Hartland : lotto text

So as you know, I was/am the drummer for the band Remember at Hartland Christian Camps for Junior High 1 and then for the last week of July for High School 1.

Going into the bands first week at Hartland, I had no idea what to expect, absolutely no idea. If you think about it- would you? How could you possibly know what it is like on “the other side of things” with out actually being there? Before going up to Dinuba the week before (it has been a while so this is almost a vintage story), my pop told me to pack 4 Sharpies and that the kids will fall in love with the band, as #1 fan falls in love with a celebrity. I didn’t believe him for two reasons: one: I thought bringing four sharpies for autographs was a bit overkill so I brought two as a compromise and two: being a regular attendee of Hume for most my life I knew that the band really were celebrities and with that, never seen in the “hang out” mode. I was right for half. EDIT: for explanation on my definition of "celebrity," check out the comments. If you have any doubt, read it.

I’m not really one hundred percent sure what to say from here on out. I could definitely highlight a few things, explain a few things, but no matter what I say, you, as the reader, will not get an accurate representation of the experience. I apologize in advance: sorry.

Here are a few “items:”

Over the week, our, as the band, objectives changed drastically. The week before, we focused primarily on music and our objectives as spiritual leaders to the campers. We determined we definitely did not want to be worshiping FOR the kids, but worshiping WITH the kids. We wanted to “perform” as if we were not there for the kids to watch. Now, with this, this part being my greatest concern prior to the week, where is the fine line that determines “worship through music” from “music concert?” I’d say a verdict was discovered: to have as much fun, on and off of stage, as possible. At first, I was wary. I was afraid it would turn the chapels into concert then speaker. After playing for the kids a week, I came to my own verdict: kids are wild. I thought about this a little bit: in order for us to have a good time and feel comfortable with other people, what needs to happen? We need to have similarities. So back to the “kids are wild” complex. If kids, naturally, are energetic and, may I say it, insane, then how should, in order to completely relate to the kids and create a comfortable atmosphere, the people on stage behave? WILD. You might think: this is making worship a concert! However, riddle me this: our “sound guy” Eric told us this the last morning of camp: he, in all his many and many years at Hartland has never seen the kids worship as genuinely as the final chapel of the week. He also told us there were a few visitors (this could really apply to anybody above junior high age) who were, at first, unable to appreciate the music and performance we put on. However, upon recognition of the campers in the crowd, the visitors recognized the genuinity of the worship and then (this blows me away) began overlooking their own specific preference and began worshiping themselves! God is good.

The cool thing about this whole experience is that it is only half done. The last week of July marks the second week of camp band for high schoolers. It is all up from here. We are not going to be “first timers” any longer. Call us “second timers.” All I can say is I’m pumped. I do not know how high schoolers will compare to junior highers, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It will also be different because our female vocalist for JH1, Kailee Rodenbeck, will not be returning for the second week. We did know this in advance, but, nevertheless, it is sad for not only her, but the band as well.

EDIT:Nevertheless, our mission will be the same: to honor God in everything we do. Like I said, we want to worship with the kids, be part of their walk with Christ, and be an accurate imitation of Christ. This is, at least it is mine, a goal I will strive for.






See what happens.