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Summer 2017 registration is open!!

Your child is going to love Summer 2017! There’s plenty of options for all age groups, more things to do at camp, and more choices to help him and her grow and develop emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually!

Exciting things for each age group:

More Options for Younger Campers

If your 9 year-old has experienced Launch and is now ready for a full week of camp sign them up for Core A! Core A is now for 9-12 year-olds to allow younger campers to experience “core” programming!

Discounted Rates for Day Camp Transportation

Day Camp will also continue for another year! This is a great alternative to summer day care, especially since your child will get to experience plenty of classic camp games and activities. Transportation is available from Woodstock for Day Campers and is offered using the typical tier pricing. Click here for pricing.

Three Core Weeks

Your 10-13 year old can come to one, two, or all three! These weeks are the “core” of our programming here at camp. Theme days. Crazy camp-wide activities. Mission Impossible. Whether it’s their first or fourth time at BBC they’re sure to enjoy it!

Wilderness Adventure for Middle School Campers

Expedition is a great option to help your child put down their phone or iPad and experience creation first hand. They will learn important skills like team building, and wilderness living all to prepare them for a three day, two-night backpacking trip! This trip will be led by our experienced staff who will help your camper learn to live minimally and enjoy nature (and walking with a heavy load… seriously).

Exciting Trips for High School Campers

Summit High offers three overnight trip options. Your child can choose the trip that most interests them. This year, we have: White Water Rafting, Bromley Areal Adventure, and Music and Movies at the Treehouses. More info here.

Register this week (by Friday November 18th) and your child will receive a free t-shirt and DVD of your child’s week at camp.

Most campers come summer after summer. If you’re new to Bethany Birches, this page may answer some of your questions. If it doesn’t, call me at 802-672-5220. We hope to see you and your family here at camp this summer.

Dan “Chick” Laubach

“I love everything about camp. This is a great place to learn, grow, love and make new friends.”- Morgan, a camper.

Summer Camp 2017 Registration Open Fri

Next Summer is kind of far away. The leaves just fell off the trees here in central VT. But, many of you are no doubt planning your summer vacations and other details of family life. It’s important to us that we have our dates in your hands as you do that planning. And so summer camp dates were released a month ago and now, this coming Friday, online registration for all summer sessions will be open! If you sign up the first week that registration is open, we’ll add the weeks video and tshirt to your registration at no charge.

New to Bethany Birches? This new parents page will answer many of your questions. If you have more questions, just send us a message here on the FB page. And if BBC is old hat to you and your family, will you do us a favor and tell your friends about camp? One mom told me that BBC is VT’s best kept secret. We don’t want it to be a secret!

I just love this quote from Sarah, a new camper mom. “My daughter had a terrific first year at Bethany Birches Camp. Her counselor was engaging, fun, thoughtful, and so helpful to her as she adjusted to life away from parents. She came home talking about the playing on the water trampoline, rock climbing, eating ice cream in a pig trough, and solving the mystery with fellow campers of who stole the chocolate chips!”

Hope to see you this winter or upcoming summer.

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

Summer 2017 Dates!

Many of you have been asking about Summer 2017 dates. We worked hard to put our schedule in order so we could get them to you. Put these on your calendar and plan now for summer camp!

The schedule is very similar to last year. Throughout the summer we will have three different weeks of “Core” for 9-13 year-olds. These weeks are the heart of Bethany Birches where we do classic and traditional BBC activities like Messy Monday, Wet and Wild Wednesday, Mud Pit, Plenty of Pond Time, and more! Campers are welcome to come to one, two, or all three of these weeks. And yes, we did adjust the aging of Core A to allow 9 year-olds to come to our Core program!

Summit weeks are for older campers who enjoy BBC but desire more free time, cooler games, and unique activities like Night Group Games! Summit High has trips and activities totally unique to that week, so stay tuned for more information on that!

If you’re a teen camper and you love camp why not consider the leadership development programs? They are the perfect way to get the inside track to being a counselor or staff member.

