I was kind of forced to come here by my dad—I was so scared—but now I realize that I was supposed to come. I feel closer to God right now than I ever felt in my life.  — a Dor Segulah camper.

Several UMJC-related congregations are involved in regional youth camps that promote Messianic Jewish vision and values among out young people, including including Camp Dor Segulah in Southern California, and Or L'Dor in the northeast. Here's a report on Camp Or L'Dor, from Diane Cohen, president of Ruach Israel, Needham, MA:

Camp Or L'Dor was held August 8-15 at Surprise Lake Camp (SLC), the oldest continually running Jewish camp in the U.S. The schedule included kayaking, paintball, and an overnight backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains in addition to the onsite activities of high ropes courses, Gaga (Israeli dodgeball), hiking, campfires, daily shachrit services, and general camp fun.

The week was a treasure of experiences between our staff and our teens interfacing with the staff and teens at SLC. The dialogue was transformative as our Jewish brothers and sisters learned what Messianic Judaism is. Their staff and rabbi attended our services and we theirs; we even led a couple songs for their Kabbalat Shabbat services and Yoshi, one of our bunk counselors, led opening prayers for one of their Shabbat morning services.  As their assistant camp director said, "Conversation leads to understanding," and it did!

So many of these types of events occurred. So many dialogues. But the story of our teens, that's beyond words.

These young people were so amazing. We leaders could palpably see HaShem molding them each day, growing them into loving testimonies of our Abba, our Yeshua. They would share their experiences of how they had drawn closer to HaShem as they shared around the campfires, or under the willow tree.

One quiet evening, under the stars by the lake, almost every teen went into the center of the circle to talk about how God had been in their lives that week, or whatever they felt was on their hearts. There is no question the arduous overnight hike in the Catskills had created a closeness not only to each other, but also, a deeper understanding of our Creator.

Plans are already in the works for 2011 Camp Or L'Dor.

Camp Dor Segulah was held over Labor Day weekend in Southern California, with nearly 40 youth and young volunteers, plus Jesse and Janet Hutcher from Ayts Chayim, Boca Raton, Florida, UMJC Executive Director Russ Resnik as visiting rabbi, all under the leadership of Rabbi Robert and Yesenia Bloch. Like Or L'Dor, Dor Segulah brought together outdoor fun, Jewish tradition, and the presence of Messiah Yeshua into a powerful experience for young people.