Summer Staff Highlight: Tessa Coon
Name: Tessa Coon (Camp Name: Indie)
Where are you now: I just spent the last six months getting the opportunity to work with the Children’s Ministry Program at Mount Hermon and actually just found out I will be one of the Children’s Ministry Interns at Mount Hermon for the 2019–2020 year!
Years and roles at Mount Hermon: My first summer I was a Counselor at Redwood Camp back in 2015. From there, I continued to volunteer for the weekend retreats until God decided to call me back to work as a Counselor at Day Camp in 2018.
Where you’ll be this summer: I will be an Assistant Lead at Day Camp and will then follow that with a year of internship.
How has God connected your heart with camp ministry? If you had told me five years ago that I would be working in ministry, I would have laughed. I grew up with parents who were youth pastors, and it just never seemed like something I wanted to do. Fast forward to now, and boy has God changed my life… for the better. Working at Redwood in 2015 was one of the hardest summers of my life, but it really sparked the fire in me to continue along a career path where I could work with children and teach them about God. Day Camp 2018 was one of the most rewarding summers of my life, and it was the fan on the flame of my desire to not only work in ministry, but camp ministry specifically.
Seeing the work that God does in such a short time at camp is the most awe-inspiring thing. I have begun to see the exciting, hard, and rewarding work that goes into a weekend or week at camp. We are truly creating a space for people to come and open their hearts and minds to the power our God has to transform our lives. This is what I’m passionate for and how I want to spend my life, teaching kids about the transformative power of God in a carefree and fun environment.
What are you most looking forward to this summer? I am most looking forward to seeing all the campers I am familiar with and continuing to walk with them and help guide them on the path God has laid before them. I am also just so excited to welcome in a group of new campers and show them what it means to be made new in God and how fun it can be to learn about Him and follow His path. Additionally, as the only female Assistant Lead at Day Camp this summer, I am so looking forward to walking beside a group of amazing ladies who have felt it in their heart to minister to children at Mount Hermon and help them realize the gifts God has given them.
How can we pray for you? My prayer request is for discernment and guidance in leading the staff at Day Camp; for God to continue building my skills and passion for ministry and open my mind and heart to the growth that will come in the next year; and for God to speak through the Mount Hermon staff and bring us peace in knowing that He has gone before us, and He has plans for us that none of us could imagine.
