Covenant News - Covenant Camps Experience Busy Summer

Covenant News

Covenant Camps Experience Busy Summer

CHICAGO, IL (October 28, 2001) - Camps throughout the Evangelical Covenant Church experienced a busy and fruitful summer. Following are some of the highlights of Covenant camps from 10 conferences and one region.

Canada

Covenant Bay Bible Camp in Pigeon Lake, Alberta: Included two junior camps, as well as junior high, senior high and college and career camps. Coinciding with weekly camps was Covenant Bay's second annual day camp that reached neighborhood children. Robin Impey is executive director and program directors included Doug Nelson, Jonathan Rempel and Ailen White. "We had an exciting time," said Nelson. "A lot of very positive things were happening and we had a good staff this year."

Central

Covenant Harbor Bible Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: Had a summer where nearly every camp was filled. Another ministry tool also was added - a skateboard park created near the upper compounds of the camp. It was used extensively by campers, according to youth ministry administrator J.D. Larson. Larson hopes the park will provide ministry opportunities for area youth on a year-round basis. Another friendship evangelism tool at the camp was a weekday day camp attracting 70 kids, most from the Lake Geneva area.
Covenant Point Bible Camp in Iron River, Michigan: Set a record for attendance for the second straight summer with more than 800 participants, said Chrissy Larson, director of outdoor education. More than 100 were part of the camp's largest senior high camp ever as Lon Allison led worship activities as guest speaker. A Fourth of July parade and a trip to a local fireworks show was part of the senior high week. The camp's 75th anniversary celebration was July 7 and a district-wide celebration attracted more than 200. A baptism service and barbecue was part of the event. A Family Camp with guest speaker Dennis Moon of Granby, Connecticut, closed the summer. The third annual triathlon raised more than $8,000 to make the camp more handicapped accessible.

East Coast

Pilgrim Pines Conference Center in West Swanzey, New Hampshire: Had a busy summer with eight sessions. Steve Carter, youth ministries director for Pilgrim Pines, said that 990 kids attended camp at Camp Squanto, which hosts youth camps at Pilgrim Pines. The camp theme, "No Limits," focused on the Prayer of Jabez and highlighted the incredible ways God wants to work in our lives. Carter was blessed by a 37-member summer staff and the generosity of campers who combined to raise $8,600 for a mission work in Chile and one in Russia.

ECCAK

Covenant Bible Camp in Unalakleet: Had a great Trailblazers (grades 3-5) Camp as 10 made decisions for Christ. Another highlight was the Upriver Uplooks Canoe Camp, an event in which campers also recorded a music video.

Great Lakes

Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp in Onekama, Michigan: Prepared for summer camping ministry by having staff counselors read "The Prayer of Jabez," by Bruce Wilkinson. The book focuses much of its lessons on how Christians can ask God to expand their ministry territories and camp staff did so in a most tangible way. High school service staff traveled to Jonesville, Virginia, to help run a junior high camp for Covenant Mountain Mission, said associate director Mark Nelson. "From the beginning, we knew it was going to be a powerful week," Nelson wrote for the Great Lakes Conference quarterly newsletter. "We had a life-changing week down in Virginia. Not just the kids, but God changed our hearts and we were ministered to just as much." At home, most camps were nearly at capacity and Nelson wrote, "On the inside, my heart is full, and I can sit back with assurance that God did what He had promised to do."
Mission Meadows Bible Camp in Dewittville, New York: Tried to challenge teens with a new program called "Faith in Action," and Covenant Mountain Mission proved the beneficiary. In all, nine teens ran a grade school camp for third through fifth graders in Virginia along with two staff members and a youth pastor. Teens were assigned to cabins with just two to three kids in order to allow for deeper relationship-building times. They ran activities, organized chapel services and learned to interact with children in one-on-one settings, providing a useful and practical service to the Virginia camp.
Covenant Mountain Mission in Jonesville, Virginia, received loads of help from Covenant churches and camp staffs during the summer, allowing for a wide range of camping experiences. A total of 13 mission groups, representing seven conferences and Japan, helped provide staffing for camps. There were 169 total campers and 161 mission trip participants at Covenant Mountain Mission, including 17 women from a Covenant Women Ministries Triennial X post-event mission team. Camp speakers Kenton Johnson, Bill Grossi, and Vern Barnett were joined by four Covenant missionaries during the summer and three members of the Wallens Creek Covenant Church served as camp directors.

