Winter Retreat Calendar Changes
We have made some significant changes to our 2021 Winter Retreat Calendar. Below are calendar changes that include new retreat options.
January 22-24: Parent/Grandparent + Child Retreat
January 29-31: Winter Getaway
February 19-21: Winter Getaway
February 26-28: OneLife Retreat
March 12-14: Craft Camp
March 19-21: Women’s Retreat
All of these retreats will follow COVID-19 guidelines, as it is our number one priority to provide a safe and healthy retreat experience.
Registration and details for these retreats will be available in mid December. We will post updates on our website and social media pages.
If your church is interested in hosting a retreat at Covenant Pines Bible Camp, we would still love to have you! Start by reading this article on how we are able to do retreats during COVID-19, and contact Angie to discuss availability and details.
Camp has looked different in Fall 2020 but God has still been a work. Emmanuel and Excelsior Covenant both had plans to do a Confirmation Retreat and a Youth Retreat. The ‘how’ to do a retreat at camp has been complicated by COVID- but it is not impossible. Covenant Pines has worked hard to do all we can to make camp as safe as possible and we are thankful to Emmanuel and Excelsior Covenant for their desire to work together and get their families and students to camp. Here is what they both had to say about the retreat experience, both churches had this fall at Covenant Pines.
Chris Studenski, Founding and Senior Pastor
Emmanuel Covenant Church
We were created for community. What better place to foster it than CPBC’s beautiful, four-season setting?
Yes. It CAN be done! We just brought 100+ to camp and would do it again in a heartbeat!
If planning a COVID-conscious Fall Retreat wasn’t challenging enough, we got hit with record cold and snow! It would have been tempting to throw in the towel, but we’re SO glad we didn’t. With the help of the remarkable team at Covenant Pines, we were able to give our church family memories that will last a lifetime. We found ways to safely sing outdoors around multiple campfires. We found ways to safely enjoy games. We were able to conduct physically-distanced sessions and services that brought us together.
And…. the food was just as amazing as always!
The Covenant Pines facility is like a Swiss Army Knife. The CPBC staff can help you make the most out of it. If you have ideas, they can help you bring them to life in safe and responsible ways. If you could use some creative help, they can draw from their own wealth of experience along with best practices from all around the country. Regardless of your sense of readiness, the team at Covenant Pines can help you prepare for, and guide you through, an event that people will thank you for.
It could be a long time before things return to normal. There are a number of wise voices saying they never will.
In a time when so much has been taken away, an event at Covenant Pines is a gift that you can give your family, friends, or church.
Kris Causton, Creative Resource Pastor
Excelsior Covenant Church
Our fall confirmation retreat is a significant time for our students to connect with each other and to dive deeper into the focus of teaching for the year. We really did not want to miss out on the impact of the retreat but knew with Covid that we had to make some changes. So, instead of piling 20+ kids into two vans and rooming together in a few cabins, we asked for parents to come along with their child and room together. The retreat center gave us enough room for each parent and student to have their own living space/bathroom, and the south side of the dining hall had enough room to distance for our teaching times. The beautiful outdoor space at Covenant Pines was part of our learning and connecting space in so many ways. We had teaching time on the beach, played games outside, shared a bonfire, and outdoor free time gave kids time to be together in ways they cannot indoors.
It turned out to be a wonderful weekend! Parents and students who were skeptical about the presence of so many adults were either pleasantly surprised or at least glad to have a retreat rather than not!
Lindsay said, “I felt like we ran 4 retreats: a student retreat, a parent/child retreat, a men’s retreat and a women’s retreat all in one as we watched different groups interact.”
Thank you Covenant Pines, for welcoming us, working with us, and investing in our ministry!
If you are interested in discussing what your church retreat could look like, start by reaching out to our Guest Service Director, Angie.
Winter Retreat Calendar Changes
We have made some significant changes to our 2021 Winter Retreat Calendar. We typically have offered rental retreats for small groups, but have made the decision to open camp up to families and individuals.
