This post is one of the monthly posts blog posts written by the deans of the conferences of the Minneapolis Area Synod.

By Pastor Rhonda Hlavinka
Salem English Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Dean of the Central Conference

South Minneapolis Day Camp is a collaboration of more than 15 congregations that come together each summer. This amazing group effort goes back way before my time at Salem, but for the past nine years I have had the privilege of serving as one of its leaders. Several years ago, we decided we needed a name other than just a geographical description and “Building Beloved Community – South Minneapolis Day Camp” was birthed.

I tell people all the time that this group of leaders from all these congregations is one of the best teams I get to work on. Each year, we gather in January to begin planning for one special week in June and pick a theme. We collaborate on everything from rotations, special guests, daily stories, and volunteers. We even have our very own songwriter, Gus, who, with the help of our campers, writes a day camp original each year.

What I want to share with you, aside from the background above, is a few of the reasons why this collaborative ministry – this chance to do church together – is so beautiful.

  • When you gather 15 church staff from different congregations, you pool a whole lot of creativity, skills, resources, and passions that none of us could do on our own.
  • While we are made up of congregations that range in size, likely none of our congregations would be able to host a day camp on our own. (Participation among congregations this summer averaged 6 kids per congregation.)
  • There are some years that congregations have participants, and some years they don’t – but it doesn’t matter because we are all still committed to being in this together.
  • Instead of having to do everything on our own, we get to lean into our individual gifts as leaders. We even stretch into new skills once in a while. (Who knew I could become so good at volunteer coordination?)
  • This once-a-year camp makes a difference for kids and families.
    • Some of these kids from other congregations, I only see once a year. But still, there is a special relationship we have forged that neither they nor I forget.
    • Because we offer camp for 5 full days, we give families a real option instead of day care for an entire week.
    • We offer our campers opportunities they may not get anywhere else. (Addressing environmental justice with an entire cardboard city, dancing and drumming with our Haitian friends from Afoutayi, and a middle school field trip to George Floyd Square, Calvary Food Pantry, and All Nations Indian Church … just to name a few.)
    • We strive to teach kids agency – to know they are an active part of their community and they make a difference. (They have talked with legislators, written letters to the mayor, practiced community organizing, and created their own protest signs about the things that matter to them.)

I could go on, but then this blog would be way longer than it should be. So here’s the main point, I suppose. (And it’s not just that our day camp is super cool.) The point is that God’s intention is for all of us to live in beloved community, and that kind of God-intended community is not something we do alone. Beloved community is Church Together. (Did you see how I brought our theme for the year right back around?)

Now, for those of you who like numbers and figures, here’s some of the math from our 2025 Building Beloved Community – South Minneapolis Day Camp:

109 K-8 Grade Kids
+ 20 High School Youth Mentors
+ 46 Adult Volunteers
+ 10 Special Guests
+ 15 Church Staff during the week
+ 166 Shirts Tie Dyed!
+ 90 Painted Kindness Rocks
+ 1 New Song written by Gus and the Kids
+ 750 Snacks delivered by the Snack Fairy!
+ 1 Free Little Library with…
+ 70 Shingles painted by kids
+ 30 Separate Rotations
+ 68 Stuffies made by elementary kids in Art!
+ 10 Openings and Closings with…
+ 50 Songs to sing
+ 1 Middle School all-day Fieldtrip
+ 1 Story Book as Inspiration for it ALL
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= So Much Beloved Community!

Part of the financial support for the South Minneapolis Day Camp comes through the Synod’s Summer Youth Program. The Summer Youth Program is funded through the generous mission support given by Minneapolis Area Synod congregations – thank you!