Summer ends with a week for the youngest campers. Launch is a great opportunity for your 6-10 year-olds to experience some classic BBC events and activities that have been specifically geared for their age. Is your child uncomfortable going overnight? Launch Day Camp! Perhaps they want to try overnight but for a short bit. Launch Half! The launch programs are a great introduction to any young camper.

We’ve also updated our website with these new dates. This is a great way to share about the upcoming summer with your friends!

Online Registration for Summer Camp will open Nov 11. In the meantime, check out information on Winter Camps coming up this February! Registration for winter is open right now!

We hope to see you up at camp this summer!

Dan “Chick” Laubach

Day Camp! Unique Themes Each Week

Day camp is back! Cheeks has been hard at work planning. I wanted to share with you her recent plans for themes at Day Camp.

From Cheeks:

Each week of day camp will include a lot of traditional BBC Favorites including eating ice cream out of a pig trough, the slip n slide, swimming in the pond, exploring nature, team building activities and more. Each day will have blocks of time dedicated to the theme for the week. Read below for more details on each week.

Classic Week: (6/20-24)

This week is all about BBC Classics! Day Camp Director Amber “Cheeks” Bergey will pull from her 10 years as BBC Program Director to have the best, age appropriate BBC activities for Day Campers. Over the years BBC has gone “around the world”, hosted “muddy Olympics” and “carnivals”, directed “cinemas” and examined a plethora of themes to help young people make connections between faith, nature, relationships and God. Each day campers will get a great taste of what it’s like to be a BBC Camper while making new friends and having a wonderful time!

Wild Week: (6/27-7/1)

This week will focus on the “wild” activity happening around us in nature. Blocks of time each day will be dedicated to examining the wildlife around us. Catching critters in the brook, scavenger hunts leading to different trees and rocks, along with other hands on events will help campers have fun while learning about the wild life around us. It’s never too early to experience how being immersed in nature can put us in touch with The Creator.

Splash Week: (8/1-8/4 or 5?)

This week of Day Camp is in honor of many residential camper’s favorite day: Wet N Wild Wednesday! At Day Camp we’ll be wet and wild all week. Chunks of each day will be dedicated to water activities. If you don’t like to get wet, not to worry! Each day will have options for hands off water activities. Campers will have fun with traditional back yard splash games and also have fun working together to accomplish slippery challenges. Moments each day will also be spent examining how some of the properties of water can help us understand faith and a relationship with God.

Volunteers Invite Friends to Camp

I’ve been struck the last few days how much fun it is to bring friends to camp! This past week 2 volunteers who have been coming to camp for the past 18+ years brought two friends to camp. Each of them contributed to help the 2nd floor of the pavilion progress.

Merle Horst and Dave Mussleman are part of the Musser Woodcutting crew. This crew of guys have been cutting the camp’s wood for the last 18+ years. A few weeks ago I sent an email to Merle to see if he could round up some able volunteers to help us finish the 2^nd floor of the pavilion. Dave was available and so were 2 friends – Lester and Will.

Thanks to Merle and Dave inviting friends a lot MORE was accomplished in 2 and a half days on the top floor of the pavilion. Beautiful barn doors, trim, wainscot caps, shelves were among their projects. Not to mention everyone seemed to have a lot of fun! Community building happens among campers, volunteers, staff and whoever finds themselves on the hill. Camp is always more fun with friends!

If you’re a camper family – consider inviting at least 1 new friend to BBC this summer!
If you’re a volunteer – consider inviting a friend who’s never been to camp to join you the next time you’re on the hill!

We hope to see you on the hill soon!

Cheeks.

The sawing station

Lester and Will work on shelving

Pine Trim Everywhere

Shelf and Coat Rack at the Main Entrance

Dave putting up Barn Board Trim

Rustic Shelving above office doors

Friends from Lancaster helping at BBC!

Having a good time

Host your child’s birthday party at camp for FREE!

