Welcome Annie!
Adventurous Christians is excited to welcome our new Program Director, Annie Huntington. Annie started at AC this week, and comes to us from Waco, Texas after recently graduating from Baylor University. Annie is passionate about outdoor ministry and even more so about Jesus! Below is a quick Q & A for you to get to know Annie a little bit better.
Get to know Annie:
Hometown: Tough question! I grew up in Providence, RI, lived in Atlanta, GA for 6 years and would most recently call Waco, TX home!
What were you doing before moving to Grand Marias?: Attending Baylor University, where I was in an honors interdisciplinary program studying Theology, English and Philosophy. I love to read – book recommendations are welcome!
What camping experiences do you have prior to working at AC?: I was part of the Baylor Outdoor Adventure Living and Learning Program where I participated in climbing, kayaking and backpacking trips through the Southwest. Some of my favorites have been Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountain, and Paria Canyon! I also spent a summer working for Camp Eagle where I guided white water kayaking trips on the Pecos River. The following summer I lead rafting trips on the Chattahooche River in Georgia with the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Most recently, I guided canoe trips in the Boundary Waters with the Coldwater Foundation, a camp just down the Gunflint from AC.
What led you to apply for this position at Adventurous Christians?: This past summer, I came up to AC to help out and guide for a week. I had been asking prayerfully whether I was called to Outdoor Ministry and felt a certainty on that trip that this is exactly where the Lord wanted me.
What are you looking forward to in this new role?: I am excited to host guests and share how wonderful both the challenge and rest of the outdoors are for growing closer to God!
Tell us an interesting fact about you: I’ve paddled 7 of the major rivers in Texas! The Pecos, Brazos, Nueces, Rio Grande, San Marcos, Frio, and Guadalupe.
Favorite Sports Team: BAYLOR BEARS!!! Sic ‘em
Favorite Restaurant: A little food truck in Austin, TX called Veracruz with the best el Pastor tacos you’ll ever have!
A note from Annie to the CPM community: I’m so grateful to be a part of this community and excited to work with y’all!
Please join us in welcoming Annie and praying for her as she transitions and steps into this new role!
Angie Sampson, the Operations Director at Covenant Pines Bible Camp, recently took a sabbatical. Employees at CPM are eligible for a sabbatical after five years of service. Below are Angie’s reflections on her time.
It’s a quiet snow filled morning on Davis Lake. The lake is frozen. It’s quiet at home and at camp. The Christmas tree is full of lights. Advent season is upon us. Mornings at home like this, Christ seems closer. Stillness and closeness bring Him closer to me.
Four months ago CPM gifted me a four week sabbatical mid August through mid September. Notice that I used the word ‘gifted’. For an organization that sees the need for all those that serve full time to receive this gift is extremely unexpected. Advent Season seems like a perfect time to reflect on the present of this time.
The most asked question leading up to my time away was, “what are you going to do?” I kept finding myself a bit taken aback by the question. Being such a ‘doer’ myself I kept thinking, I feel like I’m being called to not do. To take a break from doing. When you look up the word ‘sabbatical’ there are many definitions and plans but the one that I found most useful and defined my time is this one.
- The rest can be just that, no particular schedule or agenda.
- The renewal part can be some planned activity or experience that you know will be life-giving
In the midst of it I would say that Jesus met me and gave me two major take aways. My hope in sharing is that God has something for you too.
Never Alone
I left for my sabbatical at the tail end of summer youth camp season. How thankful we were to welcome youth campers back to camp for Summer 2021. It brings with it high energy, much joy and fun. Serving at camp is a fast paced fruitful experience. The first day of my sabbatical I drove away on my own for a week long retreat in Tennessee. My van felt quiet. I felt alone but as I left the driveway I was greeted with love and well wishes. Our staff had made signs all down the drive that encouraged me as I left. I felt known, seen and loved. But still the farther away I drove from home and camp the more I wondered what in the world I was doing. As I crossed into Madison, WI out loud I said, “Lord, what I am doing? I feel so alone.” Christ met me in my Honda Odyssey Van. He said, “I am here.”
