At Diocesan Convention, the TEC Committee announced exciting plans for a summer of renewal and refreshment for Thunderhead Episcopal Center. What, you may ask, does that mean? In simple terms, it means that for the summer of 2025, we will be suspending our traditional camp schedule in order to accomplish some much needed maintenance as well as some shiny new projects to improve the TEC Experience for everyone who spends time there.

 So what does that mean for the youth of the Diocese and what will be the plan moving forward? A huge piece of this news is that the Bishop will be hiring a new full time Canon for TEC and youth. This person will not only be a full time advocate for Thunderhead, but also someone focused on the youth of this Diocese year round and not just in the camp season. This means that during the summer of renewal and refreshment at camp, this person will be tasked - along with volunteers from around the Diocese - to provide both a couple of Family Camp weekends at TEC as well as some youth days regionally around the Diocese. This person will also, in the off camp season, be available to come to your congregations to speak on TEC and help with other youth related programming. It is the hope of the Bishop to have someone in place in this position in the early part of 2025.

 And what will the summer of renewal and refreshment entail? As stated above. We hope to host 2-3 family camp weekends which will run from Friday to Sunday. These weekends will include everything that people love about TEC - hiking, arts and crafts, outdoor movies, s’mores, cookouts and more. These weekends will be a wonderful opportunity for people to spend time and Thunderhead, be reacquainted with everything TEC has to offer, enjoy quality family time, and catch a glimpse of the exciting changes that are taking place.

 In addition to these Family Weekends, we are hoping to host regional Camp Days in locations around the Diocese. These will be opportunities for the youth of the Diocese to meet the new Canon, get a taste of what camp can be like, and have some fun together.

 We will also be hosting work camps at Thunderhead this summer in order to tackle some of the projects that need to be done. Some of these projects will require skilled workers. Others are projects that anyone can help with. These work camps will include lodging at camp, as well as food. There will be more information coming out in the new year about the opportunities to help.

SO, what can you do to be a part of this exciting initiative? Volunteer! Let us know if your church would like to host a day of camp at your parish. Sign up to come to Family Weekends or work camp.

 In addition, please consider making a financial donation towards this effort. In the months ahead, we will be sending out donor information, as well as sponsorship opportunities. As we begin to clarify projects and attach price tags to those projects we will let you know.

 We hope that this article gets you excited about what can be at Thunderhead Episcopal Center and for the youth of our Diocese. Full camp sessions will be back stronger and healthier in the summer of 2026! We will be sending out updates on a regular basis. These updates can always be found on the website as well.

 If you have any questions please contact the Diocese and we will be sure to get you the answers!

In the mid-1960s the Diocese of South Dakota purchased a former dude ranch in the Black Hills for church camp use. In its fourth summer, a brochure for the camp stated: 

“The camp was purchased and set up with the principle in mind that in camping we come closer to nature, and thereby discover the mighty works of God. The camping experiences give young people the opportunity of living in a Christian Community and help them discover for themselves who they are in a relationship to God and each other. The activities center around daily worship.”

Nearly five decades later, the purpose and mission of the camp remain the same. Located in the Black Hills, about 20 miles south of Lead/Deadwood, young people who attend are invited to participate in an “experiment” in living an Intentional Christian Community. Campers explore what it looks like, and what it means, to live in close quarters loving one another.

Each day begins and ends with worship, and this rhythm provides the backbone for the rest of the day. Using the Book of Common Prayer, and the style of the Taize Community, the worship incorporates meditative singing in a number of different languages, including Lakota. Each worship service also has a significant time of silence. Through silence, we listen more deeply to God’s voice speaking in and through each of us.

Another way that camp fosters love for each member of the community, and listening faithfully, is in being present to one another. Because of this emphasis, campers turn in all electronic devices upon arrival at camp (cell phones, iPods, Kindles, etc.). Electronics are returned to campers once a day during free time, yet the overall absence of such devices creates a more relational atmosphere with those present.

Every year, the camp community works toward loving one another while engaging hearts and minds to look for God working in our everyday world.  Together, in community, campers explore God’s amazing capability to work both inside and outside the church.