‘Dancing Through the Decades’
by Robert Mitchell
The Salvation Army in Asbury Park, N.J., recently put its best foot forward by holding a successful dance camp, which drew children and families from the community—and many visited the church for the first time.
Olivia Renkel, the arts and special events director for The Salvation Army’s New Jersey Division, said about 30 children attended the July 16–19 camp and while about half came from the corps, the others had never been in the building before.
“One of the purposes of this program was to hopefully invite new families to the church so they can see what programs we do during the year and also to find a church home if they don’t already have one,” Renkel said.
Major Cat Lyle, the corps officer in Asbury Park, said social media was used to attract families.
“We’re hoping those families will cross over into our fall music and arts academy,” Lyle said.
Renkel said she has held similar one-week summer arts/Bible camps the last three years in Kearny, Perth Amboy, Ocean County, Flemington, New Brunswick, Red Bank, Trenton, and Newark. It’s called NJ Arts on Tour and this year’s theme in Asbury Park was “Dancing Through the Decades” with an emphasis on a variety of dance forms, including jazz, hip-hop, disco, and many more.
The corps partnered with Dancers Embrace, a mother-daughter team, for the camp, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
Dancers attended a devotion the first hour, Renkel said, before breaking up into classes and workshops to learn Christian songs and dance moves in preparation for a finale, held Sunday, July 21, during the church’s holiness meeting.
“They learned a different Bible story every day that they can apply to their own lives,” Renkel said. “Everything is centered around Jesus and learning how to use the gifts and talents that Jesus has given us with others.”
Lyle said the corps combined Renkel’s dance camp curriculum with a Vacation Bible School, which used the Orange Curriculum’s “Start the Party.”
Renkel, who sings with the popular Salvation Army contemporary worship band Unbound, is in step with The Salvation Army’s mission when it comes to the arts. A former member of the USA Eastern Territory’s Move Dance Co., she has taught at the Territorial Arts Ministry (TAM) Conservatory and sung at the Pier Ministry during the Old Orchard Beach Camp Meetings in Maine.
“The whole purpose of this dance camp week, and also the NJ Arts on Tour program, is to reach out into the communities that we serve to hopefully bring new families and kids and people to the church,” Renkel said. “It’s a great outreach opportunity. This dance camp was a great example of that.
“Connections were made that Sunday morning so that the families could feel welcomed and invited back to all the programs the corps has during the week.”
For more about The Salvation Army in Asbury Park, N.J., go to: easternusa.salvationarmy.org/new-jersey/asbury-park
