dsleeper, Author at Bethany Birches Camp

Author Archive

Newsletter 2012: Community of Love: 10th Annual Benefit Auction

Voices chattered against the drone of the cider press as we walked through the fog towards the pavilion. This was the 10th year for the annual event; but my first in attending. The heavy air was not enough to dampen the number of early birds who, by 9:00 am had already gathered to survey the inventory. Huddled bodies milled about the pavilion clasping respective cups of coffee and hot cider. A fire burned in the hearth. I received a free donut and a cup of coffee from Anna Hepler. As the crowd grew, the scene turned warmer. Conversations erupted amidst the silent auction tables. Old friends re-united at the home-made donut dispensary. Ted Shattuck and I both remarked on how long it had been since we had last seen each other. Just before 10 AM, as the sun began to filter through the mist, the auction was underway.

I took a seat next to Brian Goshow, who graciously allowed me to look over his shoulder at the auction manifest every five minutes. The morning slowly built into a raucous occasion full of laughter, bid and counter-bid, and banter all of which were led with the hearty energies of auctioneer Sandy Alderfer. I would be hard pressed to find anyone who would be able to pinpoint a climax during the auction. For some, it was the high cadence of the bidding for Matt Maxham’s side table, eventually won by Jed Dickinson, (or was that Norm Koop’s hand that went up at the last minute?). For some, it might have been the strong supporting bids towards camper sponsorship. And for others, it might have been the donuts hand made by the Hershey-Lapp family.

The highlight for me however was witnessing the broad spectrum of participants who had gathered to share in the event. As I sat with friends from Lancaster PA and from Woodstock Vermont, from Burlington and from Philly, I was aware that it indeed takes all of us to make this event and this camp the great thing that it is.

Seth Shaw

Newsletter 2012: Mission Possible: The Pavilion Project

How has BBC touched your life?

It would be interesting to gather all the stories and memories made by different people at camp. We became involved when we took some young adults from our church to camp for a service weekend. Then we took our family and volunteered for a week, and then volunteered this summer for a week as camp shepherds.

The theme for this summer was “Inside Out” and one of the daily themes was “Big Things in Small Packages”. As we stood inside the pavilion with over fifty 12-14 year olds, we all shared how BBC is a BIG thing in a small package. It is BIG because it is a place where kids feel safe and loved. It is BIG because it is the first place campers learn of God’s kingdom and unconditional love. It is BIG because of the positive impact on everyone there, from the campers, to the staff, to the volunteers. It is BIG because it continues to offer opportunities for these kids to come back time and time again. Did you know that many of the staff are former campers? Do you know how many families send multiple kids there, for many years?

The pavilion needs help, and soon you will hear more about MISSION POSSIBLE: The Pavilion Project. There is a group of people who have volunteered to help on the funding side, and we are called the Resource Development Team (RDT). Our charge is to help keep camp going for another 50 years, by supporting a campaign to fund a new pavilion. The “pavi” (short for pavilion) is the heart of BBC facility, and it needs help. Each person on the RDT has already made specific time and monetary commitments to this campaign. We can’t call others to do the same until we’ve put our money where our mouth is!

Consider how BBC has influenced you… your family… your own journey with Jesus. Think and pray about how you can commit to support camp and its campaign for the Pavi. Talk about it with your family and friends. As Tuna says, nothing at camp has been accomplished alone… it takes a village to raise a Pavi.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Beth Goshow (alias: Flo)

Newsletter 2012: Summer Standouts

Staff: Diverse, New, Stellar:

Summer 2012 brought a staff made up mostly of first timers. Each new staff member jumped in with both feet and offered their unique experiences and ideas. The 2012 summer staff came from really different backgrounds and conversations abounded regarding theology, politics, culture and various perspectives. Despite their diversity they formed a cohesive group to welcome each camper into the community of love that is BBC.

