It’s that time of year. Snow is on the ground. Plows are on the road. New boots are breaking in. Ice is inching its way over the 10,000 lakes. Christmas carols are sneakily sung while the signer is scolded for their premature cheer. Tis the season for Thanksgiving. It’s important for all of us to look back and be thankful for what God has done for us. The staff here at CPBC want to do just that and let you know how thankful we are.
We’re thankful for the campers and volunteers that came to our first ever Trailblazer Retreat! It was one of our colder weekends, but they came up and had a blast! We’re thankful for all the creative brains that made it to our Quilt & Craft Retreat. All the dads who brought their kids to the Father Child Retreat give us reason to be grateful as well.
Almost every single weekend during the non-summer months, camp is filled with the energy and joy of churches, families, youth groups, men’s groups, and women’s groups that rent out our facilities for their retreats. We are so thankful for the friendships we’ve formed with these guest groups.
We are thankful for everyone who made this last summer possible. First, we thank the volunteers. This place would not run without the people who give to camp with their talents and their time. Plymouth Covenant Church spends an entire weekend up here every May helping to get camp ready for the summer. The very next weekend, people from all of our Covenant Churches continue where Plymouth left off and put the final touches on our grounds and facilities. By the time those first busses roll up, the campers step out and see a camp that is welcoming and beautiful. That’s because of all of you who attend our Work & Worship Retreat. Thank you all for coming up here to do those dirty jobs that need to get done.
We thank every pastor, leader, and administrator who helped tell the youth in their church about summer camp. Whether you hung up a poster, stuffed brochures into mailboxes, or prayed for a student, you helped change lives this summer. To every parent who trusted us with the physical and spiritual well being of their child, thank you. To every grandparent, uncle, or older sibling that helped pay the way to camp for a loved one, thank you. To all of the donors who gave even one dollar to the $17,000 raised for camper scholarships, thank you. To all of the nurses who spent a week or more putting band-aids on scrapes, managing hundreds of medications, and staying up late with homesick campers, thank you.
And of course, we are thankful for the 45 young adults that make up our summer staff. These guys and gals choose to spend their summer at camp, where they work well over 100 hours per week, lose their voices from talking over the chaos, wear out their backs from piggy back rides, get chewed up by mosquitoes, and are forced to discover a new standard for personal hygiene. They do all this because they want to see kids come to know and follow Jesus Christ as their savior. They are “the cream of the crop” as our boss, Bruce, would say. To the 2014 Summer Staff, thank you.
There are volunteers who come here throughout the year to help us with construction, maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and doing dishes. If you’re one of those people, you know you are. Your fingerprints are all over Covenant Pines and you are a big part of what God is doing here. We are so appreciative of your service and grateful for your friendship.
Finally, we are thankful for our Executive Director, Bruce Peterson. Bruce’s wisdom and leadership have guided campers and staff for almost 38 years. He has influenced thousands. Countless people made life-changing decisions at camp under his direction. Bruce would be the first to say “it’s not about me.” He would point to God’s grace and strength that pulled him through every day of ministry. It’s precisely that attitude that has made him so influential. His humility, his teaching spirit, and his willingness to step into people’s lives have made him a good boss, a respected mentor, and a caring friend to so many. No amount of words, parties, or gifts could ever fully express the gratitude of all who have been touched by Bruce’s leadership. Thank you, Bruce.
