Meet Paul Cogger, a Made-in-Michigan camp champion now serving as president of the Area’s Camp Board.

KAY DEMOSS
Senior Editor-Writer, Michigan Area

This is a man who has pitched his tent all the way from Michigan to California. Paul Cogger grew up in South Lyon, graduated from Albion College, and then went west to direct camping and youth ministries for two United Methodist conferences.

Now he’s back in South Lyon and serves as the new President of the Board of Directors of Michigan Area United Methodist Camps.

In 2015 the West Michigan and Detroit annual conferences voted to unite their camping and outdoor ministries into a single corporation. In the months that followed that action, the new Board has organized under the direction of the Rev. George Ayoub, Interim Area Director of Camping and Retreat Ministries. Cogger, a layman with 20 years of professional service and a lifetime of interest in Christian camping, was brought into leadership in the spring of 2016.

MIConnect contacted Paul to get acquainted and to introduce the Michigan Area to some of the values and hopes that he brings to this important post.

Tell us a little about the passion and background you bring to this role.

My background in camping is split between being a volunteer and having served professionally as the Executive Director of Camping for two annual conferences in the Western Jurisdiction. As a young adult living in the West Michigan Conference, I was a volunteer in a number of camps serving all age groups. Then I moved to Phoenix, AZ and in 1989 was offered the position of Youth and Camp Ministries of the Desert Southwest Conference. I served that Conference for ten years. In 2002 I had the opportunity to become the Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries for the California Pacific Conference and spent the next six years on the west coast. In 2013, I retired and moved back to South Lyon. That presented the opportunity to serve on this new Board of Directors.

“If you are a parent wanting to sow seeds for your child’s spiritual journey, then you should choose church camp.”

You have experience in both the West Michigan and Detroit conferences. Could you speak more about that?

I grew up in South Lyon. I have to say I did not attend camp but I grew up within the structures of the Detroit Conference. It was when I was a student at Albion College that I was invited to serve on a camp staff at Lake Louise by the Senior Pastor of Albion UMC. That was my introduction to church camping and it has been not only a life-long interest but became a vocation for me. I then served as a volunteer in West Michigan camps from 1973 to 1983. I continued serving as a volunteer in the camps in the Desert Southwest Annual Conference from 1984 to 1989 before taking the job there.

You’ve seen camping programs and camps in various states, what makes the outdoor ministries in Michigan stand out?

I have been away for 30 years so I am reacquainting myself with the sites and programs here. But the benefit of the camps is the variety of landscapes in which they are situated. Michigan’s sites provide the opportunity to create niched settings to expand the number of opportunities for more people. People feel safe at our camp because the sites accommodate their needs and interests. The other thing is that we are becoming a new conference. That is allowing us to create a unified plan for the entire state. That will provide more variant camp experiences for children, adults, and youth. 

What do you see as the biggest challenge for the new Board?

The biggest challenge before the new Board is to create fiscal stability for the ministry. We are going to go through a transition for the next five years as the Conference decreases apportionment funding for camps. The Board will need to generate new supplemental funding to not only replace those lost funds but to exceed them. Our vision is to put in facilities which will allow us to expand the ministry to people of different cultural backgrounds and to niche our camps to meet special needs and groups. The Board wants to reach more people and to care for them in the best possible ways.

“The Board wants to reach more people and to care for them in the best possible ways.”

Ten years out, what do you hope will have developed?

We are going to do a full assessment of our sites to discern what kinds of facilities they are suited for. One of the things we will be looking at is heavy focus on niching our campsites. That calls for evaluation of the topography, what’s being offered at other sites. There was a phrase used for a long time in camping, “cookie cutter camps.” You try to do the same thing at every site. Cookie cutter camps limited who you could reach. The Board will be very intentional in expanding camp opportunities for more people, taking their needs into consideration. One of the issues today is there are many people involved in the ministry with many great ideas that never developed. 

We are working to create a system where someone’s idea can get into the system and be developed in a short term rather than sit on the table and never be developed. We want a tighter connection with local congregations that enables the Board to partner with them in order to better meet the needs they have. Our goal is to bring to local churches resources that can build and nurture their members and their ministries. And we are going to be working toward a fuller use of technology to promote of our camps and facilitate registration. Where I hope we are in 10 years is that you can go online and you can take a look at a variety of programs being offered for all age groups and special interests and engage a process that is flexible.

What are the obstacles between today and ten years from now?

Again, the Board’s biggest hurdle is going to be finances. We want to keep camp affordable and in order to do that we need to develop that supplemental funding that will take care of some of the expense. We can’t just pass the cost on to those going to camp. The Board hopes to do long range planning for major improvements based on a financial base that will be known and steady. One of the problems camping has today is it is difficult to plan long term because apportionment support is contingent on a lot of factors outside the camping ministry itself. While there’s a plus in shifting from apportionment support to raising money independently for the camp ministry itself, the question is are we going to be able to successfully reach individuals and churches with a heart for camping? Are there enough camp enthusiasts out there who are willing to contribute directly to the ministry?

“Are we going to be able to successfully reach individuals and churches with a heart for camping?”

Let’s shift from dollars. Why should someone send their child or their teenager or their grandmother to camp?

