7th Annual Camp Sunrise

Leslie Holliday
August 9, 1986

The younger campers, including Kwon Jin Nim and Sun Jin Nim

Between July 19 and August 9, Camp Sunrise happened -- once again! For the last seven years Camp Sunrise has provided an opportunity for blessed children to come together and share, to learn new skills and have fun. This season a record number of campers -- over 120 -- attended.

Beginning on July 19, forty teenagers came and spent one week at Barrytown, participating in a familiar schedule of sports, swimming, arts and crafts, drama and camping. Then, accommodated by three mobile homes, they attended a workshop at Belvedere where they heard a rigorous series of Principle and CAUSA lectures. Their week-long efforts were punctuated by an outing at Bear Mountain. In the final week they ended up on the high seas, learning how to fish with members of Ocean Church in Gloucester. Finally, nine blessed children from the recent Blessing of the 36 Couples of the second generation invited them all for an evening of internal guidance and fellowship at Morning Garden before they returned to Barrytown.

There they joined with the younger blessed children for a day at The Great Escape amusement park on Lake George, NY.

The older campers with their counselors

It was on July 26 that the 88 younger children, between the ages of seven and eleven, arrived at Barrytown for their Camp Sunrise experience. Kwon Jin Nim and Sun Jin Nim, who are veteran campers, brought their vibrant energy to the program for one of the two weeks. The campers began each day with Korean language study and Principle Life Education. What followed was a very active schedule of swimming, boating, horseback riding, archery, tennis, badminton, Wonhwa-do, field sports and drama. Arts and crafts were a great favorite, and the occasional campfires were warm and memorable. The halls of Barrytown echoed continuously with spirited singing, and despite the mosquitos, poison ivy, and persistent rain, everyone joyfully survived!

Camp Sunrise is a place where blessed children can learn more about the Principle and heavenly tradition, and deepen their awareness of their identity. Here they can be free to express themselves, unlike in many of their other experiences at school and in the larger society. The main motivation behind the formation of the program was to facilitate deep bonds of love and friendship among the blessed children, and to help them understand their parents' faith. Mrs. Betsy Jones, director of Camp Sunrise, expresses the purpose this way:

I hope that through the experience at Camp Sunrise the children can feel that they are part of a spiritual community. Even though they all live in different cities and have different parents, I want everyone to feel that they are connected through the love of True Parents, as one deep and central bond. I wish for each child's heart to be touched in a special way by God.