April 2013 - Bethany Birches Camp

Archive for April, 2013

Mt. Washington & The Life of Faith: Tuna Tuesday

So yesterday I hiked up the back side of Mt. Washington with some friends. We wanted to get some late season skiing in!

I have a cool GPS map but there’s an error with the file. If you could see the map you’d notice that we were all over the place! After hiking up, we walked to different areas of the mountain to see how the skiing was over there (and then over there… and over there). We did this because we didn’t know the mountain very well and wanted to find out where the sweet spots were.

This is not so different than the life of faith. For example, Jesus tells us in the Bible that he is “the way, the truth and the life…” For many years, it was hard for me to understand what that meant. I hadn’t experienced him enough to know that what he said is true or understand how it worked. I hadn’t found out where the good skiing was, yet, so to speak. In fact, yesterday I had to trust that there was good skiing up there somewhere. And I trusted that there was because many people have said so, and, I had been there a few times before.

When we got down, one friend mentioned that he feels like he knows the mountain much better now. (He’d better – we spent 10 hours walking around on top of it!) When following Jesus, in faith, it feels very much like this. A little like wondering around for a while on top of a mountain. And, we get to know him better after spending time with him or trying out something he said. Then we come to a knowledge of him. Knowledge of him (or of the mountain) is beyond faith in him (or trust that the mountain will have some sweet spots).

Just one of the many reasons I’m excited for Summer Camp 2013. Another chance to explore the life of faith and come to know Jesus. Please share if you too are excited for camp (or have been up Mt. Washington in the spring!).

What about you – what’s the life of faith like for you?

Tuna

Spiritual Saturday: Buoy is Excited for Camp

Dear campers,

I’m coming back to BBC and I am excited!! I was unable to be at camp all summer last year and that has made me even more excited for group games, GAGA, the water trampoline, Wet n’Wild Wednesdays, the slip n’slide, cooking over a fire, and so much more. Fun is everywhere at camp!

Along with the fun I am looking forward to the serious relationships that camp builds. My hope is that I can grow the relationships that I have started already while creating new, meaningful, ones with all the campers I am going to meet for the first time this summer. I have learned so much in the last year and a half since I was last at camp and I can hardly wait to share what God has been doing in my life. I also look forward to all the things that you all as campers will teach me.

All of you campers should come back too because everyone at camp is important. That is another reason that I could not stay away from camp for another year. Everyone is welcome at camp. I have never been another place that was as welcoming/accepting as camp.

You should also come to camp this year because we have one of the coolest themes ever. Mission Possible! I think I have a little bit of a bias opinion because the theme relates to one of my favorite bible verses, Philippians 4:13 “for I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” You should come back to camp because we can do everything through Christ so who knows what might happen this summer. Whatever mission God give us is possible. The theme also makes me think of mission impossible one of my favorite games to play at camp.

Lastly I know I will not be alone there is a group of staff coming to camp that I am sure are great. I have already started to ask that Christ give me the strength that it takes to play games and talk about God, so that we can make this summers’ mission possible. I’m excited to see all of your smiling faces at camp summer.

Buoy

Making Friends

It’s Tuna Tuesday in our Excited for Camp Campaign.

I’m excited for camp because it’s when camp comes alive. It’s when people are singing all the time. People are [video_lightbox_youtube video_id=”N3bzb-fjVG4&rel=0″ width=”640″ height=”480″ anchor=”getting messy”] all the time (then cleaning up). It’s when I get to run out of the office to play group games or four square or pretend to be really angry about something which sets the stage for a Mission Impossible skit for the coming night. It’s a time when my faith in Jesus is stretched, challenged and encouraged. It’s a time when I make new friends.

That brings me to my next point – making friends. In her blog post from 2011, Pepper talked about the relationship building that happens here at camp. And it’s one of my favorite things! Ever since college, I learned the value and joy of community. And at Bethany Birches, we talk a lot about building community. Particularly a community of love. The kind that lets us see God smiling at us. God is often near, it’s just that we often have a hard time seeing him. And somehow, at camp, as we build a community of love together, we can see God more often.

I hope you’ll join us this summer to make some new friends and hopefully, see God. He’s often not far…

The Excited for Camp Campaign on Facebook

We’re so excited for camp that we decided to find a way to express our excitement online. Why online? We don’t see enough of the BBC Community in every-day life. Also, we’re hoping you’ll share your excitement about camp with your friends and posting stuff online is one way we can help you share.

Here’s what we’re planning for Facebook:

Memory Mondays
Tuna Tuesdays
Are You Excited?
Thursday’s Trivia
Fan of the Week
Spiritual Saturdays

Each day, we’ll post that day’s content on Facebook and some of it on the blog. And, as we find more ways to share our excitement, we’ll do that (email, Twitter, text, video)!

For example, the first Memory Monday is on the BBC Facebook page right now! It looks like this:

There will be some prizes and discounts along the way, shout-outs and highlights.

Will you join us from now till summer camp, online AND offline, sharing with your friends your excitement for camp?

It won’t be long now… 2 months to go.

From Tuna, Cheeks and Sparkles… we’re excited!

Annual Association Meeting

It’s that time of year! When the Bethany Birches Association gathers here at camp. In short, we work together, eat lunch and transact business. This year, however, our business transacting will be cut short by two very important things:

A “walk-through” of the pavilion we intend to build in 2014. More on that later.
Family Feud (or Jeopardy) as Annual Report. We did this for the first time last year and it was a hit.

So please, mark your calendar and plan to join us. Even if you’re not an association member. The day is open for all!

Here’s the schedule:

9:00 am – work begins. Total agenda not finalized, but may include: water tramp, clean kitchen, carpentry in shelters, trail maintenance.

12:30 pm – lunch!

1:30 pm – meeting begins (see above for most of the agenda)

4:00 pm – if it’s nice, play a round of disk golf… or just go home!

Can you make it? Drop me a line at brandon @ bethanybirches.org

See you on the hill this spring!

Tuna

Goodro Lumber’s excellent customer service

Why I love Goodro Lumber:
Today, I called and got Steve. I asked him if he could pick out a grout that was the same color as the tile I bought from them but slightly lighter in shade/color. He said, “yup, no problem.” He called me back a little later and said that he thinks he found the right one. On top of that, he called the manufacturer to clarify a detail to be sure he gave me the right one.

Now, get this. Cheeks drives by Goodro some days when she teaches class. I asked Steve if he could have the grout ready for her to pick up. She stopped in and picked it up. She said she was in there for about 2.5 minutes. Talk about convenience!

Thanks guys for your excellent customer service.

Tuna