From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org
Campers Find Healing and Hope in Wake of Jonesboro Shooting
From
PCUSA NEWS <pcusanews@pcusa80.pcusa.org>
Date
19 Aug 1998 12:59:52
Reply-To: pcusanews list <pcusanews@pcusa80.pcusa.org>
19-August-1998
98272
Campers Find Healing and Hope
in Wake of Jonesboro Shootings
by Kay Danielson
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- Nearly 70 young people from Jonesboro Westside Middle
School attended a special gathering recently at the Ferncliff Camp and
Conference Center and took significant steps toward emotional healing. A
tragic shooting at the school on March 24 claimed the lives of four
children and a teacher, wounded 10 others and robbed survivors of their
sense of safety and peace.
The Rev. David Gill, a Presbyterian pastor and director of Ferncliff,
an Arkansas Presbytery- affiliated facility located just west of here, knew
the powerful spiritual and healing experience a camp could offer the
children, but also realized there would be many obstacles before that
vision could be realized. "When the shooting happened, the Jonesboro school
and community were immediately besieged by media and sightseers," Gills
said. "They were wary of offers from the outside."
The camp design team wove physical activity, Bible study, art, music,
devotional gifts, games, storytelling, environmental education, quiet time,
team building, learning, journal writing, conflict resolution, photography
and healthy meals into the schedule. While the activities were fun, each
event reinforced God's love and encouraged self-assurance while offering
the children a chance to come to grips with their feelings of anger and
grief.
There was a lot of gift giving - material and intangible - at the camp.
Backpacks, personalized with each child's name, contained a flashlight, a
water bottle, a drink mug and sunscreen. Post Cereal of Jonesboro donated
hundreds of pounds of food, T-shirts were specially designed for the camp,
the Arkansas 4-H Center loaned Polaroid cameras and film was acquired for
the children's use during the week. A camp staffer hand-fashioned 68 metal
crosses and made necklaces for each of the children.
Teachers freely gave of their skills, a local disk jockey donated his
time to emcee a wonderful night of skits and songs, and one evening members
of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society brought their telescopes so
the children could stargaze. As the children got to know the counselors and
teachers, trust was built as smiles and hugs - gifts of love - became more
and more frequent.
Other gifts came from far away. Many churches around the country led
their congregations in prayer for the camp and 1,400 Presbyterian young
people at Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina prayed for the
children. Circles and music go hand in hand at camp. Before breakfast each
morning, the campers, counselors and staff joined hands in prayer and song.
Both healing and high-energy music accompanied the campfires, morning
devotionals and most gatherings.
An impressive team of resource people led the activity blocks so the
counselors could concentrate on the children. College-aged counselors lived
with the children in bunkhouses, participated in the classes and set an
example of empathy, energy, good humor, enthusiasm and teamwork even though
temperatures of 100 degrees plus and high humidity left clothes damp with
sweat. Nonetheless, the exceptional caliber of counselors was of key
importance to the success of the campers' experience.
"Most of the children attending this camp have never been away from
home, and more than half are not regular members of a church," said Father
Jack Harris of the Jonesboro response team, who also served as the camp
chaplain and adult adviser to one of the boys' groups. "I hope they will
learn, go back home and look for a church experience."
The children of Jonesboro Westside Middle School will likely long
remember the love, peace, and sanctuary they found at Ferncliff and carry
it in their hearts. All of their fears and problems were not and could not
be solved at camp, but seeds were planted to help each child take another
important step in the healing process.
(Kay Danielson is a free-lance photojournalist from Little Rock, Ark.)
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