December 2020 - Bethany Birches Camp

Archive for December, 2020

Thankfulness?

Dear Bethany Birches Community, I write to you with a full heart. My heart is filled with thankfulness, grace, and abundance. 2020 has been a challenging year for most. For some, it has been beyond challenging. For us here at Bethany Birches it has been stressful, especially this summer. When we realized summer camp would be possible and safe, and that young people needed a Christ centered camp experience now more than ever, we were determined to find a way to abide by the guidelines, keep everyone safe, and run camp! We are so glad we did. Though it was tiring, stressful and extremely challenging, it was character-building and it was worth all of it. I suppose that’s the way it is in the Kingdom of God. Jesus himself said in Luke 17 that whoever tries to keep their life will lose it and whoever loses their life will preserve it. That’s kind of a big topic to throw out in a newsletter, but I keep trying to understand the truth of it. This summer, and year in general has brought various kinds of losses. But we have also gained much including confidence, deeper understanding of our program, and mission success.

On the topic of our mission, I couldn’t be more pleased with one of our counselors this summer. While I was pleased with many of them, and think the summer team did a great job, the story of this one young woman helps me to envision the heart of our work. She had come to camp many years as a child and then into her teen years. She was at camp every chance she got. She brought her friends. As she grew, and became involved in more activities, we saw less of her in her later teen years. She came back to us to be on staff a prior summer. That summer she wasn’t sure she could be a counselor so took a support role. In 2020 she realized she wanted to be a counselor. She wasn’t sure her faith was strong enough, or that her Bible knowledge was great enough. We hired her with enthusiasm because we know and love her and felt she was enough, and trusted her to guide campers toward their own relationships with God as her counselors did with her for so many years. As the summer wore on, she asked hard questions of us. She shared honestly and passionately. She gave deeply of herself to her campers and fellow staff. She started to read her Bible more often. After summer, she asked multiple times for us to begin a Bible study for staff and campers which is now underway – if you’re in 9th grade or above, come join us! She is working hard to apply all she is learning to her daily life. It is young people like this that are so needed right now. This young woman helps me remember that people are connecting deeply with God and those around them through the work we do at camp.

I hope this short example illuminates why my heart is full and why I am filled with thankfulness. If thankfulness is far from you, I get it. That sentiment has been far from me many times this year as well. In light of that, I invite you to join me in celebrating anything positive in your life right now. May the Lord bless you and keep you,

~ Brandon Bergey

Executive Director,

Bethany Birches Camp

P.S. it almost seems there is tradition beginning… here’s our current family photo.

To Camp or Not to Camp?

At time of writing we have lived through eight months of posing similar questions. Should we or shouldn’t we? If you’re like me, we approach each day with a risk/ benefit analysis of the day’s activities, because in this pandemic, the risk is very real. On the surface, camp may seem an expendable frill, an enrichment activity, wonderful and amazing, but not necessary for the healthy growth and development of our children. That may very well be true. So it may not be worth the risk. On the other hand, a child is only ever seven, or ten, or thirteen years old once. Each age of childhood has a unique window of development that is open for a short time to influences that may be transformational. That one moment may lead a child into a lifelong love of outdoor activity that will keep them healthy for a lifetime; that one moment may provide healthy relationships with peers or mentors that may serve as models for future lifelong relationships; that one moment may plant the seed of a deeper foundational knowing of God’s love and acceptance. These are not small moments in the trajectory of a child’s life, and the window may only be open for a brief time for that transformational influence. So it may be worth the risk.

We struggled through the spring months, debating whether to proceed with camp, or put it on hold for a safer season. By the beginning of June, the decision was made. Let’s put all of our energy and resources into making camp as safe as possible, and reevaluate the decision on a weekly basis. State guidelines were closely followed. Protocols were written, space was expanded for safe eating and sleeping, hand-washing stations were erected, twice as many staff were hired and trained to serve the number of children we could accommodate. All of our protocols continued to be reviewed and revised as we lived them. A huge part of the safety of this summer’s camp season was due to the camper families and staff that were committed to arriving at camp with as little exposure to the virus as possible. That required changing behaviors, deferring activities, and making sacrifices.

Camp happened! It was wonderful and amazing, and we know of no COVID-19 illness that occurred as a result. We relied on the changeless recipe of God present in each other and in the richness of God’s creation that is Bethany Birches. And those transformational moments? When we let go, and let God shine through, we know that they happen.

