After a summer full of ministry, we have transitioned into our retreat ministry here at Covenant Pines Bible Camp. This summer was the first time we experienced worship in our New Worship Center. It was, of course, an adjustment – but it was amazing to see the Spirit of God so present in campers as they worshipped and had fun in this new space. Campers continued to take next Steps in Christian faith – it was a great introduction to what the future holds here for us at CPBC.

Now that retreat season has began, we have begun to see even more what the effect of the New Worship Center will be on our ministry. We have had a busy fall – hosting multiple midweek groups and large groups on weekends. The busyness is tiring, but the impact of ministry is worth it. Here are just a few examples of ways the new Worship Center has made a difference in our retreat groups this fall:

• We hosted the Minnehaha Academy Middle School Retreat which included almost 250 people. They were able to comfortably worship together in the Worship Center altogether.
• Emmanuel Covenant Church was able to open their Middle School Retreat to other Twin Cities Covenant Churches, allowing for more participation across youth groups of our owner churches.
• CPBC was able to host 160 Christian Camping Leaders from across the state to gather for worship and lunch at the beginning of October.

A year ago, we would have had to make major adjustments to accommodate groups like this. While raising money for the Next Steps Campaign, one of our goals shared for the New Worship Center was to increase our retreat ministry. Even in the short time we have been able to utilize this building, we’ve been able to begin to accomplish this goal. It is just a glimpse of what we hope is a flourishing retreat ministry for years to come.

One faculty member from Minnehaha, who is a former staff and board member, shared,

“Covenant Pines has an amazing new Worship Center but I was worried the singing wouldn’t feel the same. Nope…still impactful. I love CPBC.”

We are looking forward to continuing through our retreat season, and many more retreat seasons like this in the future. It is truly remarkable to see the plans and hopes of this space come to fruition, both in summer and retreat season. We can’t wait to see what God has in store next for us…including this weekend with 150 Senior Highers at our MEA Retreat!

Now that the Worship Center building project is complete, we are filled with excitement about the future of Covenant Pines Bible Camp. We have already felt the Spirit move and witnessed campers take next steps in their Christian faith in the few weeks we’ve been using the Worship Center. We are hopeful that the impact and legacy of this new space will continue for years and years to come! As we plan for the future, we invite you to as well, by considering including Covenant Pines in your estate plan.

Planning for your legacy is important. We are committed to establishing trust and transparency with donors so you know what camp’s intentions are with these gifts. If you are considering including Covenant Pines Ministries in your estate plans, know that estate gifts to Covenant Pines go directly to funds that will help with the longevity of our ministry.

Covenant Pines Ministries has two endowments – one Scholarship endowment and one Maintenance endowment. These two funds help build the future of CPM by continuing to support camper attendance and upgrade facilities to meet camper needs. We put 10% of every unrestricted estate gift into the Scholarship endowment, along with 20% into the Maintenance endowment. The remainder of the estate gift will be put into a board restricted fund to plan for the future. Estate gifts are a beautiful reminder to us at Covenant Pines of all the people that went before us and were impacted by this ministry. It is an honor to be able to use these gifts specifically to help us live our mission for years to come.

If you are interested in including Covenant Pines Ministries in your estate plan, talk to your personal financial advisor. If you’d like to get started, we recommend reaching out to Steve Allison at Covenant Trust Company. Click here to get in touch with Steve.

Adventurous Christians canoe season is officially underway, with the Leadership Institute Fellows from Minnehaha Academy heading out on trail the second week of June. Fourteen Upper School students joined us on what the school calls a “Leadership Training Trip” and what we often refer to as the “Minnehaha Academy Leadership Adventure.” Camp Director, Matt White shares some reflections on the trip below. 

