Looking back at summer camp: an overview

Camp Bob, British Columbia

The days are lengthening, the leaves turning colour and falling. Summer camp seems a long time ago. Yet for hundreds of kids and their counsellors and leaders, camp remains a vivid memory. It’s a good time to look back, with gratitude, for God’s blessings through the camping ministries of Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada.

In many ways, camping is similar across the country. It has become more sophisticated, is often run using business models, and must be endlessly inventive. (As, for example, in introducing rocketry at Redberry this year, which was “a blast!” according to director Wendell Andres.)

But the basics remain the same. Camping features Nature with a capital N, in the refreshment of water and trees and maybe mountains or horses. It features Recreation, involving challenge and creativity and high energy in a wide range of activities from kayaking to biking to climbing to whittling. It features People, hundreds of them – dedicated staff, eager campers – with a goal to grow relationships. And, it features God.

Camp Bob, British Columbia

Spiritual ministry, in fact, is the bottom line of Christian camping. We do it “for the purpose of introducing kids to God’s love,” says Richard Friesen, program director at Pines Bible Camp, Grand Forks, B.C.

Simonhouse Bible Camp, Manitoba

We do it “because of the passion to see lives influenced and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit of God,” says Barry Falk, director of Camp Bob, Black Creek, B.C.

An overview of MB camps in Canada (along with statistics, where we received them) begins with our most easterly camp, Camp Peniel at St. Laurent, Que. Owned by the Quebec MB Conference, Camp Peniel serves as a summer camp and year-round retreat centre.

Moving westward, we stop at Camp Crossroads, at Torrance, Ont. in the beautiful Muskokas. This camp had 1,266 campers this summer, 43 percent of them from MB homes.

In Manitoba, we drive north to Simonhouse Bible Camp in the Grass River Provincial Park, serving Manitoba’s northern MB churches. This year, enrollment totalled 483 campers.

There are two MB camps in Saskatchewan. The southern churches own and operate West Bank Bible Camp near Swift Current and the northern churches operate Redberry Bible Camp in the Blaine Lake area. Attendance at Redberry this summer was 1063.

Camp Evergreen, Alberta’s camp, is set in the foothills of the Rockies. This year the camp had 706 campers, including 220 unchurched children and youth.

Camp Bob, British Columbia

In B.C., Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre, overlooking Cultus Lake, is a rapidly expanding facility. Attendance this year was 1,773.

Gardom Lake Bible Camp, British Columbia

Gardom Lake Bible Camp, south of Salmon Arm, B.C., hosted 875 campers this summer. Due to the dry, hot Okanagan weather causing a fire ban, the camp missed their evening campfires, but, says program director Leanne Johnston, “meaningful fires were lit in kids who gave their hearts to the Lord.”

Pines Bible Camp at Grand Forks, B.C. is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Attendance was 619, with 42 percent from non-churched homes.

A ministry of Black Creek MB Church on Vancouver Island that’s developing a partnership with the B.C. MB Conference, Camp Bob is a wilderness camp at Roberts Lake. It hosted some 350 campers this summer.

Behind these names and numbers are many, many stories. The ones that follow are simply small representative glimpses of what happened at our camps this summer.

Pines Bible Camp, British Columbia

“Incredible things”: the story of one camper and his mother

Trevor Berg

Keith (name changed) has been coming to Camp Evergreen for four years. He’s one of those kids who have struggled with peer pressure all his life. By 14 he was involved in a gang, and experimented with alcohol and sex.

He came to camp every year and his mother would notice a change in him. Last year, he gave his life over to Christ. At the closing program, his mother spoke with the program director about how to connect Keith with a church. He started attending church and youth events regularly.

Later in the year, Keith’s mother decided this wasn’t only for Keith, but also for her. She began attending church and then gave her life to Christ and was baptized. Keith still struggled with peer pressure but returned to camp this year ready to make some changes. He came as part of a two-week program and then was willing to stay on as a volunteer afterwards. He worked hard and is very committed to living out his decisions at home this year. He’s made some practical changes in his life to deal with peer pressure differently.

God has done incredible things in Keith’s life through camp, and through him, has also changed the life of Keith’s mother.

Trevor Berg is program director of Camp Evergreen, Sundre, Alta.

Camp Bob, British Columbia

One time I was working at the top of the 60-foot zip line. And 60 feet is really high up. I wasn’t too nervous but every camper that came up sure was, yet all of them did it. Now this one guy, D——, who was about 10 yeas old, was really nervous. And I was talking to him about how Satan gives us our fear and we’ve just got to trust God. Then he told me that he had just accepted Jesus as his Saviour that day and he really wanted to jump. So he did. And it was rad.

—“Skittles” (Megan Stewart)

Camp Bob, British Columbia

I had this one camper who was getting upset at a few other guys in another cabin during our overnighter together. I was contemplating so hard how I should solve this problem. Should I get the other counsellor to talk to that kid? Should I go talk to that kid myself and tell him to smarten up? Should I let it go? So my camper said, “Ughh, I’m so mad I’m going to go pray about this!” “YES! That’s what we should do!” So we did that and by talking to God, his anger subsided. It’s amazing to see God in young kids.

—“Mashtopato” (Danny Tourville)

Simonhouse Bible Camp, Manitoba

This is my fourth summer as staff, and one of my favourite things is watching campers grow from year to year. This summer I had two campers who were in my cabin two years ago. Then, they were fun and well-behaved but seemed to snooze through chapel and devotions. This summer, they caught on to the idea of really living for God and re-dedicated their lives to Christ.

—“Radish” (Rachel Plett)