~ Beth Ann Maier, retired pediatrician, Health and Safety coordinator, Bethany Birches

Join Me in Welcoming Anna “Meatball” Martin to year-round service at BBC

I love shoes and clothes that fit well. It often takes me a little time to find garments that fit just right. Sometimes a garment or shoe is close and just needs a little bit of adjustment to get to that ideal fit. In some ways building our staff team here at camp is similar. When Meatball (aka Anna) finished up her first summer, I encouraged her to come back for another round, starting with the following winter because as far as I could tell, she fit really well. She came back that winter and then again the next summer. After each season ended, I encouraged her to come back. She identifies with our core values, our mission, and is able to do good work here. So naturally, when the role of Program Director became available, I encouraged her to apply. I am delighted to say that she has accepted that role permanently and I look forward to strengthening our efforts to serve youngsters who need an important camp experience. I believe she is a great fit for Bethany Birches! Join me in welcoming her. Here she shares a bit about her process of coming to accept the role

~ Brandon

As a college student, I searched for a camp to counsel at that would place a large importance on relationships and also push me out of my comfort zone. The first time I volunteered at a BBC winter camp I felt a sense of belonging and immediately knew I wanted to serve as a counselor. My two years of counseling instilled in me a deep sense of purpose and growth. I always felt supported and encouraged even on the days when my campers would wake me up four times in the middle of the night. When I finished my second year of counseling I felt drawn to helping create the environment that I felt so uplifted by. While my transition to Program Director took a few extra steps, and was fairly unconventional I am thankful for all of it. I have been so blessed by the staff who have spent their summers at camp, and so excited to see familiar faces as campers arrive each week at camp. As I was discerning whether to take on the role of Program Director, I was constantly reminded that working at BBC means you are a part of something greater than yourself. It’s not just the fun activities, spending time with kids, the mud pit, or working outdoors that draws me here; although those are huge perks. I have yet to find a place that balances progress and support as well as BBC. I know it will not be easy and there will be difficult campers and long tiring days, but I also know that I will grow. It always excites me to have a new camper, staff member, or volunteer come to camp because they get to be a part of a place that is unique in its unwavering dedication to having people feel known. I am overjoyed to spend the coming years working to help others experience the camp I love so dearly.

~ Anna “Meatball” Martin, Program Director

Board Spotlight

Bethany Birches Camp manages to combine the very best of the old and the new. At the end of October, BBC hosted the Camp Association Annual Meeting, held for the first time ever on Zoom. While we could not gather together for the traditional potluck supper, as the Association has for many years, we could meet, talk, and conduct business safely. Conducting the Annual Meeting via Zoom also allowed seven out-of-staters to participate without traveling. At this meeting the Association approved two new members of the Board of Directors. Margaret “Batman” Campbell, Lebanon, New Hampshire and Maxwell “Nye” Halik, Wakefield, Massachusetts, who both have had a long affiliation with the camp. At a subsequent meeting of the Board, Max was approved for a one-year term as Vice President and Margaret was approved for a one-year term as Board Secretary.

Margaret first visited BBC in 2005 to participate in a Women’s Retreat. A year later she began regular volunteer work in the camp office which continued until late summer 2015 when she moved from Vermont to New Hampshire. During that time Margaret helped with mailings, camper registrations, paying bills and making bank deposits, as well as other duties. One of Margaret’s particular interests has always been the Kids to Camp Fund which provides assistance to campers when a family cannot afford to pay the entire cost of attendance. You can give any time to that fund at www.bethanybirches.org/give.

Max was first introduced to camp by his friend Taylor in 2007. Max was apparently taken in by Camp’s combination of silliness, laughter, truth and “Mission Impossible.” Since he was 14 years old, Max has figured out how to return to Camp every year. First, he came as a camper, eventually worked as a counselor, and in 2015, Max served as Assistant Program Director. Of particular importance to Max was how the Camp gave him a concrete model for living a life following Jesus. Serving as a staff member at BBC gave Max the opportunity to introduce young campers to the way of life he found so rich and fulfilling.

Joining the Board of Directors in late Spring of this year “felt like a full court press,” Margaret said. “We had frequent meetings during spring and early summer trying to help the camp staff develop plans to safely hold camp in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. At the outset it seemed impossible,” she said but in the end, it worked and camp sessions were held safely. “I’m excited about working on the Board with others who are committed to providing quality, caring, nurturing programs for youngsters that will introduce them to a meaningful way of life.”

Max felt similarly swept along by the process of joining the Board during a time of pandemic preparation. “It was good to step in to assist Chad [Chad Yoder is the Board President] and the other board members, to feel useful especially for a summer where I knew I would not be able to come volunteer personally,” Max said. Asked about his thoughts on now officially being part of the Board and serving as Vice President, Max had this to say: “I’m really looking forward to contributing my hands-on experience with the day-to-day reality of counseling and running programs at BBC.” Max was on staff for many summers. “My hope is that this practical familiarity with the camp will help guide our strategy and to direct time and energy towards where the camp needs it.”

Max is excited to join the board and in his words, “Serving on the board after working at camp was something modeled for me by others serving BBC, such as Dave Ross. I’m so proud of our community, which demonstrates commitment to what we care about. I hope that other campers and counselors, former or current, will see that pattern, and think about how they could continue to help this camp which has given so much to us.”

There are so many within the Bethany Birches community that have long been active in providing financial support, volunteer time, avenues for camp publicity, camper and staff referrals and general encouragement and cheerleading. We need each of you! If you are not part of the association, you are encouraged to consider becoming members. If you’d like to talk about this possibility, please contact Brandon Bergey (Executive Director) or Chad Yoder (President of the Board of Directors).

~ Brandon “Tuna” Bergey, Margaret “Batman” Campbell, Max “Nye” Halik