Menno Haven Musing: Climbing Wall Faith (Part 1)

(Matt 18:1-10)

Recently we had a large family group here at Menno Haven. They gathered from near and far to spend a day at Menno Haven, playing games and enjoying Christmas together. One of the activities they did was the climbing wall. This was my first time facilitating at the climbing wall, although I've worked before helping kids get their harnesses on and managing the lines and such.

Most of the kids that were climbing that day had never done a climbing wall before. Before Kenny (the Guest Group Coordinator at Menno Haven) and I even had the ropes up, all the 7-10 year old boys were "discussing" who would go first and what walls they wanted to start on.

Soon we had everything ready and they all sat attentively while I showed how to put a harness on. And then off they raced to get in line!

Younger first time climbers have an interesting way of climbing. They get all excited, start to climb, decide they've gone far enough, and then are ready to come down. Some are barely up for a minute before they are back on the ground! It's not that they are scared, or that they've given up necessarily, they just made it as far as they want to go and decide to come down. For the first few climbers there really wasn't a concept of "getting to the top." They just wanted to climb! No end goal, just the thrill of climbing something.

I think this is a helpful reminder for us older folk. Most of the time we do things to reach a goal. We start a project to finish it. We vacation with a destination. We eat to clean our plate. We go on a walk to lose weight. We go to work to make money.

And this spills over into our spiritual life as well. We go to church to learn from a preacher. We pray to be closer to God. We sing and worship to experience God. We read the Bible to "get all the answers."

Now, I'm not saying goals are a bad thing! Goals keep us moving forward in life. Destination keeps us focused and on track. But sometimes we get caught up in where we are going and forget to enjoy the climb to get there. Achy muscles, slippery hands, and all! This can be dangerous when we apply a goal or a "destination" to our walk with God. If we expect that if we pray X number of times, or read X amount of the Bible daily, or just listen to the right preacher then God will, (Fill in the Blank) (like me, feel closer, tell me what to do, fix my problems, answer my prayers, etc) then we are missing the point.

Do you visit a friend's house with the goal of getting closer to them? Rarely. Usually we visit our friends because we want to spend time with them. So why should it be different with our relationship with God? But we do know that the more we spend time with our friends in our various difficulties, victories, and everyday monotony the closer we become to that friend, and the better we know each other. That is why reading the Bible, praying, walking in nature, journaling, and other spiritual practices should be done regularly. (Not all obviously. Practicing 2-3 is a good idea though.) These help us to spend time with God, without agenda or a goal other than to just be with our loving Creator.

(Side note, this is also why it is healthy for spouses to check in with each other regularly. Telling about your day, even if it is ordinary and uneventful, will help you stay connected, helping you to grow closer together over time.)  

Goals are not a bad thing, but they can distract us from enjoying the present, and though God will be with us in our futures, we can only be with God in the present. It is like a child climbing. Whether it is a rock wall, the kitchen counter, a tree, a dirt pile, or a stack of hay children love to climb for climbing's sake. Let's practice being more childlike, and enjoy spending time with God in prayer, or silence, or joyous worship event without expecting to get anything out of it other than just the fun of climbing. 

Menno Haven Musing: The Community Around Us

These last couple of weeks I have become increasingly aware of the community that surrounds us here at Menno Haven.

A couple of weeks ago the staff here at Menno Haven took a little trip.

We drove up to Amigo Center for a brief retreat, spending time getting to know each other better, and talk over some things that take more time than our weekly staff meetings allow for.  (It was a great chance to get away!)

While we were there we interacted some with the staff at Amigo. We traded stories and ideas, and in general enjoyed fellowship time together. Later, on the way home, we stopped at Camp Friedenswald and spent time with the staff there, touring the camp and sharing a meal with them. At both Amigo and Friedenswald we connected to the spread out community of Mennonite camps. Here we could share our struggles and visions with each other and connect over shared hardship, joy, and identity.


This past weekend we had our annual Association Gathering. People from around the area who enjoyed Menno Haven came together for a day or evening of volunteering and a short worship and business meeting. We again connected to people who shared our passions. We spent time with friends, and met new people.

This coming week a few of us at Menno Haven will travel to Phoenix, Az to attend the Christian Camp and Conference Association national gathering. Again we will be with other camps who share our desire to minister to others through nature, camp, and retreats.


Community is an important part of who we are. In community we find our place. We find comfort when times are hard, and challenge when we need to be pushed. In the Anabaptist tradition, community is highly valued. We believe that the Spirit of the Living God resides with us in the gathered community. 1 Cor 3 talks about this.
Verse 16: "Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?" Here the "you" is plural in Greek. "Don't you all know that God's Spirit dwells in you all's midst?"

In community we experience God. We experience the Jesus in each other as we become vulnerable and still find acceptance. We experience the Spirit when we raise our voices in song praising God! We embody the body of Christ when we gather together to care others.

At Menno Haven it is comforting to know that we have such a large and diverse community: the fellow Mennonite camps around the country, our Association members who sacrifice their time and money to further our (and their!) ministry, our campers who come in the summers, our summer staff, other Christian camps. There are many people and organizations we at Menno Haven can be in community with.

What communities are you a part of? Where do you feel the presence of God when you gather with others? Are you searching for community?

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Heb 10: 24-25 

May you find the community you need. And may the Spirit and presence of God be there.