In early November, Trillium, Mercury, Crash, and I had the pleasure of traveling to the Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, located 2 hours north-west of San Antonio, Texas. The purpose of our trip was to attend the PCCCA annual conference. PCCCA (Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association) is a collection of Presbyterian camps and conference centres across North America. Around 50 different camps were in attendance as well as individuals representing organizations that work within the Presbyterian church.
The overall theme of the week was “Water in the Wilderness”. This was central to the worship gatherings we participated in each day. For us, the best refreshment came from making connections with other Directors and staff from the camps in attendance and the exchange of information that comes from engaging in these conversations. The PCCCA network has been a great web of information to all of us over the years. We have developed friendships with others in this ministry and been able to exchange our ideas and offer guidance to each other.
For me my favorite moments from the conference include our day on the Guadalupe River, where Trillium and I learned how to lead Paddleboard Yoga. I also enjoyed the worship we participated in under the stars at Mo-Ranch’s beautiful stone outdoor chapel and the workshop I attended on building resilience and compassion fatigue; a workshop that I learned a great deal from and cannot wait to share many of the practices with the 2018 staff.
Lastly, the conference at Mo-Ranch was Trillium’s last as the President of the PCCCA board. On the last day of the conference she handed over her responsibilities, along with the ceremonial gavel and the stole (beautifully restored by Karen Duncan) to the incoming president, Kevin Cartee of Camp Fellowship in South Carolina. We want to thank Theresa for all of the hard work and dedication she gave during her time in this role. As President she participated in many site visits across the US and Canada and always came back to us with a wealth of knowledge. She was also the first Canadian to hold the position!
We also want to thank the staff of Mo-Ranch for their amazing hospitality and willingness to make us feel welcomed. And lastly to the PCCCA and the conference planning team for giving us a great experience and working tirelessly to make our trip to San Antonio very worthwhile.
Theresa passing the torch to her successor, Kevin Cartee, as president of the PCCCA board.