“Four year old Annika wanted to do the zip line at the top of the climbing wall. We all watched in awe as this little girl scaled a huge wall to fulfill her dream. No one pointed out the times she was pulled by the rope instead of her own arms. No one told her to hurry up when she had to pause to find her brave. This group celebrated her first step and cheered each of her victories along the way. They affirmed her strength when she wasn’t sure she could go on. They patiently encouraged her when she felt stuck. And when she finally took that leap off the platform? They celebrated as much as if they had been the ones to achieve their dream. What a picture of community. This is what church can be. Our kids are often our teachers. They inspire us through what they do. They pull us to be our best selves as we watch them.”
~First All-Church Retreat, Genesis Covenant Church
As summer wraps up Retreat Season comes in full swing for us here at Covenant Pines Bible Camp. Retreat season brings a big variety of rental groups here to camp. From first time All-church Retreats like we just experience with Genesis Covenant Church, a year old church plant in the Twin Cities, to confirmation groups like Church of Epiphany a Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and mid-week Sabbath Retreats for Pastors in the Covenant Conference. Each one different, all planned by God to be here and we couldn’t be more grateful and blessed to host them.
Eric Duffy, High School Youth Minister at The Church of the Epiphany, had this to say about his Confirmation Retreats at Covenant Pines Bible Camp.
“For many of us youth ministers, high school teens in our programs spend on average one hour a week in church. For even the slightly more engaged teen it may be an extra hour at most a week (not including school holidays and sports events). In a given school year, when you take out school holidays and everything, that is roughly only about 20 hours, give or take, where they spend time praying, or even just thinking about Jesus.
At the Church of the Epiphany we have recognized that 20 hours in a given school year does not stack up against the multitude of hours spent elsewhere. So we have based all that we do around the amazing experience that is retreats. On a retreat, the average teen will spend more time, praying, thinking, and discussing their Faith and the eternity that they should seek then they will at everything else we do with them all year. Retreats, especially weekend retreats, are integral to the formation of Catholic Christians. The great multitude of things that come with the retreats, the planning, expenses, set up and teardown, make many Churches shy away from that type of commitment. Covenant Pines Bible Camp has made it affordable, fun, and easy for our volunteers and staff to spend a beautiful time away from the hectic city life and to truly center our hearts on Him.”
In this Retreat Season, as we enter into November, we deeply desire to express our thankfulness for this area of our ministry. Gratitude for those that have come and the honor it is to serve them. Thankfulness for all that God has planned for those that have already set this time aside to come to camp and for the continued plans He has to grow and expand this area of our ministry. Consider using Covenant Pines Ministries for your next retreat.
Whether it’s your small group spending a weekend in our new Lakeside Cabins at Silver Beach (pictured right), a group of students from your school or sports team coming up for a mid-week winter getaway, the leadership in your church retreating in White Pine to plan what God is bubbling up in your church, or an All-church Retreat this spring as a way build up your community in this beautiful place. We would love to have you here!
– Angie Sampson, Guest Services and Silver Beach Director
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT ALL RETREAT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COVENANT PINES MINISTRIES
We had an incredible MEA Fall Retreat this past October – and for that I am truly thankful. I am thankful for the number of students who took their fall break and decided to invest in their faith.
This year, we had 108 students at our Junior High Retreat, and 200 at our Senior High Retreat. These students gave up hanging out with their friends at home, extra sleep, Friday night football games and college visits to spend intentional time with God.
I am also thankful for the messages brought by our awesome speaker, Tim Ciccone. Tim is the Director of Youth Ministry for the Evangelical Covenant Church. It was a true blessing to have someone with his experience and energy bring truth to our students. Lives were changed and decisions were made because Tim listened to the Lord, and spoke the words He had put on his heart.
Finally, I am extremely thankful for the relationships and partnerships that continue to build with our owner churches. Since my time as Program Director here at CPBC, it has been a deep desire of mine to build stronger partnerships with our owner churches, in hopes to make the bridge between church and camp more accessible for students. 
The MEA Retreat this fall was such a big step toward true partnership. Seven of our Twin Cities Churches used MEA as their Youth Group’s Fall Retreat, all of which sent their youth pastor and several youth volunteers up for the weekend. It was great to be able to serve youth pastors in this way, as well as encouraging to relationships build with our churches.
God did amazing things over our MEA Fall Retreat. I am truly thankful! Check out the highlight video below and see you all again next year!
~Holly Larson, Program Director
We’ve decided on a theme for summer camps in 2016! Our theme is called “Lighthouse” and our theme verse is Psalm 43:3.
“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!”