The More the Merrier:

Summer 2012 brought an increase in people to camp – both youth and adults. Camper registrations increased 14% over last summer. Many veteran campers brought friends for the first time, social service agencies directed more campers to BBC and a lot of campers came back to experience the fun and relationship they’ve come to depend on. There was also an increase in volunteers. Work groups from Franconia Mennonite Church (Franconia, PA), Swamp Mennonite Church (Quakertown, PA), Rockhill Mennonite Church (Telford, PA) and Souderton Mennonite Church (Souderton, PA) joined us in addition to local volunteers to work on various projects around camp.

Camper Created Video:

Summer 2012 also brought the opportunity for returning staff to create and implement their ideas based on their prior summer at BBC. For example Pepper (Alyssa Coffin) returned to the videographer position with a unique vision. After shooting 60 second clips in 2011 she was inspired to include campers in the film-making process. She pursued her vision to make DVDs from each week through the eyes of campers. Many campers participated in the video making process. They learned the basics of filming. Campers were extremely creative in capturing different aspects of camp. This addition to program was a huge success. To see some of this year’s footage go here. And to read more about Pepper’s idea, here.

The schedule and goals of summer camp remain consistent from one summer to the next. Despite this, summer program remains dynamic due to new staff joining, returning staff growing, new campers coming and returning campers learning new things. Summer camp is dynamic. Always changing. This summer was no different.

Amber Bergey (alias: Cheeks)

Houses, Pavilions, Cabins, Oh My!

Above: Lynx snow-campers enjoying the cabin before we got the bad news. What great fun a weekend of camp in the winter can be!

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When I (Brandon) started at Bethany Birches in 2004 there was a Director’s Residence in the works. By the spring of 2005 I was living in that residence. Shortly after that we as an organization began to think about the challenges the pavilion presented for emerging programs as well as the support of our key program: summer camp! We’ve been moving very cautiously on that project, simply because we weren’t exactly sure how to proceed. And now we are putting together the Resource Development Team in order to begin the fundraising.

As we were making decisions about the pavilion replacement project with our chosen consultant, Design Group International, the Fire Marshal paid the cabin a visit. Not surprisingly he had concerns! We can’t use it this summer unless we complete certain work by then and obtain a temporary occupancy permit. For more on the cabin, see “Cabin Update”.

On top of all this facility update, we’re planning to finish the basement of the Director’s Residence this summer thanks to Austin Landes of IT Landes and Souderton Mennonite Church among others. And so here we are, in the middle of one major project (Cabin) planning for an even bigger project (Pavilion) and planning for a minor project (finishing basement at Directors Residence). All we really have is a prayer, a lot of excited, willing and generous people and the cash that’s in the bank (less than $100,000). We’re thankful. Thankful for the opportunity to walk with a God who calls us beyond the completion of a project, beyond nice buildings or buildings at all, beyond program and all the great, fun things that happen at summer camp. A God that invites us to be part of the greatest community of love there ever was. Thankful for some people who responded to the vision God placed in their heart many years ago. Thankful for those that are responding to the needs of Bethany Birches now. And thankful that we can begin this crazy time with at least some cash!

Surely this is The Church in action. All working together so that young people will come to know the One That is Good. For stories about how the vision of Bethany Birches is working out, check out this video: Stories of Camp from Blooming Glen – Brandon Bergey

Cabin Update

“Hi, could I talk with the owner?” It’s early on a Tuesday morning in March. I respond, “Uhh, our ownership is comprised of about 60 households… I’m not sure how you could easily reach them all.” So the voice on the other line responds: “Well, this is Jay with the state department of public safety – I’m a fire marshal. I found your building online and would like to come take a look at it. You rent it out to guests, right?” Me: “Yes, we do. Sure, I guess you can come look at it.” Him: “OK, how about Monday morning next week. 9:30 OK?” Me, looking at my calendar, noticing I’m in the office Monday morning, but not sure I should say yes… thinking that maybe I should just hang up the phone for fear of what would happen Monday morning when Jay comes to visit: “Uhh, sure. Yea, 9:30 on Monday is fine.” Him: “OK, thanks. See you then.” Click goes the phone. Gulp goes me. I think, is this OK? What’s going to happen?

Next week comes. The fire marshal comes to do an inspection on the BBC Cabin (Bruce and Jay). We talk for about a half hour about the various fire hazards in the building. They leave with concern about the safety of the building. I leave with a report showing 8 violations of the life safety code and a temporary occupancy permit. Gulp!

