Summer camps make plans to win souls despite uncertainty

Janet Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

Parks and campgrounds are again closed for overnight stays, until further notice. One largely unnoticed victim of these latest restrictions is Christian summer camps, which struggled through the past year with no special government funding to offset their mandated losses.

“As it stands today, there are still many unanswered questions as to how ministry plans are going to unfold for Summer 2021,” says Jeff Friesen, executive director of Camp IAWAH. “When April 1 hits, you are on a runway to take off. That runway is getting awfully short as we approach the summer.”

If that window of opportunity closes, Friesen says camps will have to fall back on day camps and serving as a family campground to operate in 2021.

“While we would prefer to hold overnight camps in full, we understand this may not be possible and are ready to pivot once again to day camps if needed,” shares Dave Mason, executive director of Silver Lake Wesleyan Camp. “We continue to prepare as if we can run our full summer, informing all our staff that everything might change, and those changes are out of our control.”

“Last year, despite only having two weeks of day camp, we saw 40 campers say yes to Jesus.”

Mason is passionate about the uniqueness of camp ministry. Even with limited numbers, he says there is a social aspect to camp ministry that is not easily replaced elsewhere.

“There is something special about spending a week with a small group of people who become friends, together in a cabin in the woods, all sharing and learning about the love of Jesus.”

Despite the lack of clear direction, many camps are already hiring staff and accepting registrations. Even thought plans could change, Mason encourages families to register for overnight camp now. Overnight camps may be allowed with only limited capacity, but priority will go to those who register early. Most (if not all) camps offer full refunds if they are unable to offer programming due to COVID restrictions.

“We are planning to run all of our programming: overnight, day camp, family camp, youth camp, and swim camp. We are and will be fully COVID compliant,” says Joey Molloy, ministry director of Camp Cherith. “Last year, despite only having two weeks of day camp, we saw 40 campers say yes to Jesus.”

“Our mission is to share the love of Jesus with as many as possible through camp ministry.”

With the restrictions and no funding to cover losses, some camps were unable to open last year. Camp Adonai, for example, normally holds two weeks of overnight camp for ages 9 to 15. The camp was cancelled both last year and this year.

“Last year we ran a week-long virtual camp and this year we are considering some day-long remote camps in several communities,” says Ed Oegema, director of Camp Adonai. “The biggest challenge we have, moving forward, is the diminished momentum from two years of no actual camp.”

The camp leaders are all looking for financial support to help offset their losses. Basic maintenance and property costs are unchanged, whether there is programming or not. While the financial picture looks bleak, camps are incredibly fruitful ministry fields. Christian camp experiences often play an important role in the developing faith of children and youth. As they push forward with what plans they can, the leaders urge believers to pray that God would open doors for effective and fruitful ministry this summer.

“We hold our trust in Jesus that He will work in and through us this summer, regardless [of restrictions],” Mason says. “Our mission is to share the love of Jesus with as many as possible through camp ministry. This doesn’t change, whether we’re able to hold full camps with hundreds of kids or day camps, with a few dozen at a time. We will share the love of Jesus with whoever we are permitted to, if that is one or 1,000. The mission stays the same.”