Packing Checklist

Here is a handy packing list you can use as a guide when you start packing for camp.  

Camp is 8 days long, and we have no laundry service, so please pack accordingly.  We value modesty, so please leave things like spaghetti-strap tanks and dresses, midriff clothing, halter tops, short shorts, or other revealing clothing at home.  Lost belongings can easily be returned to their owner when they are clearly marked!

• Your Bible!
• Pen/Pencil
• Day Clothing:
  • 8 shirts
  • 8 pair shorts or pants
  • 8 pair socks/underwear
  • Hoodie, sweatshirt, or light jacket
  • 2 pair sweatpants
  • 1 pair sneakers
• Evening Clothes for 8 Evening Church Services
• Footwear
• Sunscreen
• Sleeping Bag or Sheets
• Pillow
• Pajamas/Clothes to sleep in
• Towels (for showering)
• Toiletries (Shampoo, soap, toothpaste & toothbrush)
• Water Bottle
• Sunglasses
• Laundry bag
• Flashlight
• Fan*
• Insect Repellent*
• Umbrella*
• Ball Gloves*
• Medicine (any required medicine must be turned into the Camp Nurse at Check-in)

*Optional 

Items that will NOT be needed, and you should leave them at home or check them with the Program Director in the beginning of Camp

• Computers
• Music Player/iPod/CD player
• Cell Phones/Tablets
• Hand-held video games
• Food or drinks any kind (Snacks are available for purchase at various times during the day.)
•  Knives or weapons of any kind
•  Car keys (If you must drive to camp you must leave your keys with the Youth Director for the duration of camp.)

Information about Evening Services

We always try to look a little nicer for dinner and the evening services.  Please plan on bringing a few nicer sets of clothing on hangers for an evening service each night, and for the Sunday morning service on August 5.

Fall Updates 2016

We hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful fall.  We have had some exciting things going on at Highland Park over the past few months since Camp Meeting 2016 ended.

National Register

You may or may not have been aware that an effort has been underway, initiated by Merle and Larry Landes, and the Historical Committee of Highland Park, to have Highland Park listed as part of the National Register by the National Park Service, as an example of the Camp Meeting movement in the late 19th century..  A meeting was to take place on October 4, 2016 by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board to decide whether or not Highland Park's Nomination was to be carried to the next stage of the process.    Highland Park's Board President Ed Van Arsdale announced that Highland Park was approved by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board for listing on the National Register.  A video was also included in the announcement (see above).

Congratulations to our dedicated Historical Committee for some hard work that has paid off!

View fullsize

Cottage owner, Larry Landes, admiring the restoration of the Fireplace, at the Pavilion.

Fireplace

The Fireplace at the Highland Park Pavilion has been restored as a Memorial to Rev. Earl Trauger and Merle Landes, Larry's wife.  These memorial funds are $1000.00 short, of the actual cost, of the project.   If you would like to contribute to this needed repair, please send your check, made out to: Highland Park Camp Meeting and mail to Highland Park Camp Meeting, PO Box 5, Sellersville, PA 18960.  Write "Fireplace" in the Check Memo section. 

HPYC Gives Some of its August Heat to January

The River Church & Resource Center in Carneys Point acts as one of two Code Blue locations in Salem County.  Check them out at www.therivernj.com

Highland Park Youth Camp introduced a new type of service project during the summer of 2015.  Using a stash of donated fleece, campers spent an afternoon making no-sew fleece blankets for the needy.  This weekend, Highland Park Youth Camp donated 16 fleece blankets to the newly established Code Blue program for Salem County, NJ.

What started as a camper service project quickly became a camp-wide effort on the last day of camp.  It was inspiring to see so many people of all ages drawn to get involved to turn a pile of fleece into warm blankets for the winter.  Code Blue volunteers at the River Church in Carneys Point were very grateful for the donation towards their cause.  Many comments were made on how nice the blankets were and how great a blessing they would be for those in need.

The Code Blue program is actually an initiative to provide “warming shelters” for homeless people in extremely cold weather conditions.   They operate from 6pm-6am on nights where the temperature drops below 25 C, or 32 C w/ precipitation.  The program had previously started in Cumberland County, and has just now opened in Salem County for the first time on Wednesday, January 27.  It is important to note that these are not fully operational homeless shelters, and will not be serving food other than donated water and snacks.

