Each spring as the weather (supposedly) warms up, there is a sweep of anticipation around camp as we prepare for the summer. Not only with the excitement of having campers and canoe groups, but every summer our community expands as we welcome our summer staff. Our year round staff is joined by college students and young adults who commit their summer to serving our campers, families and canoe groups at both Covenant Pines Bible Camp and Adventurous Christians.
As you pray for our summer at camp, pray for our summer staff! These young adults join us and spend the summer at camp doing all sorts of things. When you think about spending a summer at camp, you might picture a summer full of big games and swimming in the lake, which is definitely part of it! But these summer staffers also spend the summer developing as leaders, being stretched physically, and having guiding spiritual conversations with our campers. Our summer staff are the ones carrying out our mission in the summer as they encourage campers to take their next step in Christian faith. Working at camp for the summer is fun, but it is also life changing.
One former staff member shares that, “Working on summer staff will stretch you and give you valuable new experiences – professionally, relationally and (especially) spiritually. You can’t ask for a more rewarding summer job.”
Staff are trained for their summer of ministry, but when the summer is over they head back to their schools, homes and local church contexts. These young people take what they have learned, the ways they’ve grown and their new leadership skills and apply them to their everyday lives. Some of them end up working in ministry like us, while some go on to be teachers, doctors, accountants and general contractors. What they experience at camp for the summer will stick with them in whatever their future holds.
Please be in prayer for these young people as they lead this summer. Pray that our full time staff would train and lead well, but that God would also be the one leading all summer long. Pray for wisdom, energy, and joy for our summer staff!
We are still looking to hire a cook for the summer. Our Kitchen Supervisor from last summer, Audri shares her thoughts below on what the experience is like and why you should consider applying for it!
Looking back on the time I have spent serving in the AC kitchen, it is difficult to pick one good memory or lesson to share. There are too many wonderful things I have learned through my time as Kitchen Supervisor. I won’t deny it; t here have been incredibly challenging parts to this position as well. However, it was only because of the challenges that I grew. My time spent in the kitchen, overall, has taught me some incredibly practical life skills, deepened my character and taught me what ownership means in a deeper way, and ultimately has led me closer to the Father in ways I never expected when I initially applied. It has been worth it in more than one way!
Since I started working in the kitchen, I have made leaps and bounds in my confidence in cooking skills! I mean, that should be the case, shouldn’t it? But no kidding, I have felt so blessed to have the experience of cooking for large groups. Not only has my ability to crank out meals and breads and desserts improved in quality, they’ve also increased in quantity….and speed. I was thinking about it the other day and realized that I never would have pictured myself in the position of providing meals for groups of twenty. Those groups later increased to groups of forty…then seventy…which would have seemed like an impossibility before this experience. It’s a good feeling to feel comfortable baking everything from scratch and to provide for many others in that way as well. It’s a skill I will continue to use for the rest of my life.
Second of all: my time in the kitchen has provided great opportunities for my own personal growth. There were many times last summer that I was a few minutes away from dinnertime, had tons of loose ends to tie down, it was 80 plus degrees outside with all ovens roaring, and the group that had just come off trail was hungrily waiting in anticipation. In those moments, I felt as if everything was relying on me and my “world” inside those four walls. Admittedly, I am a bit of a perfectionist, and so I tended to put too much pressure on myself. I had a hard time asking for help and whenever someone offered it I tended to deny my need for it. However, because this was my tendency long before I entered the kitchen, I all the more needed that stretch! Since coming to AC, I have learned to ask for help and accept it when a need and an offer for help arises. These stressing points taught me to become less self-reliant and more dependent on others, all the while teaching me all that I truly was capable of on my own with the help of organization and time-management. It was truly empowering.
Lastly, through my time cooking at AC, I learned to be sensitive to the Father’s Voice. Although a lot of hustle and bustle tends to hang around the kitchen, there were also times of quietness and aloneness with Him. I heard once that the difference between isolation and seclusion is that in the first, you are entirely self-dependent and alone. In the other, you are away from others but you are alone with God. I’d say that in any kind of job, one can either choose to isolate themselves from all other sources, or one can seclude themselves with God for a period of time and find refreshment in His presence. My time in the kitchen has definitely had its swings from one to the other. However, in the spaces of quiet and solitude, whenever I chose to hear it, His Voice was always incredibly present. Honestly, I have never experienced the power of His Voice in quite that way before! Together, we built new memories as He taught me the value of my own voice and heart-song. I wouldn’t trade that time with Him for a thing.
All the lessons I learned in the kitchen have followed me into the rest of my life since. I often think back on the many memories of new skills learned that now come as naturally as breathing, the stretching of owning my experience and letting others help me, and the tender whispers of God’s voice. These are only three of many reasons I am so glad I took the opportunity to cook at AC. The friendships made here have been some of the sweetest I have ever experienced have carried on since. I am so grateful that God led me to AC. I can’t wait to see who God has next for this position and all the ways He will grow and stretch you into the person He wants you to be, too. There is so much good in store!
Retreat ministry has looked very different for us for the past few seasons for us at Covenant Pines Ministries. This winter, our calendars were full with retreats and guest groups – which felt great….and even a little normal! Retreat ministry is special to us as we provide different opportunities and space for churches, individual and groups to experience Christ.
