Pictures Archives - Bethany Birches Camp

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Pavi Construction Update April 1-30

What a month! The pavi has been transformed from a partly finished shell to an almost summer-ready building…well, parts of it.

Progress could not be made without the help of so many volunteers! People have come from far (PA) and close (Lynds Hill Road) to help get the pavi ready for Summer 2015.

Progress also could not be made without the daily efforts of the Jenne Construction Crew. We’re thankful they braved the mud season & cold spring temps to keep moving the pavilion closer to finished!

Despite all the progress that’s been made during the month of April there remains quite a ways to go! Do you have anytime during the month of May to join us in getting the pavilion ready for summer? Email us or call the office to let us know when you can come. If you can’t come to help in May be sure to join us this summer! Bring a camper or come volunteer!

Read on for a recap of pavi work throughout the last month. Click the link to see Pavilion Progress Pics and the people who have been doing the work.

Pavi Construction Update week of April 6

Another exciting week at BBC! A group of 13 are here from Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, PA). In one day (Tues) they’ve put decking on the porch roofs, started shingling, aided Harold Bergey with the electrical progress in the kitchen and continue to prepare the downstairs for insulation and sheet rock. The crew of Jenne Construction continues to steadily move the pavilion towards completion. Pray for good roofing weather this week as many hands make the work light!

Pavi Construction Update: Week of April 13

There continues to be lots of action on the hill this week to move the pavilion towards a certificate of occupancy by June 1! Inside the building a team of electricians are finishing up the rough wiring and spending time on a lift to prepare the high pavi ceilings for lights. Many thanks to Harold Bergey who’s here for the third straight week and his posse of volunteers: Will Bergey, Marlin Bergey and Neil Bergey from Bergey’s Electric (Hatfield, PA). Andy Bird (Bridgewater, VT) has been volunteering his VT Masters license all week too! Roy Snell (Woodstock, VT) Ken Hershey and Larry Derstine (Bridgewater, VT) have spent 2 days shingling and siding. Nancy and Russell Pejouhy and Jeremy Ebersole (Tafstville, VT) have spent time staining interior boards. RFactor is here spraying insulation downstairs. On Tuesday Nevin and Job Mast (Oley, PA) spent the day installing piping for a central vac. Audie Bellimer (Bridgewater, VT) is making sure propane is ready to be used in the kitchen. Jon Blanch (Wallingford, VT) continues to spearhead the heating efforts. And the crew of Jenne Construction steadily contributes to pavi progress each day!

Pavi Construction Update – week of April 20:

Today marks 6 weeks exactly until we would like to gain conditional occupancy and start moving into the new pavilion. In some ways, that seems like a long time. But it’s not! There is much to be done before that point. If you’re able to give some time (or $$$) between now and June 1, please do!

This week a group of 10 guys from Blooming Glen Mennonite Church is volunteering. R-Factor insulation experts are on site doing spray foam. Jenne Construction is here, of course. Local volunteers (Betsy Tonkin, Marcia Bender, Calef Hepler, Naomi Moyer, Joanne Hershey and others) are staining board after board. Porches are being finished and then siding will continue with help from Ken Hershey, Roy Snell and Larry Derstine. Roofing will continue as weather allows (it snowed some today, April 20). Electrical rough in is nearly done and finishes are starting. Pray with us for ongoing safety and good times.

Pavi Construction Update – Week of April 27:

Harold Bergey is back to work with Andy Bird on underground electrical needs. Dale Snader of Dale’s homes donates time and machines to dig trenches. Ken Hershey and Larry Derstine contribute their carpentry expertise to every aspect of the building. John Blanch continues to move the heating work towards completion. Jenne Construction completes the shingling on the 2 story part while making headway on drywalling the kitchen. Tuna, Greg and Robert discuss phasing with the fire marshall in an effort to gain conditional occupancy by June 1.

Come join us and be part of the May Update!

Pic of Pavi on April 1, 2015

Pic of Pavi taken May 1

See more pics here!

TBT: Polar Bear Campers in the New Pavi

Impressive. Well Constructed. Beautiful. These are words people have used to describe the new pavi when look around the construction site. But the word we hear most is BIG. And it’s true. There is a lot of space in the new pavilion. Outside of renovating the kitchen, more (dry) space was one of the main motivators for a new pavi. And now we have A LOT OF SPACE. It’s easy for me to think of all the games, activities, etc campers and staff can play in that space. But that’s my job.

At Polar Bear camp in February I asked campers to consider what they might do in this space. Before they started making cardboard sleds they acted out activities that would take place in the new pavi. They had no trouble coming up with ideas. Look below to see a couple of the ideas they came up with.

