With the Viking ship on the lake

A summer camp program on Lake Lungern...

This article is a Forum Heft article.

Wicky the Viking!

He had a ship, a shield, a sword and a fighter's heart. Who doesn't know him, the brave little Wicky, probably the most famous Viking of all time, and his people of shipbuilders! Tracing this people with the Jungschar, who once conquered half of Europe in the 9th-11th centuries! A week full of new impressions awaits the children.

The Jungschar Sitterdorf set off on a Saturday morning full of expectations and in splendid costume. Every child who had participated in the pre-preparation Jungschar afternoons proudly wore their helmet, shield, sword and Viking skirt.

A different kind of entry

Erich the Red let it be known through a family head that the camp site could not be reached by ship due to lack of water. He therefore recommended the camp participants to reach the land of the Vikings on foot. The children were astonished when they did not go directly to the next station. On the way, they met a druid at a fire, to whom they listened eagerly. In a magical voice he revealed the further way and that there were "chickens" for the hungry stomachs. Two raids - a first on a castle, where the promised food then fell into the hands of the fighters in a slightly different form, and a second in a narrow stream valley - made Viking life a reality on the very first day. The children puzzled over when they would board the train, but the heads of the families Olaf Tryggvason, Snjuve Täräng and Hägar Eriksson first led us to a lonely patch of forest. Who would have expected to bivouac on the very first day, and not far from home at that. After dark the heads of the families told and raved about their experiences and packed in some information about the time of the Vikings. The next day, it was time to reach the long-awaited land ruled by Erich the Red in central Switzerland.

Camp Life

Unlike other camps, this time we didn't have a storyline that ran through the entire camp. Despite that, the time was filled with other activities such as arrow bow making, building an oven out of stones, baking bread, a tower building, a Viking feast and other workshops. Since the lake was so close, we often enjoyed the cool water with the whole troop. Welcome changes to camp life were also the J+S sports blocks.

The Viking ship

One of the first highlights in Central Switzerland was certainly the christening of the ship followed by a trip on Lake Lungern. Our leaders had converted a Weidling from former army stock into a real Viking ship with benches, mast and a sail. For the children it was a special experience to be on board this ship and to row along with the big ones or to let themselves drift with the wind. Our boat was used the whole week. For the day hike we formed two groups. The first group was allowed to cross Lake Lungern (4 km long) by boat, while the second group hiked along the lake. After a break for a BBQ and a swim, the roles were swapped.

Technical data

• Length: 10 m, width: 1.6 m
• Vessel number: TG 8248
• 8 rudders
• 1 helm at the stern
• Equipped with 12 Viking shields
• Approved for max.12 adults, or 3 children for every 2 adults approved

Mutprobe

Yes, the Jungschärler were a little afraid of the nightly test of courage. Each child was first led to the druid, who asked all sorts of scary questions, and who could even breathe fire. After that, each child was blindfolded and guided through the thicket by two leaders. Slimy things had to be touched, strange noises came closer and closer, wet sponges flew into the faces and finally the children were thrown into a jumping cloth stretched between the trees. But the smiling faces afterwards revealed that it had all been half bad.

Spiritual Concept

Preparation in prayer:

A few weeks before the camp we had the idea to give our parish a toothbrush with the imprint "Jungschar-SOLA". In this way the parishioners were reminded of SOLA every time they brushed their teeth and motivated to pray for our intentions from the prayer letter. We then also gave the children a casual toothbrushli at the camp.

Hot talk - worship and input

Our quiet time - we called it "Hot talk" this time - and the daily inputs were built on each other.

So we started the week in Hot talk with more basic topics like:

• God is holy (1 Chronicles 13)
• the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16)
• God or the emperor (Mark 12:13-17)
• Jesus' love (John 13:35,35)

Towards the end of camp, we looked at Paul's message about the athlete on the track (1 Corinthians 9:24- 27).

On Saturday, we talked about obstacles to discipleship (Luke 9:57-62)

In our service we took through the stilling of the storm, which tied in nicely with the Vikings and their sea voyages.

We illustrated the parable of the servant with the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44,45), the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), and the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28) through engaging plays, and each led into the input.

Evaluation

Most definitely memorable for all were the boat rides and the fancy dare. The theme is suitable for children of all ages

We did not find it easy to implement Viking life 1:1 on the campsite, but were able to give an insight into the theme with thematic focuses (Viking ship, handicrafts, feasts, etc.). Another positive experience from our "Evangelistic Night": We distributed "Reaction Cards" to the larger participants. On these cards the JS-ers could write their personal questions with the name of the leader they would like to talk to.

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• Content and picture: Forum Kind Heft 2/04, Seiten 17 + 18. A Jungschar designed a SOLA on the theme of Vikings, including their own converted ship. The camp program and some highlights are presented. © Copyright www.forum-kind.ch
• Author: Samuel Tanner used to lead the Jungschar Sitterdorf