We are happy to help contribute to this program, and we hope to continue providing blankets and other goods to Code Blue in the years to come.  We are always in need of more fleece for future donations!  Each blanket is made from 2 pieces of fleece that are 1 2/3 yd (or 60"x 60"), and can be patterned or plain fleece.  All blankets are given directly to Code Blue Shelters.  This project is coordinated by Andi Grimes.  If you would like to donate fleece, please email her at info@highlandparkcamp.org.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  - Matthew 25:34-40

7 Theme Songs campers call their favorites

The theme song is one of Highland's traditions that goes way back.  Decades ago, it was a hymn that campers sang throughout the week.  With the development of Contemporary Christian music, the hymns were left to be sung in the nightly services, and newer, more energetic songs were picked.  The camp theme is derived from either the theme song title, or lyrics from within the song, and is meant to be what drives our bible studies, devotions, meditations, and the sermons delivered by our evangelist.  Since 1990, we have been blessed with some artistic people (special thanks to Cindy Morlock, Kellie Leight, and Andi Grimes) who have created banners based on the theme each year.  You'll see those retired banners hanging in the Dining Hall.  Over the years, we've had some really great ones that campers loved, and I thought it would be a great idea to revisit them.

1.  2015 "THRIVE"

Thrive was by far one of our best theme songs.  I guarantee by 2025, people will wonder what we were thinking when we picked it.  Actually we were thinking about a campground that we knew was meant to thrive, and for some of us, it was inspirational to help bring life back to our aging campground.  As it turned out, even by the end of the week, people weren't tired of this song.  Usually, after you sing it 32 times (3 meals a day, plus 8 services) we never want to sing it again, but the lyrics spoke pretty loud and clear through Colleen's sermons, our daily bible studies, and devotions.

2.  2011 "Safe"

Phil Wickham performs Safe on K-LOVE with Scott and Kelli.  Acoustic/Unplugged

I remember when we were picking theme songs, we were deciding between two really great theme songs.  And then Ronnie Sensinger suggested "Safe," and there was no more discussion.  By far one of the best theme songs Highland has sung to date, with a great message.  "You will be safe in His arms, 'cause the hands that hold the world are holding your heart."  Night of Silence service that year was unique, where many campers cast a piece of broken glass into a huge mess of junk, to symbolize letting go of their own brokenness, and giving it to God.  Later, the glass was rescued, and used to create a beautiful mosaic. 

3.  2007 "HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD"

This one was definitely a favorite through the years.  I would mention more, but I think Chris Tomlin says it the best!

chris tomlin teaching "how great is our god"

YouTube - Chris Tomlin -- How Great is Our God

4.  2003 "FOREVER"

Can't believe this is the only Michael W. Smith song on the list!  Surprisingly, this is a song written by Chris Tomlin, and performed by Michael W. Smith in his 2001 album, "Worship."  Let's face it, this song holds up in praise music, even 14 years after it was first produced.

5,  1995 "Carry the Light"

1995 was the year most noted for having the largest number of campers registered in recent history.  with 126 names and addresses published in the Highlander at the end of the week, the dorms were packed full!  Could you imagine 31 boys stuffed into Boys Dorm?  At choir, the stage was so full, they had to have 20 chairs set up in front of the stage.  Though it doesn't quite hold up today, Carry the Light was one of the campers' favorite theme songs of the 90's.  It was so good, we included 2 videos.  One for the song, and one for the magnificent 1987 hair!

6.  1992 "Destined to Win"

The interesting thing about 1992 at Highland was that was the year we had 60 campers registered, which was the SMALLEST camp was in the 90's.  To put things in perspective, Bill Clinton hadn't even been elected president yet.  We had one graduating camper that year, Kelly Grimes.  Joanne Leight was working in the kitchen, and Holly Sensinger was a precamper roaming the camp ground.  Happy Hollister was leading the services and some pretty epic bible studies.  And this theme song was the raddest Christian Song around in the early 90's!  I can't tell you how lucky we all are that this video made it to Youtube (...again, the hair!).

Degarmo & Key & Jesse Dixon - Destined To Win

The Big List

Of course, I realize that your favorite theme song may not be on this list, so we included the big list of theme songs from the past 25 years so you can stroll down memory lane.  Enjoy!

