Singing, Announcements, and Prayer Before Meals

Singing, Announcements, and Prayer Before Meals

The time for singing and announcements outside the Dining Hall before each meal is very important for two reasons: 1) to keep the participants informed about camp activities and the schedule, and 2) to keep the schedule on track. The camp director needs to make sure that the singing always starts on time (work closely together with the song leader to achieve this) and that all important information camp participants need to know is announced during this time. If the singing starts late, the meal will be late, and there is a risk that the cleanup crew won’t have enough time to do their job before the next scheduled activities start.

Singing

The music team under the leadership of the song leader should pick songs before the singing starts. Avoid situations where the music team starts debating for a minute which song they should sing next, while everyone else is waiting for them. We usually sing three songs, but if the kitchen is not ready to serve the food yet, another song might be needed. The first song should be upbeat and well-known to campers, since they often arrive during the singing of the song. The second song can be a newer song, so that we don’t always sing the same songs. After the second song, it’s time for the announcements by the camp director or someone assigned by her/him. After this, we sing another song, this time a slower, more reflective song that will lead directly to the prayer before the meal.

Announcements

Right before making the announcements, the camp director should check if the kitchen is ready to serve the food on time. If the kitchen needs a bit more time, the songleader should lead another song before the director makes the announcements. The announcements should be well prepared beforehand, and they should include:

• Time and place of the activities that follow the meal
• Special announcements, such as about lost and found, reminder to bring flash lights to evening activities, etc.
• Which group will be the serving team (for example, Sara’s group/Comets 1)
• Which group will be the cleaning team (for example, Henri’s group/Supernova’s 2)

At the very end of the announcements the serving team—but only the serving team—can enter the dining hall so they can get in position to serve. The serving team may enter the Dining Hall through the doors in the middle of the building before the last song. Everyone else should remain for the last song and—after the prayer following the last song—enter the Dining Hall through the side doors at the end of the building.

Prayer

We recommend that the director find a volunteer to pray before the last song has been sung. Asking “who wants to offer a prayer” when the time for praying has come doesn’t always work. Instead, the director can approach someone before the singing, or while the singing is going on and ask if they are willing to pray. This person should come up to the stage before the end of the last song and get up to the microphone to pray right after the last song ends. For a larger group, praying without amplification (through the microphone) will not work well.

Lining Up for Food

• Parents with young kids as well as elderly participants should be allowed to the front of the line. This should be announced the first time the participants meet before a meal, and a period reminder throughout camp will be necessary.
• After the prayer the participants should enter the Dining Hall through the entrance nearest to the infirmary. However, some participants, especially younger kids, will try to enter the Dining Hall through the big doors opposite the kitchen anyway, to get a better * place in the food line. If this gets out of control somebody might have to block that entrance for a few minutes.