Midsouth

Frontier Camp in Grapeland, Texas: The 13th annual summer camp focused on "The Encouragers," using daily reminders of different aspects of the spiritual gift. The Midsouth hosted two sessions at the Frontier Camp facility - a camp for kids in grades 7-12 (July 1-7) and those in grades 2-6 (July 29-August 4), according to camp director Dale Lusk. Using I Thessalonians 5:11, the camp began the week with a Monday lesson entitled "Don't Do Dis." To help explain how common sarcasm and disparaging comments were, campers making sarcastic comments were given a piece of paper with a red "X" on it. On Tuesday, "Where Seldom is Heard a Discouraging Word," camp staff focused on how individuals could be encouraging and gave "encouragement pins" as badges of honor for campers we saw encouraging others in words or actions. Those pins were offered at the foot of a cross in an evening worship session. Wednesday and Thursday lessons focused on team encouragement and in encouragement to pray for others. Frontier Camp activities included a high ropes course and mountain biking, along with many water sports. Campers also enjoyed the worship bands at Frontier Camp, said Lusk.

Midwest

Covenant Heights Conference Center in Estes Park, Colorado: Had an increase in summer campers and added two more Covenant youth camps to six, according to executive director Tom Cousineau. A junior camp program called "Pathfinders" proved a positive way for younger children to integrate into camp. A senior high camp was re-introduced to the summer schedule and had a positive turnout. A number of innovations were valuable in making the camp a success. A tent village accommodating 60 children was a new innovation. It is the centerpiece behind a new outdoor education program. Another innovation was an adventure camp, which had 16 weeks of programming. The camp hosted white water rafting, rock climbing and backpacking trips with bases in Michigan and Wyoming. A dining hall built a year ago was a positive aspect of this summer's camp. A new staff home was also built recently and a capital campaign project starts this fall for a new camp chapel. The camp has recently made collaborative efforts with the Covenant Bible College campus in Windsor, Colorado. CBC students aided the camp in building the tent village and the camp will cooperate with the school in a fall mission trip to Juarez, Mexico.
Twin Lakes Christian Center in Manson, Iowa: Received a boost this summer from prayer power as summer program team members enlisted the help of volunteers to pray for Covenant camp sessions. Executive Director Joel Rude said the support was evident. The camp ran grade school, junior high and high school camps for Covenant churches under the theme, "Dive In," which emphasized the need for radical obedience to Christ. Twin Lakes held day camp sessions for two weeks as well. "It was one of the more blessed summers we've had in terms of numbers, spiritual results, and mature leadership of summer staff," said Rude. The camp's multipurpose room is nearing completion for all 13 rooms and a cabin renovation project is in the works for upcoming years.

North Pacific

Cascades Camp and Conference Center in Yelm, Washington: Had 988 youth campers and another 1,316 via family camps, its biggest attendance ever, according to Executive Director Tom Moline. The 845-acre camp added a waterfront toy and 15 cabins are being built (three per year) as part of an overall building project. A capital campaign will begin in 2002 for ongoing projects, including the finishing of the main campus of the conference center. Previous construction projects have been funded at least partially through the sale of timber on a 600-acre tree farm. A camp serving fourth through sixth graders is being created with a railroad theme. Moline said that the extra camp will allow for continuous sessions of junior camps and junior high camps all summer. The camp will continue to be busy this winter. North Park Theological Seminary will attempt a pilot program for training lay ministers and orientation student class work. Cascades hopes to buy another 145 acres of nearby land, according to Moline.