We’ll be focusing on how our God can always be trusted to lead us. The oceans of our lives are sometimes dark and dangerous. But no matter how bad it gets, God will always be there, leading us. Lighthouses are powerful and immovable. They’re never going to lead you astray. The are always guiding you toward safe harbor. They can be trusted. Just like our God. He is constant. He’s not going to lead you right one day and wrong the next. His way is always right. And He’s always guiding us to Himself.
We’re looking forward to a great summer! Registration will be open on January 1st!
Below are the clues that we released leading up to the 2016 Theme Reveal.
CLUE #1 (Released on 10/2/15)
“Slippery Salamanders Slide so Slickly Sometimes!”
HINT:
- “S” is the letter of alliteration in the phrase above.
- If A=1 and B=2 and so on, then S=?
- If Genesis=1, Exodus=2, and so on…then S=?=what book of the Bible?
CLUE #2 (Released on 10/8/15)
“Lumos” (and picture to the right)
CLUE #3 (Released on 10/13/15)
What do these musical artists have in common? (HINT: click the links)
CLUE #4 (Released on 10/17/15)
47.2000°, 91.3669°
My name is Katie and as the Day Camp Assistant this summer, I experienced all the joys of Covenant Pines Day Camp. From the Monday game show to the Thursday tie-dye, the Day Camp schedule became everyday life. Flexibility and trusting the Lord got us all through the programing and reality of Day Camp each week. But one thing always remained the same. In the mornings, between offering and the Bible lesson, a pair of intriguing characters appeared on stage; Sweet old Granny Smith and the antagonizing Miss Led.
For some reason, the campers always believed that I looked like or even was Granny Smith. (Impossible) Apparently, we always had the same hair and shoes. Well, the truth shall set you free, right? So, yes, I admit that I did play Granny Smith. (But you didn’t hear it from me)
The point of the skit is to get the kids to be more involved and see, maybe in a realistic way, how the Bible lesson fits in real life. Granny Smith took in Miss Led and taught her the fruits of the Spirit, while partaking in the “big harvest”.
As much fun as it was to be on stage being goofy and talking in a weird high-pitched (sometimes Minnesotan, sometimes who knows where) accent, I fully enjoyed becoming someone who had mature faith. She wasn’t afraid to share the Gospel and bring Jesus into daily conversations, even with strangers. Granny Smith wasn’t only ready for harvesting apples; she was ready to plant seeds in people through the Spirit.
“You know who else is kind? Jesus.” –Granny Smith
I want to be a “Granny Smith.” She has taught me that in order to point people to the truth I need to know the love that set me free. Live into the love that is unconditional, unfailing and unchanging for all. Because you never know when a Miss Led will come walking into your Orchard.
-Much love, Katie
As summer comes to a close and Autumn bears down upon us, we on staff find ourselves in a whirlwind of transition. The whirlwind is one of goodbyes, hellos, laughter, tears, prayers and praises. We’re saying goodbye to the summer staff and reflecting on the amazing things God has done over the summer. But we’re also looking ahead to the exciting things God has in store for the Fall & Winter season.
My favorite part about working at Covenant Pines all year is that there’s always something to look forward to. My first Fall season here was interesting. I had developed a love for Youth Camp, but I was staring at a long season of Adult & Family ministry. Knowing that my passion level for this ministry was not as high as it was for youth, I prayed that God would teach me to delight in all of the different types of ministries we have. And, in classic God fashion, He answered my prayer.
It was amazing to see what God does through our retreats. As I’ve stated before, my favorite thing about my job is hearing people’s stories. And that is what God used to make me fall in love with Adult & Family ministry. Below are just a few of my favorite stories from the past few years.
- The woman who came up just to relax and be creative at our Quilter’s Retreat, but ended up receiving much-needed encouragement and prayer for healing in her family.
- The Pastor who came to Men’s Retreat and saw guys from his church open up and be vulnerable in a way they never had before.
- The wife/mom who almost didn’t come to Women’s Retreat, but knew that she needed a refill in her spiritual bucket and ended up hearing God loud and clear through the speaker.
If you’re reading this I encourage you to attend one of our retreats. I believe that getting away to refresh is not just a nice idea. I believe that it’s a necessity. Just like regular maintenance on your car or remembering to shut down your computer once in awhile, we need to be proactive about our rest and time with God. Don’t wait until there’s a major engine failure in your walk with God before you look for a spiritual mechanic. Give yourself a weekend to hang out with your Creator. Spend some time doing regular maintenance on your soul. Can you only do that at Covenant Pines? Certainly not. But we’re dedicated to creating a space where experiencing the love and care of Christ is easy and meaningful.
Visit our retreats page today and we hope to see you up here this fall.