Director’s Update and Announcements

Greetings friends! This year’s newsletter includes voices from parents, volunteers and staff. Our goal in sharing from their experiences is to help you connect with what happens at camp.

The Soil and Seed Project

One of those voices is past staffer Greg “Elvis” Yoder who brought the Soil and the Seed Project to my attention. Their work represents one of the ways we like to help campers understand spiritual concepts and practices. Elvis worked at camp, contributed much to our music, and started what some know as “rock the pond.” We demoed the Soil and seed Project at camp this summer and highly recommend it. In their words: The Soil and the Seed Project nurtures faith through music, art, and Little Liturgies for daily and weekly use in the home. These resources help establish new rhythms of faith as together we turn towards Jesus, believing and celebrating the Good News of God’s Love for the whole world. The resources are free and you can find them at: https://www. thesoilandtheseedproject.org. If you have kiddos at home, give it a try as a post dinner or pre bedtime practice.

School Outings

In other news, we have recently partnered with a few local school groups. It started when a friend and teacher at Woodstock Middle School, Erin Hanrahan, suggested that her class really needed fresh air, a chance to connect more deeply, and to have fun. Her and program director Anna “Meatball” Martin planned two days filled with activities, free time, team building, and of course, food! It felt a lot like a camp program. We are hopeful that the students benefited and went back to school rejuvenated and with renewed hope in their lives. Some other nearby schools have partnered to provide a similar experience for their students. If you are within a school system and interested in this, let us know and we can share some of the options.

Camp Staffing

No doubt you have seen some of your favorite organizations and companies looking to fill open staff roles. Bethany Birches is no different. While we are in conversation with a few past staff and hopeful those folks can meet the needs, current gaps include food service, facilities and maintenance, rental coordination, and bookkeeping. If you know someone who might be a good fit to work within one or multiple of these roles please let me know: brandon@ bethanybirches.org or call the office at 802-672-5220. On the topic of staffing, join us in praying for and recruiting the winter 2023 seasonal staff and volunteer team. This winter we have planned to host 8 weekend programs including one for Camp Agape and one day for families. Winter camp gives us a chance to fulfill our goal for every young person within a 60 mile radius to have a chance to experience God in community and nature. The staff team utilizes kitchen, facilities, program, and counseling staff. We can use you even if you have only one weekend to join us! And for you teens, there will be an internship program happening each Saturday. DM the Bethany Birches Instagram for more information. There is so much more to share, but, the page is getting shorter. You’ll just have to find your way out here to Bethany Birches to be part of the fun. Come visit, or sign yourself up as a volunteer. Indicate interest by going to our website and hovering over “give” then select “volunteer.” Grace and peace to you,

~ Brandon “Tuna” Bergey, Executive Director