Date: January 22, 2026
I am acutely aware that this is my last academic year serving on the VTS faculty and senior administration. There are moments that feels ordinary but increasingly the ordinary is becoming significant as I log a growing list of “lasts.” In response, I am determined to be faithfully present to my students and campus life, and that commitment only becomes more urgent with the hourly news of human greed and cruelty penetrating civil society.
Teaching a January intensive on Camps, Conferences, and Retreats was an opportunity for 23 people to (re)examine Christian community and how we are formed or malformed by it. How can we model and teach practices of hospitality, respect, wonder, curiosity, openness, and creativity that reveal the mystery of God? How can people of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, languages, abilities, genders, and religious identities encounter the living Christ through intentional programs that invite transformation, hope, and healing? How can camps inspire us to care for all of creation?
Research shows that healthy Christian camps, conferences, and retreats provide immersive communal experiences that teach life skills, build intergenerational relationships, and grow lasting faith. For five days our class was its own intentional community, with laughter, prayer, deep learning, and of course snacks! It was a microcosm of what is possible even in the midst of chaos. I am profoundly grateful to teach at VTS.
Lisa Kimball, Ph.D.
James Maxwell Professor of Lifelong Christian Formation
Vice President of Lifelong Learning