Leading by Love at Camp Lone Star 2017
Camp Lone Star is an annual summer workshop for young Unificationists held at the Tejas Trails ranch in Blanco, TX. From June 23 to July 1, high school and middle school Unificationists developed a deeper understanding of Unificationist principles through this workshop. Below, Melanie Schneider details this year’s Camp Lone Star experience.
Our theme for this summer’s workshop was “Lead By Love.” Through this workshop we hoped to understand the example set by True Parents who were led by their love for God and all mankind, and take ownership of this position as a child of God, finding ways in our own lives to lead by love. We wanted the young people who attended this workshop to feel that each one of them is a leader in some way and that they have something unique to offer to the world.
Over seventy youth attended this summer’s workshop, including youth from Georgia and New Jersey. Our staff consisted of approximately thirty high school to college aged youth, with a similar number of participants in the age range of middle school to high school.
Our staff workshop began 3 days prior to the participant workshop and consisted of activities and lectures that helped create a sense of unity and confidence, helping each staff realize they were not alone in their responsibility. We hoped through this workshop they would be prepared to support the participants express their unique aspects of God’s character. On the first night, each core staff member shared personal guidance and tips on the attitude to have as a leader, followed by a Q&A panel session. The staff later reported that this was one of the most beneficial part of the staff workshop in preparing for the participants.
The participant workshop was six full days in length filled with activities, lectures, and team discussions. The lectures were centered on daily themes that were built from our workshop theme. The daily themes included True Love, True Parents’ Way, God First, Marching On With Faith, and Leaders of Love. Our activities created a sense of team unity and understanding that each person was vital to the overall goal; a favorite among the youth this year was Quidditch, played with homemade goals and pool noodle brooms.
Talks this year were given by Dr. Michael Hentrich Sr., Rev. Hernandez, Rev. Jackson, and 2nd generation Unificationists from our Core Staff team. Dr. Michael Hentrich Sr. gave a series of four lectures expressing unique aspects of the Divine Principle. He focused on showing how practical and relevant the Principle is in addressing many fundamental problems in our society and world. Rev. Hernandez spoke from the heart as he told the youth that each one of them was incredibly important to God and could bring joy to the world by expressing their unique character. Rev. Jackson shared a message on leadership, pulling examples from history and sharing that it is not just one type of person that can lead, but all of us.
We held a brother/sister night on the third day, and openly addressed the problem of pornography. Participants and staff were encouraged to think about their blocking points with this issue, or any serious issue in their lives, and create a strategy to overcome their struggles. Earlier on this day we participated in a service project where we helped clear branches and clean the beautiful Morgan Ranch. These events were all held on the day “God First” in an effort to invite God into our lives as we become our best selves internally and externally.
Near the end of our workshop we held our annual “Challenge Night”, which pushes individuals physically and mentally and helps them to see from God’s perspective and think critically about their faith. This year our challenge night fell on the day of “Marching On With Faith”. We saw this as an opportunity to call on our youth to overcome difficulties by approaching them with love, and in so doing, inspire others to do the same. Many later reported that they overcame challenges by thinking of their love for their team, their family, True Parents, and our Heavenly Parent.