Kids of many religions gathered in Little Rock for a week in July to sing, pray, play, meditate, make art and discover each other's religions. Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church hosted the 10th annual interfaith gathering -- Friendship Camp of Central Arkansas. More than 60 kids attended.
As she has done for many years, Betsy Johnson represented EBS and taught Buddhism at the camp, joined this time by Cheryl Woodard. Betsy reports: "In the Buddhism class, we learned that life is not always perfect, but that’s OK. And we practiced Kora, a Buddhist walking meditation. We each thought about something special, something we loved, wrote that on a piece of paper and put it in a Tibetan Singing Bowl. It was peaceful and calming to keep those special thoughts in our hearts as we walked in a circle around the bowl together.”
What ‘special things’ did the kids name? Top choice is ‘family and friends’ sometimes with extras added on, like ‘pets’, or ‘my dog’. Several children appreciate the technology in their lives, video games, cell phones, cameras, cars, and YouTube. Many also mentioned books, the arts, sports, pianos, music, and food. Nature is also popular, in the form of mountains, forests, the sun, water, oceans, and ‘raindrops’. And many children mentioned doctors, teachers, and other helpers. Several children mentioned church, the Bible, or the Quran, and one child wrote, ‘God and everything he provides – especially my mother.’
Friendship camp emphasizes diversity and accepts children who are entering third through sixth grade. Half of the participants are Christians. The rest are members of other faiths or belong to non-theistic families. The cost is about $150 per child. Email friendshipcampca@gmail.com to learn about next year’s camp or visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/friendshipcampofcentralarkansas