Silver Lake marks 60th anniversary in 2021
Camp can make such a difference in the life of a camper, even over Zoom. That was the great discovery of the summer of 2020. We were very happy to see so many faces in this online experience! The theme of the summer was “Seek, love, walk,” based on Micah 6:8. Seeking justice, loving mercy…
Camping with a purpose
Last year, Fraser Lake Camp’s cabins, which magically turn groups of kids into little families each summer, went empty. There were no echoes of rambunctious camp songs to rattle across the lake. No one reached the top of the climbing wall to the cheers of their counsellors and fellow campers below. No one shared a…
Many hands make the work doable
At Shekinah we struggle to sit still. When we decided to shut our doors in March 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it not only felt foreign, it also felt wrong. It is much easier to work harder to try to solve a problem than it is to wait, watch and be still. What…
Churches helping camps helping churches
After a week of non-stop activities soundtracked by endless cheering and screaming kids, you might think the staff of Camp Koinonia would sleep in. Instead, every Sunday morning they put on their Birkenstocks and cleanest clothes and head to Whitewater Mennonite Church in nearby Boissevain. Many Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations are involved in Camps with…
Camps ‘pop up’ around Manitoba
Summer Camp 2020 was full of innovations. Almost everything needed adjustments. We held staff Zoom parties in the spring to begin to build the camp community feeling that usually happens naturally at our staff training week. When at camp, staff were outside almost all of the time, eating, meeting and hanging out in large circles…
Focused on the good things
In this year of so many disappointments, it is easy to lose track of the good things. Even when summer camp is cancelled and so many major events are postponed, God brings us joy. This was the year of the remote event, and our annual hike-a-thon was no exception. We ran a physically distanced hike-a-thon…
Lighting a fire in children’s faith
Sitting around the campfire after saying goodbye to our final group of campers on the last night of the summer, the staff spent the evening reflecting on the summer and all that happened. We told stories and laughed about all of the hilarity that ensued over the previous 10 weeks. Sometimes we cried as we…
Living sanctuaries
Every night at Ontario Mennonite Music Camp we sing a closing song around the campfire to send campers off to bed. More often than not, it’s our favourite tune, “Sanctuary”: “O Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true / And with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.”…
A path towards reconciliation
“Now I know what I should have been teaching.” These are the words of a retired history teacher after participating in a Kairos blanket exercise. As a blanket exercise facilitator, I am often struck by the insights of participants, adults and children alike. Three years ago, Willowgrove added the blanket exercise to its program in…
Jeremy Wiens goes to Snow Camp
There are extreme weather warnings throughout the province as the wind chill dips to -40C. Yes, it’s cold, but nothing is going to stop Jeremy Wiens from going to Mennonite Church Alberta’s Snow Camp, held this year from Jan. 10 to 12 at Camp Valaqua in Water Valley. Long johns. Check! Shoes and boots. Check!…