First and foremost is the nurturing and strengthening of their spiritual journey. Camp for any age is an opportunity for respite. We know that Jesus intentionally took time away. We live in a very structured and scheduled world. We are so overwhelmed with media and information that time to discern is hard to find. Camps and retreats allow opportunities for children, youth and adults to disengage from their world and have space in which to reflect and make decisions. It’s a quieter place to assess where they are in their spiritual journey. We know that for many church leaders—lay and clergy–church camping played a part in their root decision to respond to God’s call to ministry. Further, camp affords the opportunity to focus on environmental education and concerns about earth care that are only going to increase in the decades to come.

When many think of church camp they think of children, youth and families. What about camping for grown-ups?

For the past 50 years so much of the focus was on youth and children. That was the window that opened up 50 years ago when there were a lot of young people in our churches. I think the big shift now is the realization that camping is for all ages. There are needs in all age groups to get away and to be in community with people of like or not-like mind. I was talking last week with the need for retreats for caregivers. We have so many people who are working with elderly parents and taking care of others in hard situations. Who takes care of the caregiver? There’s a movement across the country to create programming for caregivers. There is a need for good family camping and RV camping. Not all of us can have a cabin up north. One of the beauties and promises that lies before us is to take our facilities and niche them for those special needs. Something important for our parents … they have tough choices to make because there are a lot of camps out there. There are athletic camps, creative arts camps, scout camps. There are a number of opportunities to choose from. It is important to understand that in scout camping, for instance, the emphasis is on recreation with secondary emphasis on relationship. In church camping that’s flipped. The primary emphasis is on building relationship with a peer group, a cross-generational group and, most importantly, with God. The secondary focus is recreation. That’s a difference. Certainly kids in church camp have a lot of fun but there’s intentionality in building relationship, both outward with peers and upward with God through Christ. If you are a parent wanting to sow seeds for your child’s spiritual journey, then you should choose church camp. We want to help parents sow those seeds. 

“Certainly kids in church camp have a lot of fun but there’s intentionality in building relationship, both outward with peers and upward with God through Christ.”

You and the Board are called to be agents of change. Change is never easy. What would you say to those who are reluctant to accept new approaches?

If change was easy it would have happened long ago in many arenas of life. As Christians, Christ calls us to be change agents. The first step in becoming the salt of the earth, is to understand that it’s not just about me. Change requires a willingness to be open to more people. The best way to respond is with a story. When we were master planning camps in Desert Southwest, it became apparent that a number of young people were concerned that the little redwood cabins were disappearing to be replaced with lodges. They weren’t happy about that. I asked them if they had friends they thought should come to camp. “Yes!” I then asked why their friends don’t come to camp. “Because they don’t like the cabins.” So I asked, “Do you want your friends to come to camp with you or do you want to be off by yourself in your own little cabin?” People need to understand that our calling is to help more people enjoy the benefits of camp and be in a spiritual relationship with God. The other thing about change that makes it hard is all camp facilities are filled with memories of people and events. So when we replace buildings, we are replacing memories of friends and experiences. That makes it hard to let go. Again, in the Desert Southwest, we had an incredible master plan. But there was little enthusiasm around it. It finally dawned on me why. The plan called for virtually every building to be replaced. There were so many stories associated with the buildings. As we would take buildings out it would be taking a piece of a real person away. Once I realized the committee was in mourning, we were able to deal with that in a healthy way. In the letting go, grief can be expressed and the way to change opened. Grief is a difficult emotion but Christians have the tools to deal with it. Leaders in camping ministries need to demonstrate the ability to let go when it comes to redeveloping our campsites or camp programs.

“I am grateful to be able to build upon the solid structures of Michigan’s history, knowing that we now move forward into a new time together as one conference.”

They say, “What goes around, comes around.” Paul Cogger began his camp experience in Michigan. Now he’s back involved in Michigan camping at a deeper level. How does that feel?

It feels good. A lot of folks don’t’ entertain returning to their home town. But for myself it puts a bookend on my life. I know that the Paul Cogger who left Michigan in 1983 had incredible opportunities in camping and retreat ministries gained outside of Michigan. That has provided me with a very broad perspective and comprehensive landscape about camp and retreat ministries. It is important to understand that camping is not about facilities. Camping is about people and programs. Michigan has spaces where we can create special places for implementation of programs. But I think the Paul Cogger today, 30 years later, has a much  better understanding of how program and facilities can work together in order to reach more lives for Christ. It is very satisfying to have had these experiences and now be able to bring them into this new conference and a new beginning for our camp and retreat ministries. I am grateful to be able to build upon the solid structures of Michigan’s history, knowing that we now move forward into a new time together as one conference, meeting the spiritual needs of children, youth and adults. And we are not only reaching out to  the children, youth and adults in our local churches but to all people in the state of Michigan.

Is there anything else you wish to share?

Yes, I want people to know that your Board of Directors is deeply committed to the work that we are doing. And it’s tough work because it does involve change. We ask for the people in the Michigan Area to be in prayer with us because this is an overwhelming task. This is a Board of Directors with our eyes on the vision and hope for the future. Change is worth it because of the promise of what lies ahead. This work is challenging and difficult but the hope is so great. That is energizing. The future is bright. I am happy to discuss these developments with anyone. Just call me at 248-946-2003 or email [email protected].

Last Updated on December 28, 2022