Jesus and I now go for drives together all the time. I lean over and buckle him in. I look over and we talk about all the things. I have learned to feel his presence in my life more clearly and to ‘see’ him with me in the passenger seat.
PAUSE & PEACE
To continue to feel God’s presence in my life I take at least two times a day to stop, pause, and remember. I give him everything and everyone including me. There are so many great resources to help set this discipline. I’ve been using the Pause App. At set times twice a day I pause, and it helps me remember who has it all and it’s not me!
Taking the time to pause has filled my life with a renewed peace. Hear me say this is not always the case. I’m still learning and growing but a healthy Angie returned from her time away.
Following my 10 days away from home God continued to work in my times of quiet but also in my time with family and friends. Rest, fun, and peace surrounded me. I reconnected with friends outside of camp, hit the State Fair a couple of times, had a couple of over nights away, went to a Twins Game, and continued to rest in God’s presence and fun. How thankful I continue to be for this time and for the fruit! A huge thank you to the CPM Board and the staff at camp for the extra work they did to make this time possible for me!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the holidays approach, we’ve compiled a few things that you could give as Christmas Gifts to the camp lover in your life. Maybe someone you love is heading up to AC for a canoe trip or Covenant Pines Bible Camp holds a special place in their heart – consider these gifts this year!
Covenant Pines Bible Camp:
- Covenant Pines Chapel Print: This print of the handmade collage by Nathan Stromberg Art is the perfect gift for anyone who loves Covenant Pines. The chapel holds so many significant memories and moments, this print is a way for people to cherish those forever. Prints are $100 and $50 of it is a donation to our Next Steps Campaign.
- A week of camp: Maybe you have a grandchild, niece or nephew or neighbor who you know would love to spend a week at Covenant Pines this summer – you can gift them a week of camp! If you are interested in this, email our Camp Office to figure out how we can make this a reality. Many of our churches partner with us to make camp a reality for all students, so speaking to them about this could also be a great idea!
- Money in their camper wallet to buy something at the camp store: Allowing your camper to pick out a sweatshirt or blanket while they are at camp could be a great gift too! Read more about our camper wallet system here.
- Scholarship Donation: Maybe you have that person in your life who has everything they want and need and asks for charitable donations for Christmas. Consider donating to our scholarship fund in their name! This allows for campers to experience Covenant Pines Bible Camp where we can encourage them to take a next step in their Christian faith.
Adventurous Christians:
- Gear for their canoe trip: Do you have someone who is going on an Adventurous Christians Canoe Trip this summer? Consider taking care of a few items off of the Canoe Trip Packing List! Below are some suggestions of gifts!
- Sleeping Bag – remember, there are ones for men and women!
- Rain Gear
- Sleeping Pad
- Fun trail things like playing cards, a head lamp or sunglasses!
- FIKA Coffee Beans: We serve FIKA Coffee Beans at AC…a cup of this coffee of these will instantly put you in the coziness of the lodge at AC! You can order these online on their website!
- Donation to Portage Partners: We are in the midst of our Fall Portage Partner Appeal! Consider donating to AC to improve our winter program equipment in honor of a loved one.
Silver Beach Family Camp:
- A weekend away at Silver Beach this winter or spring: Could your in-laws or parents use a nice weekend getaway at Silver Beach? We have availability this winter and spring for our Lakeside and White Pine Cabins. If you are interested in gifting a stay at one of these cabins, email the Camp Office.
- Memorial Gift: Memorial Gifts in honor of loved ones go towards the construction of a new cabin at Silver Beach!
Covenant Pines Off Site:
- Golf Tournament Participation: Do you have golfers in your family? Consider gifting participation in our 2022 CPM Golf Tournament! This is a great day of golf and fellowship and nothing makes a great foursome like a family of golfers!
You can also give gifts to Pines Ministries by purchasing something off of our Wish List. We are wishing you so much joy this holiday season as we celebrate with our families and anticipate the arrival of our Savior!
Our Director of Marketing and Off Site Ministry at Covenant Pines Ministries, Holly Abramson shares a message about about practicing our value Embrace Healthy Change. This is the sixth and final in a series where we will be sharing how we at CPM live into our six core values.
