Sitting in the back of the Worship Center on Friday night, family and friends witnessed the fruits of joyful labor in Him.  This most excellent performance crowned the week, giving God honor through the diligent efforts and surrendered hearts of His children!  Everytime I am sitting in amazement at the talent and skill that is present in this group, I am reminded that unless God’s grace had been poured out, into the teachers and volunteers and the children, then it all would have produced nothing more than a giddy moment of entertainment before it passed on into another successful worldly endeavor, mere reflections of God’s life-generating, master artistry. 

The GLORY of the performance was that these children were swathed in His grace and taught of His Word, so that the fruits of His Spirit were made known.  The light of the world grew brighter Friday night, pouring out His Spirit, bringing the River of Life to all who were hearing!  These children were vessels being used by our Lord, and that will carry through - giving life to any abilities learned and to any soul who is ready to be touched by God’s own Hand. 

Closing this week of Praise, let’s not only thank the master craftsmen who were behind all the organizing, directing, producing and teaching of the week, but to the Master of Creation, who chose to bind us up in the eternal cords of His love, who bestowed His wonderful grace into the works of our hands, and who we continue to Praise, day and night, with the wonderful words and songs He has put in our hearts and on our lips!

We will continue to be Daily Diving Deeper, Forever, Praising His Holy Name!

God is soooo Good!  He blesses us in so many unexpected ways, and as we trust that God’s Spirit was at work in the lives of every body in this place this week, we can expect some powerful rumblings in the spirits of our kids in each day following, as they step into the adventure of life that God has just for them!  It seems to me, that even the adults grow rich in Kingdom Riches just from walking through this with the kids this week. 

The final run through was really good today.  It showed off some places needing a little extra TLC and showed strong in areas where the kids are starting to connect the dots for a seamless story tonight.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to have them listen to some of the songs as they are relaxing and taking it easy this afternoon (hint, hint), and don’t forget, if your child has a character with a costume, they are to be in the FX Theatre at 5:30 – all others should be in the gym at 6pm, with their camp T-shirts, jeans or jean shorts (or denim capris), NO FLIP FLOPS, NO LIGHT UP SHOES and NO SILLY BANDS!!!!  Thank you for your help in this!

We’ll see you tonight!

It feels like the last day of school!  Restless attention has pervaded the atmosphere as these little bodies swarm together from classrooms to worship to snacks to the last rehearsal.  Preparing for worship, to close out the last day of the week, even counselors who’ve kept a tight ship have loosened the reigns a bit as the kids mill around the spaces in the gym visiting friends they didn’t see during the week, excited to be doing something together.  Praising God with Hillsong’s “Take it all” and “Hosanna” was a good place to quiet our hearts, pointing towards our Creator.  Scott Dyer took advantage of that golden quiet moment to honor God’s workmanship in our hearts and lives – not only during the week, but also what will continue to grow in us as we leave here.  He reminded us that God is the ultimate artist – when we do anything with the creativity he put in us, we are mirroring Him and what He did here on earth, work that He called GOOD.  When He made us, we were made as the masterpiece of creation, and we were VERY GOOD!  A hearty Amen to that!

After being prayed out, these VERY GOOD creations raced to the back of the gym for a popsicle before returning to groups to head into the worship center.  I think everyone is starting to find their place on the stage and get an idea of what needs to happen to make this story clear.

I’m going to work on posting these pictures that continue to evade this blog…grrr…

It doesn’t seem possible that there is only 1 little day left until this exuberant week is over.  But this is definitely the time to wrap up every lesson and every skill into the package of the musical, as the intensity is being savored and stored for Friday’s performance. 

Within the artistic environments of the classrooms, there has always been a continuing thread of storytelling that will make its way tomorrow into the worship center.  Many of the ideas that have been shared, both physically and spiritually, have opened up new thinking in these kids.  New questions will form, new interests will develop, and in it all, the kids have the opportunity to find their calling.  Today’s final lessons from God’s Word were about how He calls us, and will we be willing to answer?  Four baptisms throughout the day were an example of this willingness towards obedience to His Word.  Autumn said it well when she explained that God doesn’t just want our hearts, to be saved, but our WHOLE LIFE, to be used by Him! 

