors, outside, parents, play, summer camp, summer camp in iowa, the changing way of play, the way children play

Equipping Our Young People: A Camp Wyoming Story

by Stacie Hoppman on January 9,2015 in Camp Staff Camp Talk Camp Wyoming Stories Growing Faith Next Step Consulting with No Comments

Everyone talks about it. Every church and ministry is aware of the problem. Kids grow up in our churches, but they don’t stay there. All throughout their childhood and even teen years, they might come to church alongside their parents on Sundays and show up at youth group pretty consistently, but once they graduate from... read more

Tags: camp, Camp Wyoming, camps in Iowa, community, ecumenical, equipping young people, faith, faith formation, faith in action, faith lived out, interdenominational, Iowa, Join In retreat, serve, service, summer camps in Iowa, young people and the church, young people leaving the church

Activating Faith After Summer Camp

by Stacie Hoppman on August 26,2014 in Camp Talk Growing Faith Parents with No Comments

Summer is slowly coming to a close as we put away our swimming suits and sandals and trade them in for textbooks and gym clothes. As kids head back to school, their memories of summer camp start to fade away, too, and it can be hard to continue the momentum of those kinds of “mountain... read more

Tags: Camp Wyoming, camps in Iowa, church camp, church camps in iowa, faith, faith formation, Iowa, kids, spirituality for kids, summer camps in Iowa, worship, youth

A Part of Something Bigger

by Stacie Hoppman on May 9,2014 in Camp Talk Growing Faith Next Step Consulting with No Comments

We are standing with our kids on the edge of unexplored territory. Much like the settlers heading West on the Oregon Trail, we have a cloudy idea of what we hope lies ahead, but for the most part, we are traveling blind. Technology has thrust us into new places, propelled us to new heights, and... read more

Tags: camp, Camp Wyoming, camps in Iowa, community, parenting, summer camp, summer camps in Iowa, technology