Embrace healthy change
I have spent seven years full time and 11 total summers working for Covenant Pines, not including the years I attended as a camper and junior staffer – you might say I like the place! Camp is one of those places that people, including myself, have deep, emotional and spiritual connection to, as we often experience pivotal moments in our lives there. This is all a positive thing, of course, but sometimes I have noticed in myself that this deep connection can cause hesitation for change. I tend to want things to stay the same – the way that I experienced them when I was a kid, or a college student on summer staff.
As I have grown as a professional and a leader, I’ve come to realize the important and delicate balance of making changes that improve our ministry and making changes just for the sake of making them. The core value, Embrace Healthy Change at CPM is one that I feel is difficult at times but necessary for a flourishing ministry. This value is one that is ongoing for us to live into, as we process changes all around us – in churches, in students, in culture, etc. Healthy conversations and prayer help us embrace this, along with wise decision making and responses. We’ve recently done this to make a change within CPM that I am happy to share with you today!
When Covenant Pines Ministries rebranded in 2008 we had four ministry centers – Covenant Pines Bible Camp, Adventurous Christians, Silver Beach Family Camp and Covenant Pines Day Camp. For the past few summers, our Covenant Pines Day Camp program has needed some reevaluation and with COVID-19 we put a pause on the program. When I was hired in 2019, my title of Director of Marketing and Off Site Ministry insinuated that I would oversee the Day Camp Program, but also any other ministry events that don’t happen on site at either of our three ministry centers. With our Day Camp Program needing a pause, and my role already being Director of Off Site Ministry, it only made sense to rebrand this ministry center. We are happy at Covenant Pines Ministries to introduce a pivot in our fourth ministry center – Covenant Pines Off Site!
Covenant Pines Off Site includes all ministry and events that happen away from Covenant Pines Bible Camp, Silver Beach Family Camp and Adventurous Christians. You will start to see this new logo pop up on CPM materials and on our website. We’re excited for this fourth ministry center to expand beyond just Day Camps and include other events and opportunities for people involved with CPM.
So, what happens to Day Camp? To be honest, we’re not quite sure yet – we’re still figuring that out. The beauty of Covenant Pines Off Site is that it can include Day Camp in the future if that is something we see as a fit for our ministry. Those conversations will be happening in future, as I’ve got to embrace a healthy change of my own happening in my personal life. My husband Miles and I are welcoming a baby boy into our family sometime in early September! The future of Day Camp and the planning of other exciting Off Site Ministry events will happen when I am back to work sometime in November 🙂
To read our previous value highlights, click below:
Reflect and Cultivate Diversity
The mission at Covenant Pines Ministries is to encourage campers to take a next step in Christian faith. After a summer full of ministry, here are some highlights from each of our ministry centers where our mission is being met!
Covenant Pines Bible Camp:
“While speaking at Covenant Pines during Trailblazer 2, I had one camper come up to me and tell me he accepted Jesus for the first time and it was an incredible feeling! He had talked with his counselor and was just so excited. You could see the joy of Christ just permeate through – I remember the same feeling – knowing the eternity of love and joy for the rest of your life and beyond. Not only was that moment so special, but I heard other conversations with campers saying they wanted to learn all the books of the Bible or talk to their neighbors about God.” – Danny Bjorlin, Trailblazer 2 Speaker.
Adventurous Christians:
After a canoe trip with a youth group, a high schooler reflected on spiritual growth or change that occurred in your life this week – here was their response “I really had to focus on relying on God for strength and it allowed me to really understand how it’s easier to go through life with him.”
Silver Beach Family Camp:
This summer we had an infant baptism at Silver Beach Family Camp. What a beautiful step in the life of this family. We feel honored that this family chose to have their baby baptized at Covenant Pines!
Covenant Pines Off Site
At this year’s golf tournament, one of our sponsors brought along his business partners to golf with him. At the end of the banquet, he came up to the staff and mentioned that one golfer wasn’t a Christian, and this was his first exposure to God, camp, etc. He was eager to learn more about Covenant Pines and getting campers to camp through scholarships!