This week was a good taste of experiencing God as the Ultimate Artist, and how He created us to then go into all the world and let that creativity work through us to share Him, too!  We are born to be the best that we can be in whichever role we have been given.  That is God’s Word; it is our direction.

Now the kids are pointed in the right direction – where will they go?

Photos are still making their way through technical difficulties (sigh) but you will see some, sooner or later.  Don’t forget that tomorrow is a short day!  We finish at 12:30, so lunch is at home, and give the kids some purposeful resting time.  Naps are good, quiet afternoons are good, no physical exertion is best.  We’ll see everyone back at 6pm, unless you have a child in the cast, in which case you’ll be back here at 5:30.

Leading up to our first day on stage, the classes are being combined today, which means more wiggling bodies packed together.  But you know what?  Here in Drama this morning, there is nonstop laughter and eyes fixed on the actors as they play the last game of ‘Taxi and ‘Freeze”.  A few additions to the team made for extra giggles, as the “World’s Greatest AcTOR” from Bible class and JC Schuster from Dance class both offered ingenius scenarios much to the kids and the adults amusement.  Everyone likes Drama class.

Vonda Dyer is putting the last touches on the songs in Music Class to make sure that the similar parts don’t get confused, and things seem to be going well.  She thinks they’ve all had some kind of “singing drink” for breakfast.  That must mean all the discordant places are being ironed out!  Hooray!  It’s amazing what a huge crowd of kids can learn in a few hours with such capable direction! 

I’m so excited to see how things come together on stage this afternoon!

Meanwhile, after overcoming a few minor technical issues, I do have some pictures to post from the last couple of days…I’ll post those here in a bit so you can share in their WaCkY Wednesday and art class projects and be in the room with them as they’ve been learning their writing, Bible, art and dance lessons.

“ATENNNNNN-TION!”

“AYE-AYE, CAPT’N!”

See if this works in your house – it’s the call that corrals the troops in camp classes when there’s been a lot of distraction.  They’ve all learned to respond well, and they just might forget they’re at home as that habitual reflex kicks in. 

Yes, it’s the middle of the week and the hard work is starting to show up in how well they are singing and dancing, and even paying attention – but pushing on through to Friday’s performance will take every bit as much heart as they had in the beginning, and a good night’s sleep is invaluable, especially now that the adrenaline of the beginning of camp is starting to turn into preparation excitement for getting on the stage tomorrow for our first run-through of the entire musical!

How the performance goes will depend on how much the kids took away from the lessons in each of their classes today.  Continuing with the storytelling theme, each camper was taught, in some form or fashion, the importance of body language.  Creative Writing class discussed the term literally, pointing to Friday’s performance as an example of parts we play, and how even if they don’t seem big, the way we tell them, the way we express our part, makes it work or it makes people wonder what exactly you’re doing up there.  Drama class reinforces this with the depth of possibilities in the FREEZE game, in which each person literally steps into a story and adds their own scene interpretation.  To keep up in Dance, following each sharply executed step laid out by the choreographer tells a bigger story.  If your body doesn’t speak the language, it is telling a different story than the one written just for it – and that’s usually awkward.   Art class, again, reinforces how we are the work of a Master’s hand – we are not our own.  We were made for God. 

So how, then, did this materialize?  Campers also got to experience the work of creating today.  Creative writing didn’t only cover how our bodies express ourselves, but also who we are, so the idea of what makes a character was explored today.  They all created their own idea of a character, with all the features that make one individual – where they’re from, what their favorite memory is, when they lived…  Creating individual characters  is repeated as they participate in the games in dance with free dancing, the interpretive games of theatre where their unique ideas are given a voice and a vision, in art, where they were able to participate in creating fish for the stage set, and even in Bible class, where Autumn had them all create a sea creature that no one had ever seen before.  Why?  Not just because this is a sea themed camp, but also because they are participating in the very thing that God thinks when He made us, and when He sees us.  We are all so different for a reason.  We were all given very important characteristics for a very important purpose, and as Autumn emphasized, it is God’s Word that is our map to prepare us for the very important job that He has planned for each of us.