I hope they’ll each come back and use the new space this summer.

Will you come too? (Bring a camper, volunteer, or come to the annual sunday service)

If you want a sneak peak of the new pavi before summer come on up to volunteer anytime between now and June!

-Cheeks.

Nye and Campers are ready to play 4 square in the new pavi!

Nye and Campers are ready to play 4 square on the porch of the new pavi!

Benji and campers are ready to sing prayer songs in the new pavi!

Ru and campers pretend to sing in front of the designated spot for the fireplace in the new pavi.

Ray’s campers are ready for fun!

Buoy and campers are ready to eat in the new pavi during inclement weather!

Stay at BBC to enjoy the BEAUTY of Fall Foliage

It’s beginning to look a lot like…FOLIAGE SEASON! The fall foliage season in Vermont has been described as:

“The unbearably beautiful American time and place. Brilliant yellow birch-covered hills slope down to glowing green meadows. Every sugar maple along every country lane combusts in scarlet and gold. The intensity of the season so overpowers the senses that autumn cannot be remembered one year to the next, so its splendor always comes as a shock.” – Charles Kuralt

There is no better place to view the bursting colors than the BBC Cabin!

– Share the beauty with your family and take in the colors while playing on the playground, kayaking in the pond, or exploring the forest. Make memories while having an adventure at a nearby attraction be it hiking, shopping or eating!

– If you’re in need of a quiet, peaceful retreat after a busy summer and a chaotic back to school season come to camp to enjoy the colors from a quiet hill top.

– Or come to BBC simply to support the camp’s mission of helping youth develop their relationship with God. All the while you can enjoy God’s surrounding creation and renew your own relationship with God.

No matter what the reason we want to share BBC’s view with you!

Reserve The Cabin

Use the links below or call/email the BBC office for help in planning a memorable, breathtaking fall getaway! (camp at bethanybirches.org/802-672-5220)

Killington Area (~20 min from BBC):

Killington Hay Festival, Killington Gondola Rides, Hiking, Golfing

Woodstock Area (~ 30 min from BBC):

Billings Farm, Craft Fairs, Hiking, Flea Markets, Great Food!

Ludlow Area (~20 min from BBC):

Hiking, Farmer’s Markets, Train Rides, Antique Car Shows, Golfing

Additional pics of foliage beginning around BBC:

Foliage Begins near Bathhouse

Foliage Begins near the Parking Lot

Bobcat 2013 Slideshow

We had a great snow camp weekend with campers in grades 3-6. The weather was good. The tubing was good. The stove-sides were good. A few pictures:

Fire Marshal Update – round 2

Some pics from the beginnings of round 2, cabin & fire marshal. Stay tuned for picture progress.

Final Auction Numbers & Pictures!

Last year, the 9th Annual Benefit Auction happened less than a month after Tropical Storm Irene brought devastating effects to Vermont. The Auction Committee had a brief meeting to decide whether to continue on with the auction. We decided to give it a try… the auction raised $31,869 (gross) in 2011. That was an amazing for the camp auction! The highest auction number before 2011 was in the mid $20K.

I think auction success in 2011 owes thanks to a gift certificate program to help local business, stirred emotions from things like power outages and road closures and a lot of generous people.

To what does the auction owe it’s success this year? Over $33,000 was raised (gross) – $33, 538 in fact! If you were at the auction or inspired by it in any way and have some insight on how this year’s auction raised even more money than last year leave a comment, please.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all those who gave generously to support the mission of Bethany Birches Camp and help subsidize camp programs so any camper can come regardless of financial reality!

Quick Links

Some pictures of Irene destruction
2012 Lot list with prices written in

Pictures from the day

New Arts and Crafts Program

Thanks to one Beth Horst, we are doing a bunch of new arts and crafts activities this summer. She has much skill in this area and managed to put together a set of new activities for us.

Pictured is Cheeks holding the book and a sample necklace.

Thanks so much, Beth and family, for this great gift!

This brings me to another point. Mike, her husband, recently bought us a set of GPS devices that we’ll use to introduce Geocaching this year! And don’t even get me started on the map that Mike has created for us. So sweet!

Thanks to the Horst family (Mike & Beth) for continuing a long tradition of Kingdom building at Bethany Birches which Mike’s dad, Earl started when he came with a bunch of relatives that we refer to as the Musser Woodcutters.

God will provide. Sometimes God’s providence has nothing to do with our desires and that confuses us. How can a father turn away his hungry child when his child asks for bread? And you reply by asking, what about all those starving children in Africa? That brings us to the Bread of Life. And sometimes, the bread that we have been charged to offer our brothers and sisters in Africa is different from the bread God is offering to all.

Tuna