Hello friends!!

This is super important – you’ll want to read this!!

I wanted to share with you one of the things we talked about this weekend in CLTD: integrity.

Yes, I recognize that we have talked about this many times before from the moment you walked into CLTD but it is hugely important!! When we put ourselves out there as CLTDs we speak for the CLTD program and Camp Chestermere. When we put ourselves out there as disciples of Christ we speak for Him. Our actions and our words show others what it means to be a part of those things, whether your influence is negative or positive. How you behave says things about who you are to other people. Someone who proclaims Christ to those around them and then goes on line and behaves differently is suggesting that belonging to Christ actually means nothing. It can suggest that Christians, not just you, are hypocrites. You get to chose what is present on your Facebook wall, what you Tweet or Twitter and it will speak a message, whether you intend it to or not. Your words, your actions, your pictures and what you ‘like’ speak to others about who you are, what you believe and what you value. As disciples of Christ we are called to a higher standard and as a CLTD you will be held to that higher standard. In the Lifestyle Expectations that you were send when you were accepted into your first year of CLTD the following was laid out as an expectation of someone seeking to be involved in the program:

Online Behaviour - It is expected that staff are presenting themselves appropriately in all on-line situations that could possibly be viewed by campers, CLTDs or other staff of Camp Chestermere. This includes social networking sites such as: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumbler, etc. Photos or language suggesting such inappropriate behaviour as sexual acts, drug or alcohol use, gossip, slander, or jokes which maybe deemed offensive are not tolerated and you may be asked to remove them from your site or break connections to Camp Chestermere or any camper-involved programming.

We will be expecting you guys to live up to this if you want to be a part of CLTD. I know it’s not easy, guys and we don’t expect you to be perfect but we do expect you to live as the people you say you want to be when you joined CLTD. We will be calling you guys on your content and your activities. If you are not willing to live up to these expectations we ask that you no longer associate yourself with Camp Chestermere or CLTD in your online activities and ‘unfriend’ any campers, CLTDs and staff. I know it sounds harsh but you are an influence to those around you and we are looking for people who are willing to be a positive influence on those around them. Know that the staff of camp are required to live the same way and if you are looking to join the staff team in the future, what you do online will indeed be looked at before you will be considered.

With that said, please consider the statuses you have posted, the comments you have allowed to be posted to your wall, the pictures you have posted or are tagged in, etc and consider what is God-honoring and what is bowing to the world’s values. What is worth keep and what is worth getting rid of? Know that your CLTD leaders will be assisting with this ;)

If this is something you are struggling with or have questions about, please get in touch with us! We are here for you and want to walk with you in these potentially difficult situations.

Many blessings, all!!