So, we continue to dive deeper and deeper into God’s Word.  Tomorrow will be a refreshing change of pace as the consummation of all their hard work is being shaped into the substance of a wonderful production.

Diving into the WaCkIeSt Wednesday ever!!  Parents, campers and volunteers all showed off their creativity by putting a few simple things together with great ideas!  It’s been colorful, sparkly, full of characters and timewarps and it has certainly given them fuel to fill those tanks of hyper juice they run around on all day! 

Whether the kids are aware of it or not, there is a developing theme, here, of storytelling.  Creativity allows our “Under God’s Sea in 3D” story to be told,  but also the bigger story of our lives that God has written.  The campers are experiencing the high quality craftsmanship of so many artists that have developed the classes here – in Drama, Marcelle Hamilton and her team consistently engage the kids with the excellent quality of performance in their minidramas and today’s musical theatre.  Marcelle and Jean Valderama were a hilarious pair of pruddish marms who introduced each act with cheeky repetition, and the acts themselves, a charming display of each performer’s years of music and drama studies.  There was not one ancy camper during those acts.  Instead, all were eager to see more and to participate when it came time to put their own talents into action.

The rapt attention doesn’t wane when they hit dance class – even those boys who think they’re too cool, or the girls that think they’re too shy get into the game when JC Schuster leads them all to express themselves in motion.  His energy and jokes keep everyone’s attention, wondering what cool thing he’ll show them, or what funny thing he will say, next. 

The process of creating an object that can be shaped to be an expression is always fascinating, and with his quiet manner, Mr. Reese keeps the kids engaged in art that reveals so much of what creation is all about, and whose hands are over us.  Today’s lesson in pottery was a literal lesson to make a touchable, visual concept out of Isaiah 64:8 – “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.  We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”  Day 5 of Creation came alive as they went to work with their own hands, making fish to fill the seas (for the performance). 

We’re daily diving deeper as we see what God’s Word has for us today!  We’ll see you after our afternoon snack break (always a winner) and one more class that will follow the thread of today’s storytelling. 

Learning how we fit into God’s plan and how we get equipped to give Him glory is such an adventure, should we choose to accept it, and these kids have a WaCkY day of fun that is being molded and shaped by the Master’s Hand.

Another successful day at FADC!  If there is this much progress from one day to the next all week long, we are going to have one heck of a performance on Friday night!  Thank you for putting on the CD’s for the kids last night – there was VAST improvement today, and we are looking forward to it again tomorrow!

If your child comes home with more tales of crazy games in drama class and you start to think that the only “God” parts they are getting are in Bible class, let me fill you in.  Amanda did an awesome job in Bible class of illustrating our need for God and His gracious act of saving us – I’m sure your child will be glad to fill you in on the details of the side by side pure water tanks and the dye that changed things.  But this very fundamental lesson is then played out in smaller details of our lives – details that reflect our everyday thoughts and behaviors, like the games in drama class.  Today’s teaching on perspectives reflected our ability to think and see things from two different sides – often a negative and a positive. The minute game forces your thinking into realizing two sides of a story.  Role playing, as in the party host game, teaches kids about communication using means other than just words, and each principle deals with the very issues that we deal with in growing our kids up to know the very God who is woven into every fiber of their being.  How did God view our sin?  How do we view our sin?  How did God view being separated, and what role did He play in getting us back?  How do we view being separated from God, and how do we communicate to others a life that is saturated in Jesus without using our words? 

The way these classes work together is a clear testament to God’s heartbeat pumping his life into everything He made, for our good, and for His Holy Name.  Even watching the faces of all the volunteers is indicative of His Spirit flowing in waves through the individuals.  The smiling faces of the snack and kitchen helpers, childcare workers, counselors, teachers and the immense planning and organizing that had to go on to make this happen are all lives that are showing His ownership!  There is no greater or deeper satisfaction than to know that it is your GOD who is living and breathing and working in you, for His glory!  Then, as Autumn reminded everyone in Bible class - this is a gift that we GET in order to GIVE it away!  Imagine the pleasure of God and these servants as these children are starting to realize that we are a NEW creation!  Today, many kids took the opportunity to give their lives to our Jesus, as a result of many servants seeding, watering and harvesting at different times in their lives!  Hallelujah!! 

