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.
Youth camp is in full swing here at Covenant Pines. Kids are racing, playing, worshiping, and deepening their relationship with Jesus and many are coming to Him for the first time. There is great rejoicing and praise as we watch the beautiful plans God has unfold for each camper as they place that first step on the bus and head to camp.
In the midst of summer God has been doing amazing things in the lives of families at Silver Beach. Silver Beach Family Area gives families a week to reconnect with God and each. The good news is that God is also moving in the lives of Families on the same soil weekly. There are families that have traveled to come together from far ends of the world to spend time a week together in this beautiful place. Traveling from places like Ohio and Austria. The gift and honor is that I get to see God’s plans unfold in the lives of Grandparents, moms and dads, kids grown and still little. They are here to build memories and strengthen their relationship that will last a lifetime.
God has designed families in all different shapes and sizes. Last week the Ogren family was here. In their lives God is growing their little family of four. They are praying and processing through becoming a foster family. How blessed their two littles boys are to have such beautiful parents and how hopeful those parents are to bless little ones in need. This week the Chamberlin Family is here. They have twelve kids all adopted. And every year they come and build memories and as their kids grow and God continues to do a work in each of them. The Hipp Family brought their family here over July fourth week. They water skied together and gather together ones every two years as part of their family lives in Austria. Each family has a story. Each one God has placed here to not simply have fun at camp. But to continue to build on the plans He has for each member as they grow and love on each other in a place that is sometime quiet and sometimes fun of adventure. Just as life at home is but here they step away and take intentional time for each other and for God as they worship Him daily in the time He has set aside for them to be here at Silver Beach.
~Angie, Silver Beach Director