• 1990 Dare to Run
• 1991 The Rock of Faith is Jesus
• 1992 Destined to Win
• 1993 Shine, Jesus, Shine
• 1994 Almighty
• 1995 Carry the Light
• 1996 Let there be Praise!
• 1997 What a Mighty God We Serve/How Great, How Glorious
• 1998 Shout to the Lord
• 1999 Our God Reigns
• 2000 The Kingdom Song
• 2001 Knowing You
• 2002 We Want to See Jesus Lifted High
• 2003 Forever
• 2004 I Will Be
• 2005 Maker of All Things
• 2006Let Your Glory Fall
• 2007 How Great Is Our God
• 2008 Hallelujah! (Your Love Is Amazing)
• 2009 You Are God Alone (Not a God)
• 2010 Speaking Louder Than Before
• 2011 Safe In His Arms
• 2012 Shout to the North - clip from live performance
• 2013 Where I Belong
• 2014 Live With Abandon
• 2015 Thrive
• 2016 Jesus Is a Friend of Mine

7.  2016 "JESUS IS A FRIEND OF MINE"

The staff decided to go in a different direction with the theme song for this year.  I realize that I may be jumping the gun here, but the staff is pretty sure it will easily make the list of camper favorites!

No, just kidding.  This isn't really the theme song for 2016.  BUT, we do have one, and we can't wait to share it with you.  We'll give you a hint, it has something to do with building stuff and setting stuff on fire.  Stay tuned, this won't be a secret for long...and it will be well worth the wait, cause it's a great one!

Why Highland Park Youth Camp?

When I was a camper, many, many years ago (like, the 90's), I tried very hard to convince my friends to come to Highland Park Youth Camp.  "Your camp doesn't even have a lake!  It's hardly a camp at all!"  Unfortunately, I was not very convincing. I just couldn't make friends understand that Highland Park had something very special to offer that you just can't find anywhere else.   But I apparently missed some big ones...

The Food

You think of camp food, you think of mystery meat, the Awful Waffle, and dozens of jokes about just how bad the food is.  You won't hear these jokes at Highland Park.  Our kitchen staff works hard, and actually cooks really good food.  So good, in fact, that they run out each night because everyone wants seconds.  The only thing you really have to worry about is making sure you don't wear white on Spaghetti night, because if you do, you will inevitably get spaghetti sauce on your perfectly clean white shirt.  Many of our meals are inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch style recipes, so we hear very few complaints!

Regular Access to Ice Cream

...Because what could be better?  Our snack stand is open at least twice a day, and Ice cream is kept very well stocked.  The Chocolate Peanut butter is unparalleled with it's giant chunks of peanut butter,, and the Moose Tracks will satisfy any chocoholic that tries it.  And it's only a dollar!  It's the perfect ending after each evening service.  It's a thing, you should definitely try it.

Latchhook Jesus

... told ya.  Latchhook Jesus.

No joke, there is a Latchhook of Jesus hanging in the Tabernacle.  It's just one of the many unusual things that help to make Highland Park what it is.  Also, if you are around at about 7:00, you'll hear a bell ringing for a whole minute, and watch everyone in the whole camp stop and pray.  You'll see people walking through an arbor and suddenly stop talking,  You will see these little miniature houses all throughout the park which are referred to as the "cottages," also once mistaken by a member of a certain rock band as "huts."  These things have all been an part of Highland's culture as a community, and we welcome you to come and understand why we love them, and why they are so important to us!

Evening Worship

We have a guest evangelist every year.  I'll admit, I NEVER know what to expect each year from our evangelist, but I am very rarely disappointed.  Our services are extremely thought-provoking, and sometimes even life-changing experiences for many of our campers.  Maybe this will be the week that you invite Jesus Christ into your life.  Maybe this will be the week you rediscover Jesus as your Savior, or learn to forgive, understand why terrible things happen to you even though you know you have done everything right in your life, or even help to introduce Christ to someone else who is desperately seeking Him.  Whatever this week of camp may hold in store for you, you can count on enjoying a delicious ice cream cone with all of us afterwards! 

Registration Fee

The typical going rate for a week of camp is about $500 depending on what camp you attend.  If it's a two-week camp, that can get even more expensive.  A typical registration for one camper at Highland Park is only $160.  That's not counting the $80 discount you can get for inviting a friend.  

Why is the price so low?  Highland Park is purely non-profit, with a single purpose of bringing people closer to the Lord.  We aren't doing it for the money, which keeps the cost to you down.  $160 still too high?  You can pay $80 now, and pay the rest later.  We also have a limited number of scholarships available for campers with difficulty affording the registration fee.  These scholarships were donated by some very kind people from Highland Park who wanted to make a difference in a camper's life.  You can contact our Registrar for more information about the scholarships. 

What are you waiting for?

Come and join us for camp this summer!  Click here for registration options, or learn more about our Youth Camp.

-Jack Grimes

Winter Update: News From the Park

Hey everyone,

Hoping you had a wonderful Fall, and your winter is going well.  On Sunday this past week we sat down to some legendary Kratz Lasagna at our annual Mid-Year Banquet.  We had some fun catching up with each other, and got to hear some exciting announcements for this year.