The day is over, but God’s work isn’t.  How wonderful to know that He is so faithful.

Tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday, so feel free to be free in your clothing choices.  Just keep in mind parents, that the children will be continuing painting through the week, so their nicest clothes should stay in their closets.  But you can bring out any sports jerseys for Thursday, as we will all be showing off our favorite teams (or just whatever happens to be in our closet)!

Looking forward to another day of being a New Creation in Him…

We jumped right into the action this morning, and the excitement was already buzzing enough through the halls that nobody needed any extra pumping up today!  FADC’s gift of sea themed silly bands opened the door for other campers to bring their stash from home and trade – the classes were swimming with bands in every color while the little innocent faces came out of their shell to wheel and deal with the best of them. 

Everyone will basically have the same schedules today with one big difference.  The talented Whitney Kelley (of HimProv and BTBF Drama fame) has put together an experimental Creative Writing class that teaches kids to look at their lives as a story written by God Himself, a story as ancient as He is, and written with very specific details that God knew would make us special.  While the very mention of the word ‘writing’ makes many kids cringe, the campers were very enthusiastic when they began to see how a story is developed.  Starting with the ‘one word’ chain story, Jr. Campers were an example as they stood in a line and each added to the story one word by one word.  Everyone was really excited to partipate as their turn came, and creativity blended perfectly with the silliness that only a group of elementary age children can produce.  Stories blending fantasy with reality made everyone laugh, and Whitney tied it all together with a homework thought:  If God is the Ulimate Creative Writer, and we are made in His image, then surely we have a way of telling a story, too!  In what way do we use our life to tell a story?  Do we use it for God?  How can we take the privilege and responsibility of telling the story of Jonah in Friday’s performance on a stage for everyone to see?

Well, lunchtime is giving the kids a chance to bond a little more, and talk about things outside of classes for a little while.  It’s amazing how a little rest for our brain can help knowledge to really stick.  I saw this little fact visually manifest itself in today’s dance class.  The routine they barely squeaked out yesterday started to really show some life, with barely more than a review.  It’s hard, no doubt, and they would probably have a hard time showing it to you without the music and the leaders to follow, but what a difference!  I’m certain that by the end of the week, the thrill of having learned a routine will show up in confidence and satisfaction of not only having completed a job well, but also of having something to work with as they explore the arts – and even add a little constructive fun to playtime with their friends.

See you soon!

Hello Everyone,
We are started day one with great excitement! We had a wonderful week full of stage prep, drama, dance, and solo rehearsals, and now we are ready to have everyone “Dive into the week together with all 442 of you!” It is going to be great fun!

As we start we wanted to remind parents of a few things that will help kids have a successful week at camp!

Have your kids review music nightly! If the kids don’t know their music, we won’t have a show! Have the CD playing in the car, hanging out at home, during bath time, or whenever they can listen and get lyrics into their little noggins! This is amazingly helpful to their performance and the enjoyment of the week at camp!

Monday’s music focused on:
1) “Goin’ Under the Sea” -with hand motions,
2) “A Whale of a Tale”-lots of words to memorize,
3) “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, and possibly
4) “SOS”

Please have your kids get plenty of rest at night so they can focus and hang with all of the activities throughout the day. They can handle the excitement, learning, creativity and stimulus so much better if they are rested. Try to avoid too much swimming and have them rest up on the afternoon of the performance, if possible. It will make sitting still and singing under the hot lights, much more enjoyable, not to mention rockin’ at the afterparty!

Please help your kids eat well balanced meals and drink plenty of fluids all week long!

Check the blog daily for updates, camp themes and important news and reminders!

Vonda Dyer, Music Director
Marcelle Hamillton, Drama Director
Karen Johnson, Camp Coordinator
Cindy Schuster, Producer