Adventurous Christians will offer two different retreat formats this winter. Family Wilderness Retreats where you can enjoy camp with your family and our Solitude Retreat that are focused on individual reflection and spiritual formation.
| Family Wilderness Retreats | Solitude Retreat |
| January 15-18 | January 8-10 |
| January 22-24 | |
| February 5-7 | |
| February 26-28 | |
| March 5-7 |
All of these retreats will follow COVID-19 guidelines, as it is our number one priority to provide a safe and healthy retreat experience.
Registration and details for these retreats will be available on December 1st, 2020. We will post updates on our website and social media pages.
If your church or group is interested in hosting a retreat at Adventurous Christians, that is still possible. Reach out to Lina to discuss availability and details
We are planning camps and canoe trips for Summer 2021!
What are plans for Summer 2021?
Covenant Pines Ministries is in the midst of planning for Summer 2021. There are still many unknowns and details to work out, but we will share with you what are planning on as of now. More details will be shared as they are finalized.
Adventurous Christians
We are planning to run canoe trips with limited capacity. We will stagger arrival and departures on trail for different groups
Covenant Pines Bible Camp
We are planning to run summer and youth camps this summer at a reduced capacity.
Programs & Transportation
Both AC and CPBC will need to offer adapted programs this summer to follow COVID-19 guidelines. Camp will look different in order to be safe and healthy for all, but we know it is possible!
Transportation will NOT be provided to camp in Summer 2021.
Registration
Adventurous Christians
Canoe Trips Registration is set to open November 20th through the AC office. Email Lina to get stared.
Covenant Pines Bible Camp
Registration will go open on January 11th. This is a delay in registration from previous years. We are taking some extra time to plan to make things go as smoothly as possible. With limited capacity, we expect space to fill up very quickly, so please plan to register early. Thank you for your patience in this!
Calendar & Pricing
Covenant Pines Ministries is still working on finalizing pricing for camps and canoe trips. Registration costs for Summer 2021 will be available on our website the first week of December.
Adventurous Christians
Click here to see the 2021 Canoe Trips Calendar.
Covenant Pines Bible Camp
Click here to see the 2021 Summer Camps Calendar.
We thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate how to best prepare for Summer 2021. We will post updates to our website and social media pages as they become available and include changes in our monthly newsletters.
Seeing the Big Picture Campaign Reflection
Take a step back.
When we do that, we gain a perspective that we can miss when our focus is in close. In July, Covenant Pines Ministries launched the Big Picture Campaign to raise $250,000 prior to December 31st. In essence, this was an attempt to step back from the day to day details of our COVID19 decision making and gain a better perspective on the financial health of our ministry. I’m thankful for the many individuals, families and churches who have responded. We have made progress, but still have a ways to go.
The COVID crisis has forced all of us to step back in different ways. I have appreciated the time to reflect on the ministry impact of CPM. As a former camper and counselor, I’ve thought of the many ways my life has been shaped through CPBC. From early childhood memories to hearing a call to ministry to being mentored as a young staff member, camp has shaped who I am.
As the picture above shows, on a sunny day in July, I was able to gather with my two predecessors: Mark Cairns and Bruce Peterson. Mark and Bruce represent 41 years of leadership for Covenant Pines. In 1973, Mark (who is also my father) was hired as the first Year-Round Camp Manager. I tell people that he was hired to run the summer ministry and winterize the property. In the Fall of 1977, our family left and Bruce Peterson arrived. During the next 37 years, camp would grow and expand exponentially in both facilities and breadth of ministry.
These two men represent years of care and investment in Covenant Pines Ministry. They also have cared for and invested in me throughout my life. And that is the Big Picture I want to remind us all of today. Yes, camp is a group of buildings located on certain pieces of property, but it is so much more. It is campers exploring the Boundary Waters for the first time. It is families slowing down enough to talk about faith matters. It is a junior high boy feeling God nudge them towards ministry. It is the summer staff of guides, cooks, counselors and life guards talking about Jesus with campers.
As you reflect on the Big Picture of CPM, I encourage you to envision the way God used staff, scriptures, worship, prayer and creation to shape you and your family. The Big Picture of CPM is Changed Lives.
To learn more about the Seeing the Big Picture Campaign, visit here.