That’s right. Just like the title says, we will help you host your child’s birthday party here at camp for no charge! We have a limited number of slots available between now and the middle of June. So we’ll do first come first serve. Here’s what you do:

Go to Facebook and write a brief statement sharing what you love about Bethany Birches and why others should consider signing up for a summer session. (see sample below – you can even copy and paste)
Write to brandon @ bethanybirches.org to let me know you did it.
I’ll contact you with possible dates.

Here’s a sample post:

My (son/daughter name) has been going to Bethany Birches Camp (use @Bethany Birches Camp to actually tag the camp) for __ years now. I just love _____ (share whatever you love about the camp). Check out their summer camp offerings at www.bethanybirches.org/summer-camps.

Think this is cheesy? Don’t! We need your help getting the word out about camp. That’s why we ask you to share on Facebook (feel free to tell your friends face to face too!). And we want camp to be used by you and your family and benefit from all the camp has to offer which is why we’re offering free Birthday party hosting!

Hope to hear from you soon.

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

Matthew 25: BBC Style

Matthew 25:34 reads: ‘When I was in prison you visited me, when I was hungry, you fed me, when I was stuck on Lynds Hill Road, you pulled me out…’

Actually that last phrase isn’t in the Bible. But the phrase does describe how the Bible came alive last week at Bethany Birches Camp.

I was getting ready to feed Susie when I heard a knock on the sliding door (a common mission impossible destination for many – knocks are not uncommon!). A man I did not know stood outside our door, looking cold and tired. I opened the door a crack.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Uh, yea,” the man replied. “I’m from VTEL, I’m stuck down the road. Could I use your phone to call a tow truck?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, you may use the phone, come on in.”

“Do you have the number for a local towing company?” The stranger asks sheepishly.

“Uh, sir, you’re in Plymouth, VT. the middle of nowhere. Nothing is local… Let me call my husband at the camp up the road, he’ll know who to call.”

” Oh, just up the road, I can walk up there.”

And after a bit more conversation the cold, tired man trudges up the road towards camp.

About 15 min later, I see Chick on the tractor and Tuna and the stranger in our car driving down the road.

15 min later I see the tractor, the car and a mini van come up the road. The stranger gets out and gives Tuna a hug. The man gave Chick the certificate pictured here.

He wasn’t naked, hungry or in prison. He was stuck. And Chick and Tuna helped him get unstuck.

The words of Jesus continue to come alive at Bethany Birches Camp. Join us on the hill (work days, winter camp, summer camp, volunteering) to experience Jesus for yourself.

-Cheeks.

13th Annual Benefit Auction Review

Hey Camp Friends!

As you may have heard, the 13th Annual Benefit Auction was a huge success! I’m here to tell you more about the day.

Crisp and cool, everything that an autumn day in Vermont should be. Add just about every fall staple; we really had the perfect day: warm homemade doughnuts, fresh apple cider, hot coffee, an enthusiastic community, and the myriad of colors just starting to show among the trees in the surrounding hills. Something that stood out to me was this sense of joy among everyone who was at camp that day. From campers tossing apples to be pressed into cider, to board members working hard in the kitchen and behind the scenes, to every auction-goer. Whether they were working, or simply sitting in a plastic lawn chair, everyone was there for one common reason: to raise money for kids to come to camp. At its peak there were around 170 people together at one time. I found this to be an amazing testament to the power of camp (one of many I would experience that day).

My favorite moment of the auction came when it was time to “bid” on camperships (scholarships to pay for camp weeks). Each cost $400, and as soon as the auctioneer called for bids, hands were raised. 19 donors in fact. Some of them even raised their bidder numbers more than once for a total of $8900 raised for Kids to Camp Fund. It was beautiful!

