What do I remember about Bethany Birches? I remember the great fireside roundups, cooking over the fire, British Bulldog game, the mud pit, sleeping in the cabins, and so much more. My name is Leah Beidler and my week at BBC was often the best week of the summer. I am now 28 years old and living in Dorchester, MA, but was a faithful BBC camper for years when I was in middle school. I always enjoyed the drive up there and the excitement of what the week might hold. I met great friends, got to sing great songs about Jesus, and be immersed in God’s country.

I now live in the inner city of Boston and volunteer with a church in an underserved, high crime area. Vermont and Dorchester, MA are two different worlds. I have gone from the quiet, solitude of Vermont to hearing sirens, sometimes gunshots, and many other things. In the midst of the darkness I have found great light in the children and youth that live in our neighborhood. They are hungry for new experiences. I am the Youth Pastor at the church and this summer I wanted to get some of the children out of the neighborhood. My hope is that they could experience something new, exciting, enriching, and full of Jesus. BBC was that and everything more. I was a little skeptical about bringing three boys from the inner city up to BBC because of the extreme differences, but I remember what BBC did for my heart and growth so I wanted to give it a chance.

I think the best moment was picking the boys up after a week at BBC. The whole ride to Vermont I was worried that I would get there and they would say their time was miserable and boring. When I arrived they greeted me with hugs and begged to stay. They told me all about what they had learned, games they had played, and friends they had made. The highlight was hearing one of our boys read a poem that was about his vision, hopes, and thoughts about God. I remember thinking; “This alone makes it worth it.” To share that energy with the boys and hear the excitement that BBC and the staff brought to their hearts was an amazing gift. I am so grateful for the staff at BBC and their hearts to pour into our children, youth, and this kingdom on earth. Thank you! We are already waiting for next summer.

Leah Beidler, former camper

Like most campers, I did not go to Bethany Birches for the first time looking for an opportunity to grow spiritually.  Like most campers, my family was from the area and did not have a lot of money.  Like most campers, my older sibling went to camp and came home with stories.  Like most campers my parents were happy to have me out of the house for a week during the summer.  My Bethany Birches story is very like the story of so many campers, and that gives me hope.

Since my first week of camp about twenty years ago, I have returned to Bethany Birches many times.  At first I returned simply because at camp we built fires and ran around in the woods and played games, it was all a young boy could ask for.  As the summers passed my reason for returning to camp changed; I still looked forward to all of the activities but I also looked forward to seeing the friends who I only saw at camp.  I looked forward to seeing the counselors who I greatly admired.  I looked forward to singing songs and seeing skits and hearing the stories the staff shared.  I looked forward to being in a place where I felt Christian community most strongly, where I felt God.

When I was invited to become a counselor I thought I knew what I was doing.  After nine years as a camper and junior counselor, I had honed my dodge ball skills and knew how to build fires.  My very first week disabused me of the notion that I could succeed on my own.  There were seven eight-year-old boys who were expecting me to make them pancakes and who were unaware of the benefits of socks and sunscreen.  Others vacillated from fast friends to bitter enemies and back again in minutes.  The energy I thought I had was not enough, the patience I thought I had was not enough, the skills I thought I had were not enough.

Jeremiah 17:7 says “blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”  Thanks to the campers I have had I have been blessed.  Reliance on God changes from an abstract to an absolute when you are a camp counselor, as does the concept of Christian community.  The campers are the fire which forges a disparate group of young adults into a hardened team of prayer-warrior servants like nothing else I have experienced.  You have to trust God, you have to trust each other.

The “real world” intervened in my plans of being a camp counselor for the rest of my life.  Although I no longer have the great blessing of being on the staff each summer, I still try to get back to camp as often as I can.  Instead of looking forward to fire building and dodge ball, I now look forward to seeing God at work in the lives of the campers and staff.  I look forward to reconnecting with campers who I have known for years.  I look forward to meeting new campers who are just starting out on their journeys, journeys like the one I am on.   My hope for these campers is that they will experience God and learn what a loving community can be.

Dave Ross is the newest BBC Board member

It was a beautiful day. We decided to have our board meeting in the pavilion. The purpose of this meeting was to review the three proposals I received from three different consultants. See, we have never ventured into such a large fundraising event as we need to now. We felt we needed help. After much debate and regardless of concerns about whether we should spend our money this way, we decided to hire Design Group to help us plan for our upcoming fundraising campaign.

We haven’t been sad yet. Mark Vincent, the consultant who is working with us, has been doing a good job thus far. In October, we held three focus groups. These groups were held for two reasons: 1) to start sharing the need to replace the pavilion and 2) so that Mark could get a deeper understanding of how much the BBC Community is interested in supporting this project. How can he advise us without talking to you, the supporters and volunteers of the camp?

These focus groups, a survey and phone interviews along with a review of our internal procedures and abilities are all part of what Design Group calls a Readiness process. By the end of December we will have their report. After that, we will come together as a board and decide how to pursue this need for a replaced pavilion. And then we’re into the fundraising.

I see these as exciting times. Our board is extremely unified. We have extra opportunities to talk with supporters of the camp and we get to look seriously at how to fulfill our mission of helping young people develop their relationship with God through a Christ-centered camping experience in a natural and nurturing environment. Ye ha!

Learn more about specific pavilion plans

Brandon Bergey, Executive Director

Jesus is real and he is there for you – Alex

Fire is a powerful force – Adam

To keep the fire going with God, you have to spend time with Him in some way – Izzy

God has unconditional love for everyone – Annie

God catches your attention in special ways, the special ways mean something – Grady

The humbleness of Jesus – Ty

Jesus wants to help you carry your burdens – A Camper

I Learned that your journey with God can start with a spark – A camper

God is a very important in life – MaryAnn

God will always listen to you – Sara

God is everywhere – Maggie

God knows you more than you know yourself – Olivia

I Learned how to play Ga Ga – Sydney

I learned by praying in a group challenge, I like it – Kat

God helps us through things – CiCi