Much has changed at Sheldon Calvary Camp since 1936: buildings and swimming pools have been built, what were separate camps for boys and girls are now Coed Camp, and generations of faces have changed.
Thousands of staff member and tens of thousands of campers, young and old, have graced the hallowed ground surrounding Bishop Thomas Chapel, the cabins, the dining hall, and the beach.
Yet the essence of Calvary Camp continues to remain the same.
Seventy-five years later, the vision of Bishop William Thomas endures and the simple mission of Sheldon Calvary Camp continues: to build a Christian community where God's unconditional love is experienced and faith is integrated into everyday life.
As the camp celebrates its 75th anniversary, the stories remembered by the first campers and counselors are not so different from stories being recounted by this year's campers and staff. Friendships and conversations, role models and heroes, pranks and jokes, games and competitions, accomplishments and awards, songs and skits, the Elmer story, sunsets, chapel services, candlelight – these memories form a common language for sharing the impact of summers at Calvary Camp.
In all the complexities and challenges of life in 2011, the authenticity and simplicity of camp still speaks profoundly to children and young people. Calvary Camp is a place which invites, inspires, and transforms.
Belonging to the Calvary Camp community, whether for days or for decades, opens people up to the possibilities of transformation – of seeing themselves and the world with fresh eyes.