I look forward to each summer camping season even though for several of our camps the season is year round. Camping brings with it the promise of children belonging to a Christian community for the first time. Camping brings with it the opportunity to believe, receive and accept a relationship with the living, forgiving and redeeming Lord Jesus Christ for the first time. Camping also gives children, staff and families alike the context to re-commit to Christ, to re- covenant around a renewed calling to bring out their Christian faith and calling.
Camps are facing incredible challenges financially, infra-structure wise, staffing and in some cases, challenges in attendance. Two of our camps, Pelican Lake in Manitoba and Sylvan on Vancouver Island are on their way to recovering and re-opening. There are many other needs in these challenging times. I have asked each camp to tell us what they wish us to pray for. Here are the responses of those who chosen to reply.
Jeff Dyer, Executive Director of Gull Lake: Our season runs Jun 26-Aug 29. We will have approximately 700 campers aged 5-18. My request for prayer would be a spirit of humility for myself and my staff. God loves us and loves the campers and all will go well if we trust in Him and in Him alone. We will muck it up if we start trusting in our own abilities.
Calley Erickson, Executive Director of Mill Creek: Our camping season is June to August – our specific camp schedule is online at http://www.millcreekcamp.org/MCBC/index.php?page=calendar. Please pray for our staff team, we prepare games, plan sessions, and fix up camp – but what we are really trying to do is love every person who walks unto the camp site. That means we need to learn and receive from God love, patience, grace, and so much more. This we can’t learn or prepare for on our own, we must build rhythms into our lives of trusting and leaning on God. We are in need of camp nurses – please pray that God would provide good people to come and spend a week or more at the camp to help us with all our needs in regards to first aid.
Other camps in Western Canada are:
Keats Camps, B.C.: Executive Director: Greg Duskin; Camp Dates: June 30 – August 31, www.keatscamps.com
The Quest, Saskatchewan: Executive Director: Sean Cruickshanks; Camp Dates: June 28-August 14, www.questnet.ca
Camp Wapiti, Alberta: Program Director: Jeremy Landon; Camp Dates: June 26-August 7, www.campwapiti.ca
Katepwa Baptist Kamp (KBK): Executive Director: Chris Senger; Camp Dates: July 5-August 21,
Thanks be to God for all of them.
Warmly
In Christ,
Jeremy