Campers and staff at the 2004 summer camp  take a break for a group photo.

A forest ranger tells campers to wash all wild  fruit to avoid infections from parasites.

Campers grind wheat the "old" way using two  stones to crush wheat kernels.

Campers had daily Bible studies on different  aspects of creation and the theory of evolution.

17 children and 9 adults from Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland attended the first summer camp hosted by UCOG and the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["United Church of God-Germany"]. Camp was in session from August 3 to 8 at the hostel "Naturfreundehaus" in Oerlinghausen just east of Bielefeld, Germany.

Following a brief orientation meeting on the afternoon of their arrival day, campers participated in various team games and then enjoyed their first meal together. After dinner staff member Wim Dekker from the Netherlands took the group into the forest for an evening discovery hike. The campers had to look for clues hidden along their route and then answer Bible questions in order to proceed to the next hidden clue site. After finding the last clue, campers had fun building a small dam on a forest creek in a ravine.

On Wednesday (August 4), the first full day of camp, the local forest ranger led the group on a morning hike through the woods. Among other things, he explained the importance of the forest as a source of drinking water, encouraging the campers to be conscious of the environment and to take care of it. After a hearty lunch the boys enjoyed a game of football (soccer) on the playing field near the hostel, while the girls were challenged to use their imagination in creating various "Scoubydoo" crafts.

Thursday (August 5) was a day of swimming and picnicking at the "Erlebnisbad" in Detmold, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Oerlinghausen. On a sunny day, the campers enjoyed an outdoor swimming pool and several indoor ones, including a 100 foot long water slide and a "current chute" where swimmers could test their strength by attempting to swim upstream against the current generated at regular intervals during the day. Back in Oerlinghausen by late afternoon, campers enjoyed table tennis, badminton and various table games in the evening.

The Oerlinghausen open-air history museum was on the agenda for Friday (August 6). Campers and staff walked to the site after breakfast to learn more about how different cultures from earlier times lived in the region. The museum features reconstructed dwellings based on archaeological discoveries at several sites in northern Germany and offers visitors a "hands on" opportunity to see how earlier generations prepared their food. Campers made lunch the "old way" by cutting vegetables for a soup and grinding wheat by hand on stones to make pita bread. Lunch was prepared over a campfire. After lunch the group made clay pearls that were baked in the campfire and then strung on a leather strap.

On Sabbath 17 visitors from the local Bielefeld congregation joined the group for Sabbath services. Following services each camper received a certificate of participation that emphasized his or her contribution to the camp. In the evening campers, staff and visitors enjoyed a barbecue dinner.

For the daily interactive Bible study, campers were divided into two groups based on age. Younger campers learned about the seven days of creation using puzzles and other handout materials. The older group discussed the Bible account of creation and the theory of evolution and considered which of the two accounts is more believable based on clear scientific principles.

The director of the "Naturfreundehaus Bielefeld", the venue for the camp, has 40 years experience in hosteling. Initially he was a bit hesitant to rent his facility for the camp. However, on the last day of summer camp he commented that the group was so responsible it would not even be necessary for him to be present during next year's camp. "I can give you the keys and leave. You are very nice guests," he said with a smile.

Jesmina Allaoua from Germany, who organized the summer camp, described the desired result of camp: "With our local congregations being so small, it is important for our children to have friends in the church. Summer camp gives them the opportunity to make friends, and in just a few weeks they will see each other again at the Feast of Tabernacles. I hope that this year's camp will be the first entry in a long book with lots of positive chapters."