The Many Joys of Chaplaining

One of the most impactful aspects of the Summer Camp experience is your chaplain. At Inspiration Hills, we get to see a new one for every week of Camp. On the surface, chaplaining might just seem like any other preaching endeavor, but the reality goes so much deeper. Chaplains get to walk alongside campers, pray with them, chat with them one on one, and even join in on all the fun!

We love it when chaplains come back year after year. It speaks to the lasting impact that Summer Camp can have. To share about that impact, I asked a few of this summer's repeat chaplains to share their thoughts on Camp. I specifically asked them, "What keeps bringing you back?" Here's who they are and what they had to say!

Cheryl Van Beek currently serves as the Discipleship Coordinator at Rock Rapids First Reformed Church.

What brings you back Cheryl?

I was a camper myself, my children attended as campers and now I get to pour back into the camp that is so near to my heart. I love sharing the Good News of Jesus as a chaplain. I also find a place to renew and recharge for my own personal faith journey each time I volunteer.  I am thankful for the opportunity to serve at Inspiration Hills.

Matt Dengler (AKA Matt in the Hat) is from Paullina, IA. He currently serves his local community as a bus driver, librarian, and pulpit suppyist!

What brings you back Matt?

The easy answer is that it's part of my calling. It's what God keeps asking me to do (the camp too.) I'm also invested. This place matters to me. More importantly the people of that place matter to me. I love working with the campers but the more years that I come back, I'm even more excited to work and walk with the amazing team of people that serve at camp. Getting to know and share time, testimony, prayers and encouragement with the staff really makes my heart beat. Most of all, I love to tell the Story. I love telling it to whoever will listen and camp is such a great place to tell the Story of Jesus and His love.

Tyler Miller currently serves as a Worship Pastor at Activation Church and the House of Missions and Equipping in Sioux Center, IA.

What brings you back Tyler?

I love the people who run the ministry and summer camp as a ministry in general. It is so important to have a place where young people can go in order to encounter Jesus in a special way that's outside of their everyday experience.

Josh Lucas serves as the Director of Youth Ministries at First Reformed Church in Sibley, IA.

What brings you back Josh?

Inspiration Hills has a brand new dynamic that I truly love. The camp aspect has not really changed, even though they have added a lot of cool stuff to the camp, but their passion and drive, at least from my perspective, is not to gain numbers at the expense of washing down the gospel in anyway, but to grow in the knowledge of Scripture and to pass that along to campers. I have to say this is the greatest staff you could ever work with in the camping world, and I truly mean that. I have been so blessed by working with the Inspiration Hills staff that I encourage my own students to work there every summer. I would chaplain there every week if I could. I am telling you if you have ever been on the fence about being a chaplain at Inspiration Hills, just do it! You will not regret it, my family even loves coming with me and spending the week with me at camp. You will not only see growth from the campers, but I would dare to say you will even see growth within yourself.