I first get frustrated. Then scared; nervous; concerned. After a little reflection, I feel calm. I begin to sense God’s spirit near. I remember what good has come in my life during times of challenge, struggle, correction, outside direction. I wrote a note on the camp’s Facebook page. I wrote a blog post. I wrote an email. Within two days, people were asking about the situation, offering help and supplies and all sorts of things. I was surprised and amazed at the immediacy and generosity! And it continues – AM Goshow and Son have donated windows. Goodro Lumber is offering discounted materials. Robert Buchan (Architect) and Paul Derksen (Turning Leaf Housewrights) are doing lots of work on the project for deeply discounted rates. A camper gave $10. First Congregational Church of Woodstock gave $23,500. Dave Beidler, Andrew Moyer, Matt Harootunian, Mike Horst and others are giving generously of their time. Bergey’s Electric is coming to install the smoke detection system (free of charge) under the supervision of Mike Bryan (electrician). It’s like the early church in Acts… so that no part of camp had need (Acts 4:32-37).

If you’d like to help, there are various ways to do so – we still have the second phase of this work to pay for. If you’re a carpenter or have experience with building trades, come work! We’re working the last two weeks of May (21 – June 1), each day. We need 2-4 people each of those days. We expect to begin work on an addition in August that will gain us permanent occupancy (you could call or email for specific dates in June or July). The fire marshal is working with us and has set limits we must meet before we are able to use the building for summer program and then some additional things we need to do to make it even safer. We’re so thankful for the understanding and kindness Bruce and Jay and their office have shown us and their understanding of both our need to make the building safer as well as our need to do it in a manner that saves money by including volunteers.

Dave Beidler upgrades stairwell side 1

If you’d like to read more about the ongoing work and issues, click here for the relevant posts.

Board Report: Naomi Mast Moyer

Above: Winter Family Fun Day was great, well.. FUN!

My vision for BBC includes this sacred space being a place for all children to become their potential through building healthy relationships with other children that are culturally different from themselves, developing a deeper relationship with their Creator, and recognizing possibilities in themselves that remain untapped. Bethany Birches Camp has been a place where children are safe to observe and explore nature, develop their spirituality, and become their potential. It has also been a place for young adults to develop their leadership skills, healthy relationship with others, and deepen their relationship with God. These are principals that I hope we will continue to uphold going forward.

As a board we recognize that the facility needs to provide space for this to occur. We want camp to be a place for children to relate to nature and develop healthy relationships with others and their Divine Creator. The last several years the board has been looking at what a reasonable amount of dry space is for indoor activities in the summer and winter. We are grappling with how to insure children spend as much time outdoors as possible while recognizing the need for larger group space in inclement weather. We continue to use Robert Buchan’s architectural expertise to assist us in the practical aspects of these ideas. As a board we continue to ask what impact will changing facility have on the financial future of the camp? Historically, as an organization, we remained solvent by having minimal overhead. We continue to look at facility and the direction of the camp in regard to financial sustainability with continued focus on children growing toward wholeness.

Lynx snow-campers displaying one of their tracks - part of an excercise in considering what or who we follow

We are also looking at policies that will drive how program and camp should function now and in the future. In the near future we will have access to cell service on “the hill”. This will impact the ability of children to use technology and, how staff will monitor its use. Like other institutions we need to remain thoughtful about the use of technology.

I continue to volunteer as a board member because of my strong belief that when children and youth are provided an environment that supports their potential they will develop into healthy adults.

Session	Grade	Price
Connect Oct: 20-21	9th – 12th	$30/$40
Connect Jan: 5-6	9th – 12th	$30/$40
Family Fun Day: Feb 3	All Ages!	FREE
Bobcat Snow Camp: Feb 15-17	3rd – 6th	$70/$85/$100
Polar Bear Snow Camp: Feb 22-24	6th – 8th	$70/$85/$100
Lynx Snow Camp: Mar 1-3	5th – 8th	$70/$85/$100
Connect Apr: 6-7	9th – 12th	$30/$40