Covenant Pines Bible Camp Winter Highlights
We had a busy winter at Covenant Pines Bible Camp – in a good way! We ran two programmed retreats – our Trailblazer Retreat for elementary age students and our OneLife Retreat for high school youth groups. Both retreats were a success – it felt great to have these students back at camp for winter fun! We also hosted 13 guest groups which included church groups, school groups and even a couple of friends groups who planned a retreat together. After many churches took a year off from their retreats, it was great to witness the fellowship and fun of a camp weekend for these groups! Below are some highlights of our winter from some of our guests:
Trailblazer Retreat:
“Our students just feel loved there! And that’s so wonderful! And always – seeing and playing outside in nature. They just don’t get that opportunity here in the city that much. Their families are busy, not “outdoorsy” and TIRED! So it’s great to get outside in God’s beautiful creation and drink it all in!” – Brenda Johnson, Childrens Ministry Director at Brookdale Covenant Church
OneLife Retreat:
“The biggest way I experienced Christ was simply in the moments to be with God that are often hard to find in our normal routine” – Maple Grove Covenant Church student
Bloomington Covenant All Church Retreat:
“I feel like we experienced the love of Christ through one another this year more than ever, which is interesting considering our chapel times were much less – or almost non-existent. Instead we got outside and supported each other in our activities – everyone showed so much care for one another. Having scheduled meeting times for activities allowed a single person like me the opportunity to join others without the awkward “do you mind if I join you” middle school moments. It also brought about the opportunity to spend time with others I might not have otherwise walked across the lake in snow shoes and tackled a big hill I never would have otherwise even attempted. The weekend honestly brought me some renewed hope in humanity after a long pandemic.” – Angie Hennig, Retreat organizer.
We are so thankful for these groups and our wonderful winter of ministry.
Winter Highlights from Adventurous Christians:
Winter retreats were in full swing this year at Adventurous Christians, kicking off with the Minnehaha Academy Nordic Ski Team. We were so pleased to welcome back youth, church and family groups – many of whom took last winter off. The winter was full of broomball, cross country skiing and snowshoeing with our new equipment (thanks to our Portage Partners!) as well as cozy conversation around the lodge.
One particular family retreat sticks out to us as a highlight from this winter. This family spent the weekend encouraging their children to step outside of their comfort zone by trying snowshoeing or climbing the indoor rock wall. During one of our first word’s, it was amazing to see the way God has worked in this family through the generations – with parents and grandparents setting examples of what a faithful life looks like. These moments are sweet reminders of why we do what we do – encouraging campers to take their next step in Christian faith.
We received a thank you note in the mail earlier this month that read, “Thank you for all the energy and work you put in to make this such a wonderful retreat. It is such a treasure to be able to retreat at AC, commune with God and His creation and enjoy the winter activities.”
We are blessed to serve these groups and are feeling thankful after this winter season.
The Little Deck Tucked Behind The Chapel
Camp is a sacred place – a place that has been set apart by God for spiritual growth and nourishment. Many people feel a wash of calm and security when they first step foot onto camp grounds. All around camp though, there are little spaces that have become sacred to people. Spaces that have had profound spiritual impact, where people have encountered God and made next steps in their Christian faith. Over the next several months, we will be highlighting these sacred spaces at our ministry centers and the significance these spaces have had on people over the years of ministry at CPM.
When asked about a sacred space at Covenant Pines Bible Camp, multiple people said, “the little deck tucked behind the chapel.” If you have been to CPBC – can you picture it? Nikki (Dugan) Wallace, who was a camper throughout her junior and senior high years, and then a staff member from 1997-2001 found this little corner of camp special. When asked why this space was sacred, Wallace responded “It was the place I would go to whenever I wanted some time alone—whether I wanted to pray, think, cry, read my Bible, or even just to spend some quiet time enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.”
These spaces become sacred to individuals by the spiritual moments that are captured. For Nikki, it was the fact that her years were a time in her life when she was experiencing a lot of uncertainty about what her future would hold, and a lot of deep personal insecurity. Whenever she would go to the little deck by the chapel, the experience of just being still and listening to the waves lap and the wind blow through the trees reminded her that there was a Creator who knew her, loved her and had a plan for her life.
These moments and spaces are significant in the spiritual life of our campers, staff members and volunteers and contribute to the greater mission of Covenant Pines Ministries. Nikki adds that “I had become a Christian when I was very little, but when I was at Jr. High camp in 8th grade, I made the decision to fully commit my life to Christ while at the Friday night campfire. Then, as the years went on camp was a place where the Lord helped me make many smaller, incremental steps in my faith journey. My time at Covenant Pines (including the wonderful people I met there) was very formative to me, and forever holds a precious place in my heart.”
Sacred spaces at camp provide connection to a place that have an eternal impact. Nikki closed our conversation by saying, “It’s been 20+ years , but I still often find myself wishing I could just walk up to the chapel and sit on the little deck overlooking Round Lake! Even though I don’t have that right in my backyard, I’m so thankful for that experience of finding a place to ‘be still and know He is God.’ It taught me to actively look for those special kinds of places and moments where, in the craziness of life, I could stop to recharge, refocus, and contemplate the wonder of who God is.”
We are thankful for the place of camp that God has set aside for these moments, and the spaces within it that allow people to experience Christ fully. If you have a sacred space story to share at Covenant Pines Bible Camp, Adventurous Christians or Silver Beach Family Camp, we would love to hear from you! You can email holly@covenantpines.org to share and learn more.
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!