The group arrived very excited and ready for fun, but left with memories that hold not only fun, but thoughtful challenges. They all pretty well agreed that the lack of media, pressure and competition for their time was welcome and eye opening.  Many students said what they really will remember is the simplicity of living without many things.  A number of students claimed a sharper sense of perspective on what is important and what they would perhaps like to try to do differently.  They were challenged with the idea that if they could make the changes they aspire to a reality in their lives, at this time of life, they will be able to do it most anywhere.  We applaud them for their work and wish the best for them as they return home and practice the leadership development and spiritual growth experienced on their trip.  We hope their experience allows them to lead themselves and their peers towards a healthy school culture.

One student upon reflecting shared, “I have never had quiet time and had thoughts (about God) like that.  I didn’t realize I was even capable of the thought and contemplation I experienced. When it came time to share a first word with the group I didn’t know my words could be helpful.”

This trip is such a fun and encouraging way to kick off our summer canoe season. We are looking forward to many more! 

Though summer is often our busiest time of year, ministry still continues as we transition into our retreat season. And this past September, we had one of the busiest transitions yet. Starting after Labor Day, Covenant Pines had mid week groups at camp each week through the first week of October, including 3 school groups on school retreats.

It has been exciting to see these school groups utilize camp as a way to create memories and build relationships for their students. It is also exciting to see these new partnerships emerge with these schools and continue to create experiences for students in the retreat season. We were delighted to have Hope Academy, Lakeview Christian Academy and Minnehaha Academy join us this fall. This is in addition to the day retreats we have been hosting for the McGregor Schools BARR program!

We also were fortunate to have the Covenant Retired In Ministry Retreat as well as our first ever Pickleball Retreat as midweek groups in September. Adventurous Christians led a half day of leadership experiences at Stella Marais School in Duluth in September as well.

Between Covenant Pines Bible Camp and Adventurous Christians, CPM served nearly 1400 guests and served close to 7000 meals so far this fall. That is just about how many campers Covenant Pines would serve in one summer! Our staff is tired, but fulfilled! It is great to see churches, colleges and school groups use camp as a way to further their ministries’ mission, and to see their organizations thriving with robust attendance at their retreats.

Our retreat season is off to a busy start and will continue to be so! It feels great to have a flourishing retreat ministry. Today we welcome over 100 high school students and 25 leaders for our Sr. High MEA Retreat at Covenant Pines and we just wrapped up a staff retreat for Lake Beauty Bible Camp at AC, with a guest group arriving tonight as well. Keep Covenant Pines Ministries in your prayers as you remember!

At the end of each of our canoe trips at Adventurous Christians, participants fill out what we call a “Summer Trip Reflections” form. Participants are asked to rate certain parts of their experience and are then asked a series of reflective questions. While looking through these trip reflections, whether it was from a 7th grader or a woman in her mid-50s, I noticed an overwhelming theme: “I didn’t think that I could do it, but I did. I can do hard things.”

When discussing promoting and marketing canoe trips at Adventurous Christians, we really do try to help people understand what they are signing up for. A week on trail through the Boundary Waters, though beautiful, is challenging. Each day our canoe groups are faced with making sure their needs are met – eating, sleeping, getting from one place to another…often at the mercy of the weather while carrying packs and portaging canoes. Sometimes after a long day of paddling and portaging, cooking a meal in the rain is the last thing you want to do – but, you have to do it.

These moments are difficult, but they are transformational. One student wrote on their trip reflection, “I learned on my canoe trip that I am able to have fun while also doing really hard things. I learned to stay positive and have fun with my friends, even if I was uncomfortable.” Reflections like this bring us so much joy. Moments on trail are hard, but the attitude participants choose is key.

This year we offered a canoe trip for adult women. The group was a mixed group of ladies ranging in ages and backgrounds. One trip reflection read, “I learned that I can still do challenging things, even at my age. It may take longer, but it still gets done!” Again, another reflection that encompasses our hope for our canoers. Rising to the challenge, even while accepting limitations is also key in the success of a canoe trip.

Finally, a high school student shared on their reflection,

“What really stuck out to me was how similar this trip was with devotion to God. It’s hard at first, but if you keep at it consistently, it will get so much easier.”

Can we get an AMEN?!

We are so proud of all of our canoe trip participants this summer for conquering the challenges of their trip and learning about themselves and God along the way.