Adult leaders say those are some of the questions campers have been asking during small groups sessions of the Conference Council on Ministries Summer Camp program, which began June 7 and ends Aug. 7.

The camp’s curriculum, themed CY?, strives to answer those kinds of questions and help kids see why their faith matters in their everyday lives.

Written by three people in the conference who work with children and youth, the curriculum is tailored for each of the camp’s age groups — senior high, mid-high and children. A program development team created fun activities that illustrate the curriculum’s messages in tangible ways. And each day’s small group discussion and activities focus on a specific theme.

CY You Are Here, CY God Cares and CY God Forgives are three of the daily themes.

Each session builds on the previous one, leading to a service where campers may sign a card committing their life to Christ, according to Conference Council on Ministries (CCOM) staff member Carol Sue Hutchinson, who coordinates the camping program with Mike Standifer, also on the CCOM staff.

"The goal…is commitment," Standifer added, "but it’s also to have kids come to a place where they have fun, are loved and encounter God in a new way."

He says another goal is to help campers handle going home after having a "mountain-top experience."

"Being at camp is easy. You’re around lots of Christians," he said. "How do you continue [after camp] to live your faith?"

Both say sessions focusing on sin and forgiveness have generated the most discussion among campers.

Team member Amanda Parrish, a recent high school graduate and member of North United Methodist Church in Sarasota, said a video of movie clips that show people risking their lives for others and ending with scenes portraying the crucifixion of Christ has made the biggest impact on the children’s campers.

"They kept talking about the video. They couldn’t believe those things were done to Jesus. It got a lot of them to realize it did happen," she said. "They couldn’t figure out why God would forgive them."

Warren Willis, a University of Florida student and member of First United Methodist Church in Lakeland who has been a camp team member and leader for four years, says he doesn’t believe many of the campers have seen Jesus’ life presented in such a tangible way.

"The video clip shows…stuff from Jesus’ life…the man, having emotions and relating to people," he said.

Some of the campers’ questions about sin and forgiveness related to suicide.

Donna Barnes, an adult leader from First United Methodist Church, Hobe Sound, said youth in her senior high group "had a hard time with the fact that God would forgive them when they died if they were bad all their lives."

Karen Woodard from Anona United Methodist Church in Largo said the opinions in her mid-high group were mixed.

One girl said that if you accepted God before you died you were already forgiven. Others said, "If you die [commit suicide], how can you ask for forgiveness."

"There’s been a discussion of ideas, but we don’t always come up with the answers," Woodard said. "The next day can lead us to help them understand."

A commitment service held at the end of the week helps tie together the week’s messages.

"There’s a lot of people in the world who believe Jesus Christ was a great man, but don’t believe he died on the cross for us," said Maisie Harstfield, the children’s curriculum writer and a member of Van Dyke United Methodist Church in Tampa, during a recent children’s commitment service.

"If we believe in our hearts that he died on the cross to save us from our sins, then we will have eternal life in heaven with God."