In one way or another, I have always been connected to summer camps. My first birthday was at Muskoka Woods with my dad as the founder and director. I was a camper at Camp Mini-Yo-We, Ontario Pioneer Camp and Teen Ranch. I was on staff in a variety of roles at Ontario Pioneer Camp and over these last two and half years I have had the privilege to serve as the Executive Director of Camp Kwasind.
Camp ministry is in my blood. It’s my hope, prayer and desire that every young person in Canada would have a chance to have a Christian summer camp experience.
I truly believe that there is no better way in world to introduce young people to Jesus and develop Christian leaders. What one experiences at camp changes them in a way that nothing else will be able to do.
That’s why I saw that Camp Kwasind was uniquely positioned to play a crucial role in the development of CBOQ’s investment into raising up of the next generation of Christ-followers within our churches. It is the vision of this camp, located in beautiful Muskoka on Skeleton Lake, to be a life-changing, safe, affordable and memorable experience. We want to see every camper take one step closer in knowing the person and message of Jesus.
Whether it be through Camp Kwasind or another Christian camp, I hope that each and every child or grandchild you are connected to will be able to have a transformative experience at camp this summer. And so with no further ado, here are:
Five Ways that Camp Changes Your World
Or… Why we should do whatever it takes to ensure every kid gets a chance to go to camp this summer!
- You make lasting friendships.
When you are sharing living quarters, eating together, laughing, creating memories every day and getting to get into God’s Word with others, you create strong bonds of friendship. Many people you meet in childhood will come and go; those who got connected at camp are still connected. Ensuring your child gets a chance to experience camp is setting them up to have friendships in which they will share a unique trust and life experiences together and form many brilliant memories.
- Young people can take a high level of responsibility.
Taking on significant roles at camp teaches leadership, responsibility, servanthood, budgeting, listening, decision-making and problem-solving. Some of the greatest ministry leaders in our country have a camp background. It is no wonder that parents want to ensure their kids experience camp, go through the Leaders-in-Training program and eventually serve on staff–it has a track record of preparing kids and giving them a head start to lead well through life’s challenges and opportunities.
- Camp is a place where you get to try new things.
Without camp, how many of us would have the opportunity to hop in a sailboat, get enough friends together to play Ultimate Frisbee, have adventures tearing through the woods looking for a flag, go down a huge slip and slide, explore the bottom of a lake, learn how to canoe, go on an overnight cookout or have someone a little older see potential in us and give us a chance to lead? Camp is where we can do all these things and more.
- Camp gives a chance to reflect on how amazing life is.
Camp is that place for kids to unplug and appreciate a world that isn’t all made of concrete. It’s a place to see stars at night, leap into lake water, enjoy a crackling campfire and chase frogs. Camp definitely has fun and creative programs, but more than that, it gives each and every child the change to break from the routine of life and have a chance to reflect on the beauty of this world and slow down enough to simply have fun.
- Camp changes lives
Each and every week at camp, young people gain confidence when they accomplish something new. They form life-long friendships that are there for them through thick and thin. They build a depth of character as they see the breadth of God’s love lived out in our staff. At camp a smile appears on a hurting kids’ faces when they are cheered for. Kids feel important because someone older than them listened to their story. Teens choose to follow Jesus because they had a cabin leader serve as a living example of Jesus’ love and grace. But it doesn’t stop there – it is those very campers who lives are transformed. When they go home into their community they live life differently as a result of what they experienced at camp.
I have chosen to develop and shape the future of camp because I believe it is through camp, and the experiences campers have there, that the future will be bright.
Will your kids, grandkids, youth at your church be able to experience camp this summer?
Register today by clicking the link for Camp Kwasind below, or check out some of CBOQ’s other affiliated camps!