Northwest

Adventurous Christians/Covenant Wilderness Center in Grand Marais, Minnesota: Hosted 35 canoe trips to the boundary waters in northern Minnesota. Most trips lasted five days and included devotions, meals, canoeing, team building exercises and wilderness education. Churches apply for a trip and the camp provides one guide for each group. In the winter, the camp will host retreats for those wishing to snowshoe hike, ice fish or participate in other activities.
Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp in Grand Rapids, Minnesota: Totaled 1,700 participants in summer sessions, including around 800 youth, said Connie Robinson, co-manager of the camp. An overnight trip during senior high week was a successful innovation and the addition of numerous kayaks helped water sports programming for youth. A ropes course will be added next summer when the camp adds an activities director. Many building projects aided the summer of camping, including a new shower facility, guest cabin and a storage shop/shed. A non-denominational organization called Roving Volunteers In Christ's Service (RVICS) will send a group of senior adults to help with other maintenance projects. Robinson said that construction projects were completely paid off, an added encouragement for a positive summer.
Covenant Park Bible Camp in Mahtowa, Minnesota: Hosted eight sessions and 675 campers, according to Megan Mork, administrative assistant at the camp. The theme, "On the Edge," focused on discipling and conveyed how campers could learn to take more risks for Christ as they grew in faith. Todd Slechta, director of Covenant Bible College-Ecuador, was a guest speaker for a senior high camp. Karl Noren, whose parents have been longtime Covenant missionaries in Africa, led morning chapels and other mission activities. Covenant Park worked extensively on grounds improvement, creating a nature area that would eventually serve as an outdoor education center. The recent purchase of a cabin and the renovation of a camp bunkhouse will allow the camp to begin hosting winter retreats.
Covenant Pines in McGregor, Minnesota: Celebrated the dedication of its new dining hall August 18, an event attended by 300. Don Johnson, pastor of Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, Minnesota, spoke at the dedication service. The dining hall project is part of capital campaign project totaling $2 million - $1.7 million has already been raised, said Dave Cairns, associate director of the camp. The dining hall was scheduled to be fully operational in October. Two new cabins and a guesthouse for pastors are two other components of the project and were used this summer. Covenant Pines, which is affiliated with 28 churches in the Twin Cities, had its largest youth attendance of Covenant campers ever, thanks to the addition of a second senior high camp that drew 143 teens. The camp staff had a Covenant Bible College flavor with 10 CBC graduates. The CBC group made a good impression as six non-CBC staff decided to attend one of CBC's three campuses this fall.
Lake Beauty Covenant Bible Camp in Long Prairie, Minnesota: Executive Director Garry Gamble said that the camp had record numbers for youth as the camp explored how to be better voyagers for Christ. An overnight staff retreat in Ontario, Canada, was a positive precursor for the Voyager theme, complete with a midnight Capture the Flag contest. Family camp attendance was also near record numbers, including a record Fourth of July family camp of 500. Lake Beauty added a new adventure program director, Nate Weeks, as a way to bolster camping ministries. Upgraded lighting and a new well were among the construction and renovation projects. Gamble hopes to add an addition for the camp's primary lodge and the camp bought land that will connect the camp to wilderness property it already owns. That access will add to winter activities such as cross country skiing and hiking.

Pacific Southwest

Alpine Covenant Conference Center in Blue Jay, California, finished a summer packed with a variety of camps. Two urban camps, totaling 278 children, brought a host of kids from Los Angeles and San Diego. Those children came free of charge as Alpine helped raise nearly $70,000 to subsidize the visits. The summer's theme was "Patterns," based on Romans 12:2, which focused on emulating the lifestyle of Christ.

Southeast

Southern SEC Summer Bible Camp: A total of 118 campers and counselors participated at the July 9-13 camp. Steve and Marti Burger from the Covenant Department of Christian Formation were the speakers for the senior and junior camps, which included participants from Atlanta to Miami.

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