Meet our New Evangelist for 2015

We were introduced to our new evangelist for Highland Park, 2015, Colleen Batchelder.  From an early age, Colleen has had a passion for sharing her relationship with Jesus Christ with others.  She's received several degrees in biblical studies and ministry, but was very recently diagnosed with a life-changing condition placing her at risk for Aortic Aneurysms.  The average lifespan for people with this disease is approximately 45 years.  Colleen embraced this as a calling from God to spend the rest of her life ministering to others instead of studying, and sharing her passion with the rest of the world.  We are blessed to have her sharing her passion with us as Highland Park's first female evangelist, and are excited to welcome her into our Highland Park Family.

Registration Is Open, and we have yet another great deal

As if $160.00 wasn't a low enough price for a week of youth camp, we're offering an opportunity to cut that in half.  If you introduce a friend to Highland Park and they attend as a first-year camper, you will only be responsible for your $80.00 deposit.  Please keep in mind, your friend must not have been a camper prior to this year, and must be entering grades 7-12 or graduating in 2015 (Sorry, TJ, you can't use Elliot as your friend).

New registration forms are currently in the process of being printed, and will be mailed out soon, but you can download them here if you want to share Highland Park with a friend.  On-line registration and payment is also available through our website at highlandparkcamp.org. 

This is the year that you won't want to put this off until July.  We got really good at advertising last year, and are starting three months early!  Make your plans now to join us for camp!

Highland Park Camp Meeting bids farewell to a dear friend

With sadness, we want to take a moment to remember Charles “Bud” Hollenbach, a friend of Highland.  Bud was killed in an automobile accident last Friday, October 17, 2014. He was a retired Pennridge High School teacher and , football coach.

As a member of the Pennridge community, I had the privilege of being under Bud’s guidance, and his physical,  educational, and spiritual leadership.  I was blessed in my youth, by going to First Evangelical United Brethren Church, at Fifth and Market Streets in Perkasie, which is now known as The First United Methodist Church. As such I was the recipient of multiple mentors. In the course of our life's journey, we may be lucky to have one mentor, teacher, or coach, who makes significant  impact on the person we become.

I had many, of which Bud is so counted.  His wife, Maggie was my confirmation teacher, and Bud was my high school Sunday school teacher, and later our adult Sunday school teacher.

Bud’s Passion for coaching, teaching, and his family, was matched only by his passion for spreading the good news of the Saving grace and power of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ!  Please take a moment to remember Bud and say a prayer for his family.

In fondest memory,
John Hollenbach
Mayor of Perkasie
President, Highland Park Camp Meeting Association

Thanks for an awesome week of camp

To all of our campers at Highland Park Youth Camp,

My apologies for sending this so late!  Just touching base with everyone that I can, and thanking you all for an awesome week at Highland Park Youth Camp!  Here are a few things that you may have missed over the past few weeks since camp ended:

• Ways to stay connected:
  • Website:  www.highlandparkcamp.org - our hub for all campground news and devotionals provided by our Youth Staff.
  • Facebook:  www.facebook.com/highlandparkcampmeeting and also https://www.facebook.com/groups/111282338942861/ for our group page.
  • Google Plus:  https://plus.google.com/114670125549846382186/posts
  • Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thehighlandpark  (@thehighlandpark)
  • Instagram:  http://instagram.com/thehighlandpark
  • FourSquare:  Coming Soon!

• Most counselors are always happy to accept a Facebook friend request from a camper, so don't be shy, but they usually won't send you a friend request.  It's nothing personal!  I'm pretty sure any counselors will accept one from any camper.
   
• We usually hold our annual Mid-Year Banquet the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Check out the website or our Facebook page for more information.
   
• Highland Park 2015's Theme Song will be "Thrive" by Matthew West and Mark Hall (as performed by Casting Crowns).
   
• Campmeeting and Youth Camp for Next Year will be July 26-Aug 2, 2015 (it's always the week that runs from July into August)
   
• Registration for camp will open in January 2015.
   
• We'll be sending you a periodic email to your address from time to time, just to keep you updated.  If you don't want to be on our email list anymore, just send an email to support@highlandparkcamp.org and i'll make sure to take you off.  Or let me know if you want to update it.
   
• A higher resolution version of our Camp Photo is now available for download.  We even put up 3 of them, so you can choose which one you look best in, or the one you like the best.  The link can be found here:  http://www.highlandparkcamp.org/camp-photo/
  You will need a password to get in.  Just put in "livewithabandon" (without quotes) and you can download whichever photos you want.
   