After the auction ended, everyone shared lunch together, sponsored by Gallagher & Flynn. As the afternoon went on, some people left, and some stayed to enjoy hayrides, pavilion tours, and even a Dutch Blitz tournament! After having dinner together, provided by Jesse’s BBQ, everyone gathered for fireside, a common camp tradition. We heard from Audie Bellimer about his first summer at camp, back in the first years of summer camp. We also heard from Alison Charbeneau about her camp memories. After that, anyone was invited to share their memories and stories of camp throughout the years. We closed by singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” together. I could not think of a more fitting hymn to encompass God’s goodness and provision for camp throughout the last 50 years. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, celebrating camp’s history and bright future.

Ok, now let’s talk numbers. Through bidding, camp store purchases, apple cider and related products, and chimney stones, the total amount raised was $52,500! All of this goes to pay for campers who can’t pay to come to camp AND the new pavilion. $13,000 of that sum was raised for the new chimney. This is the most money raised through the auction yet!

For more details from the auction, visit bethanybirches.org/benefit-auction. Here you’ll find information about how much each item brought, photos from the day, and 50th Anniversary merchandise available for purchase online! Now, mark your calendars for next years auction, September 24th, 2016!

We sincerely thank every volunteer, staff member, camper, and auction goer. We could not have done this without you. Heck, we can’t do camp without you, and many others! We hope and look forward to seeing you next year!

-Benji

50th Anniversary and Auction Success

Fresh homemade doughnuts hot out of the oven. Fresh, fair-trade, high-grade coffee to go with them. Nippy fall air. Sipping fresh pressed apple cider made from VT apples out of your 50th anniversary mug club mug. People bustling about, excited for the auction to start, 170 of them, prepared to do what they can to support the camp and Vermont’s young people. This is the stage upon which the 50th anniversary celebration and annual auction played out. It was a wonderful time. We’re going to write a more full report but wanted to post this just to let you know that more than $50,000 was given. Hooray for all of you who made it happen! More to come when we get all the money counted and details hammered out.

Tuna

Bethany Birches Turns 50! Join the Fun Sat. Sept. 26

It’s true. BBC is 50 years old! The first summer of camping was 1965. Wasn’t long after that and winter camp was added to the mix. Then facility rentals for weddings and other program groups and activities. We haven’t looked back since. We’re celebrating and honoring the past on the weekend of September 25-27. The full schedule is here. Won’t you come and join the fun?

Speaking of fun, the big day is Saturday September 26. The day kicks off with a pancake breakfast. The breakfast is for those staying on site. You can rent your camping shelter here. The shelter is $50 for the weekend and meals are covered on Saturday.

After the breakfast is the Annual Benefit Auction. And then an afternoon of fun! Here’s the schedule:

All afternoon! Pond Open (Boating, Swimming, Fishing-Pick Up Rods and tackle at the camp store) (Everyone under 18 must be accompanied by someone 21 or older)
All afternoon! Table Activities
All afternoon! Yard games (Whizzball, Gaga, Kube, Volleyball, Basketball, Playground, Disc Golf-Start at South side of Pavi at the Disc Holder)
1:30-3:30 Water Slide Below the Gaga court with Whitt
1:30-2:00 Pavilion Tour Start in Parking Lot with Tuna
2:15-3:00 Then-Now Photo Tour of Camp Start at the Bell with Cheeks
2:00-2:30 Hay Ride Start at the Bell with Nanuk
2:30-3:30 Hike to Perimeter Trail / Tree House Start at the Bell with Rouke
3:00-4:00 Craft at Craft Hut Craft Hut
3:00-4:00 Dutch Blitz Tourney (All ages welcome!)
3:30-4:00 Pavilion Tour Start at the Parking Lot with Chad Yoder
4:00-4:30 Hay Ride Start at the Pavi with Nanuk
4:00-4:30 Gaga Variations (Never ending, Teams, etc) Gaga Pit with Chick
4:30-5:00 3 v. 3 Gaga Tourney (Come with your two teammates! All ages welcome! Winning teams gets a prize!) Gaga Pit with Chick
5:30-6:30 Dinner
7:00 Fireside

I do hope you’ll join us for all or at least part of the day. There will be 50th merch and all sorts of goodies.

Happy Birthday BBC!

Tuna