Everyone has his or her most important season. You decide whether it’s Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, your graduation, a new baby, retirement… hard to decide isn’t it? One of the most important things we do as a denomination is residential summer camping. That’s a big phrase for an even more impressive list;
“We always remember WAPITI in the Peace Country because of it’s strong associations with our churches.”
Why are camps such an important season for us? Why do I keep mentioning them? Why will this author never let up?
Camps, as many of you know, play a huge part in my family story. My grandfather, Percy Eyers began taking poor urban boys from London England to the countryside (he was aided by my grandmother Ivy and my mother Elizabeth) over 70 years ago. My wife Kerry and I came to faith at camps, she at Pioneer Pacific and me at Gull Lake. Our children Jessica (23) and Andrew (21) have held senior leadership positions at Keats Camps in BC and have had their faith very much formed by the experience.
Camps form faith in the lives of all they touch.
Camps plant the seed of faith, see it take root and participate in its maturing.
Camps serve the church in training young leaders, encouraging the church to have a vision for children and youth.
Far more people come to faith before the age of 20 than after that age.
Camps build community, amongst those at camp and after it ends.
We have upwards of 4300 residential camping spots in Western Canada.
Our churches also support many other camping endeavours run by fine organizations like InterVarsity and Young Life.
We are hoping to double our residential camping capacity over the next five years.
We have begun an urban camping (non-residential) INITIATIVE with a goal of 1,000 new children attending camp by the end of 2006. So far, 8 churches are involved in this pilot program.
Here are this year’s camps, addresses, phone numbers, directors and senior staff members that you can pray for (and send care packages to if you want, write me at jbell@buwc.ca for ideas), dates and also find the urban camping staff names too.
What an exciting next 6 months this will be!
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy Bell
Gull Lake
Executive Director – Jeff Dyer
PD – Todd McLaren
Maintenance Manager – Shawn Lukat
Food Services Director – Mark Willerth
Office Manager – Sue Fisher
Address: RR #3 Lacombe, AB T4L 2N3
Phone # Office: 403-782-2495
Email: info@gulllakecamp.net
Web Site: www.gulllakecamp.net
Mill Creek
Director – Calley Erickson
Program – Carrie Erickson
Alison Kind – PRISM Director
Erin Wilke – Support Staff Co-ordinator
Address: Box 132 Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0
Phone #: 403-627-4400
email: info@millcreekcamp.org
Website: www.millcreekcamp.org
Camp Wapiti
Director – Darren Andres
PD – Caleb Penner
Address: McLaurin Baptist Church 10315-114 Ave, Grand Prairie, AB T8V 1X2
Phone # Office: 780-532-2823
Fax #: 780-532-2821
Email: campwapiti@hotmail.com
Website: www.campwapiti.ca
Keats Camp
Director – Kirk Potter
PD – Warren Penner
Commodore – Erin Dexter
Leadership Training Director – Jon Rimer, Thea Marlette,
Leadership – Andrew Bell, Beth Cowie
Waterfront Director – Mark Tessaro
Yeoman – Becca Robertson
Staff Support – Elise Hartin, Jason Froese
Assistant to the Directors– Sydney Walker
Address: 234 Brooksbank Ave. North Vancouver, BC V7J 2C1
Phone # Office: 604-980-6799
Phone # Summer: 604-886-7612
Email: info@keatscamps.com
Web Site: www.keatscamps.com
Sylvan Acres
Directors – Pat Macdonald and Adam Richards
Address: General Delivery, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0
Phone # Office: n/a
Phone # Summer: n/a
Email: info@sylvanacres.org
Web Site: www.sylvanacres.org
Pelican Lake Baptist Camp
Program Directors: Fraser and Sharalee Randall
Senior Counsellors: Bryan Wenham, Krista Wenham, J.C. Ulrich, Andrea Nelson
Board Chair / Kitchen Co-ordinator: Darrell Hart
Address Camp: Box 95, Ninette, MB R0K 1R0
Address Home: 2 McCallum Cres., Winnipeg, MB, R3R 2S6
Phone # Home: 204-831-9724
Phone # Camp: 204-528-3246
Email: camp@plbc.ca
Website: www.plbc.ca
The Quest at Christopher Lake Baptist Camp and Retreat Centre
Interim Managing Director/Site Manager: Jeff George
Program Director/Administrative Assistant Robin Peters
Mailing Address
1351 28th St East
Prince Albert, SK
S6V 6T4
Phone – (306) 764-5869
Fax – (306) 763-1674
Email: info@questnet.ca
Web Site: www.questnet.ca
Lake Address
Box 314
Christopher Lake, SK
S0J 0N0
Katepwa Baptist
Board Chairman: Neil Sundeen
Program Director: Chris Senger
Head Male: Dwayne Johnson
Head Female: Rebecca Haugan
Senior Staff: Bryan Belous, Neil Adolf, John Maley, Julie Krause, Karen Smith, Jenn Brace, Haley Johnson
Junior Staff: Graeme Brace, David Nelson, Ben Johnson, Alicia Sundeen, Jenna-Lee Mielke, Kelly Josephson, Kristian Belous
LAT Director: Stephanie Greenway
Assistant LAT Director: Jeremy Sundeen
Lifeguard: Scott Milton
Address: Box 37, Fort Qu’Appelle, SK S0G 1S0
Phone # Office: 306-332-4727
Phone # Home: 306-332-2888
Web Site: www.kbk.ca