• Fill out a review on Google or Facebook!  A detailed review is always best, but just a star rating is better than nothing!  Those links:  https://plus.google.com/114670125549846382186/posts ;   and http://www.facebook.com/highlandparkcampmeeting

So stay tuned for more, but stay in touch with each other throughout the year.  Help each other to stay strong in your walks with the Lord.  We hope you had a great week, and look forward to seeing you all back next year!  Good luck with the start of your school year!

5 Reasons to send your teenager to camp!

As the times have clearly changed during the last 30 years, summer camps across the country have seen a steady decline as teens have become more independent.  There are, however, some very good reasons for your child to attend summer camp that are more important now than they may have been when we were kids.

1.  Helps them to make friends

Kids who attend camp often make friends who they might not necessarily go to school with or see every day.  This teaches them to stay in touch with people in the long term.  Many youth who attend camp make friends that they stay in touch with all their lives.  This offers them the unique opportunity of branching out in the friends that they have.  Building these relationships with others also boosts their self confidence in socializing, and teaches them social skills in building new friendships in the future.

2.  Forces them to unplug

This is a hot topic these days, but learning to turn the phone or tablet off is a skill that your child can learn!  It's very hard for teens to stay off of the internet these days or away from the video games, but when they have to do it with peers, it makes it much easier for them.  A lot of kids come to camp to  be with friends and to learn how to navigate, mediate, and integrate friendships. The best way to do this is by talking and hanging out together.  It also teaches them the very valuable skill of breaking their dependency on technology, which is very hard to come by these days.  Besides, it's SUMMER!  Our devices will be around all year long, but the summer weather will not.  Unplugging will get them outside and actively using their bodies, instead of sitting around thumbing a smartphone.

3.  Reinforces leadership skills

While not everyone is a natural leader, leadership skills can be learned by anyone, and camp is a great place to learn them.  Camp programs often give youth the opportunities to lead a team, perform music,  create projects, and lead discussions outside of the classroom.  For the shyer crowd, campers can learn these same leadership skills by watching their peers, giving everyone the benefit of youth-directed activities.

4.  Exposure to different age groups

Most teenagers in America spend the majority of their day with students of the same or similar ages.  Many camps offer a much different experience, where 7th graders have to interact with 11th graders, or 9th graders have to work with 12th graders.  This gives youth a unique experience, and motivates younger campers to act more mature, and older campers to step up into leadership roles.  Camp counselors are often not seen so much as "law enforcement" but older, "cool friends," who care about them, and can have a huge impact on their life.

5.  Kids get a good dose of "emotional learning."

At camp, youth go on a number of adventures throughout the week, experiencing and learning many new things.  Learning how to function in a team, for example, is something that a camper at camp can learn much differently than what they might learn at school. Summer camps are the latent learning method of teaching children hard work, teamwork and of preparing them to face difficult situations with courage.  The amazing thing is how the campers don't even realize they are learning any of these things because they are enjoying fun activities, with friends.

News from the Park

So there's more reason to go to a Work Day than just Work...

No trouble sleeping at camp this summer!

...you also get to find out what's going on in the Park!  So last Saturday (June 14) was our Spring Work Day.  We got the Tabernacle cleaned up for its many engagements over the Summer, including the Valley Forge Chorus Concert, the King's Brass Concert, and our own Highland Park Campmeeting.  Many thanks to the Eichlins, Ian Johnston, and Matt Erickson for coming and helping out!   We also found out that Highland Park is planning on pampering our campers with some brand new mattresses for its bunks.  These mattresses are nice and firm, much thicker than the old ones, and very comfortable, considering they are for bunk beds!  

Introducing Imago Dei

We also get to welcome some new guests to our community.  If you've been to camp recently, you may have seen their signs up and around.  This group meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, and takes part some great mission work throughout the local communities here and around Highland Park.  As you can see, they have already left their mark on Highland.

Newly repainted benches in the Snack Stand area!

Yeah, they did them all.

A newly redone Lounge area under Boys Dorm.  New paint, new carpet, new furniture.

They also worked heavily on what used to be the "Old Dining Hall" underneath Boys' Dorm.  This area was first partitioned into separate rooms by Cornerstone Community Church several years ago, and Imago Dei has taken that work a few step further.  They will be occupying Highland Park's facilities during our off-seasons when they are not in use, which helps to take care the grounds during the rest of the year.

A new elementary classroom beneath Boys Dorm.

A newly repainted Nursery area.

We would like to welcome them to Highland Park, and we look forward to working with their church.

Many great things are happening at camp these days!  Please plan on checking them out at our annual Campmeeting from July 26-August 3!  Click here for more info!