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View from the dishpit

Today I was walking around the new pavi. In part cause I had to do some shoveling in what will become the kitchen. We still have snow in there from the big storm. And now that room is getting closed in so we have to get the snow out! Here is Gary Parker helping to shovel:

It occurred to me as I was shoveling that the folks doing dishes in the new dishpit will have this very view shown above. How cool!

And then I realized that people would climb on the new climbing wall right here:

Then I started looking around for other future uses… here’s where campers will go up the stairs to see the nurse!

I got so excited I just had to share this with you. Speaking of excitement, it’s almost Christmas time. If you’re still looking for a unique gift for someone, consider buying them a piece of the pavi! Honestly, you can do it right here: bethanybirches.org/shop/. This is the camp’s current wish list. It will continue to grow.

Wishing you the very best Christmas, full of fun, relaxation and great food!

~ Tuna

Be Thankful Beyond Thanksgiving

November is a time when we remember to be thankful – in between stuffing ourselves with a delicious feast and watching football! What would it look like to be thankful each day? Ask anyone who has been to camp and they would probably agree that being at Bethany Birches Camp makes it a little easier to be thankful. The atmosphere surrounding camp makes it impossible to ignore our miraculous God.

Around seven years ago I was introduced to camp. I went to visit a staff member (who later became my sister-in-law) and went back the following year to become a counselor. I spent eight weeks in the mountains in Vermont. Every week presented different challenges but looking back the lessons and blessings that I experienced will last a lifetime. I am so thankful for every moment I spend at BBC!

Bethany Birches gives me the opportunity to be myself and to teach campers about Jesus. God takes our efforts and our abilities and multiplies them more than we can ever imagine. When it’s time to leave camp it feels like a part of me never leaves, and I always try to take a little bit of camp with me.

If you have never experienced BBC I strongly encourage you to find a way to help out. Everyone is welcome at camp, all have a talent, skill, or ability that can be used to further the Kingdom of God.

As you enjoying thanksgiving allow me to leave you with this passage: Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100: 4,5

Finn (aka Brent Gehman)

12th Annual Benefit Auction

The 12th Annual Benefit Auction was awesome! It was in a tent on the ball field due to the absence of the pavilion. MANY volunteers helped to prepare for the event – from soliciting donations to setting up the tent and parking. And then of course there’s all those folks who bought stuff! And bought stuff they did – $52,000 worth!

We thank friends of camp who were willing to provide auction matches in the amount of $8500. That certainly helped the total. And the bidding.

And we thank Gallagher Flynn for sponsoring the Mini Bike Raffle. Congrats to a camper family from Montpelier area on the win.

For those of you who weren’t there, what was it like to be there? I’m sure everyone has a slightly different report. So a couple facts first:

It was almost 80 degrees and VERY sunny
There were well over 100 people in attendance including plenty of new faces
Sandy Alderfer and Vernon Martin led the way. Sandy has been auctioneer at the benefit auction since it’s inception (he’s also a hall of fame member and very funny)
Many campers performed the role of “runner” i.e. bringing items to the front and holding them up
There was a high level of emotion around the pavilion – interest in it, questions about it and (from me) the challenge of it!
16 shoefly pies and funny cakes were handed out during the auction preview

As for me, it was a blessing to participate in this day. I felt once again the support of the Bethany Birches Camp community and the inclusion of both new members to the community and outsiders.

Won’t you join in next year? September 26, 2015 here at camp, in the new pavilion!

Tuna

Yes, there was even some water slide happening…
Auction Day Water Sliding

Old Pavi Art Sold At Annual Benefit Auction

On September 27, the 12th annual benefit auction will be held at Bethany Birches Camp.

The original pavilion was torn down just a month ago. And we are busily working toward the completion of the new pavilion. And boy is it going to cost some money to build and finish this new pavilion! Many people have given faithfully, sacrificially and exuberantly. And we are thankful. More on that in a future post. This post is about the auction and old pavi art!

Some camp supporters who are skilled craftsmen decided to make some really cool items for the auction out of the old pavilion. Fred Schlabach and Dave Beidler have been hard at work and they’ve created some incredible stuff. Fred made a bunch of mirrors. He will explain why he chose mirrors at the auction. He also made a pendant light. Dave made a table out of the old pavilion posts! Some of these items will be matched so that when you bid on it your dollar is worth two or three! Who wants one?! Can’t make it to the auction? Place a bid online right here using the codes in the descriptions

Bid Now

: Pendant Light made with mixing bowl from the old kitchen. All hardware for install included. BID CODE: PLBBBC

: Old Pavi window transformed into a mirror: original patina with fresh varnish sealer. BID CODE: PAVWIB

: Old Pavi window transformed into a mirror. Deep red paint and varnish sealer. BID CODE: PAVWIC

: Old Pavi window transformed into a mirror. Gray paint and varnish sealer. BID CODE: PAVWIA

: Old Pavi Posts transformed into a hall table finished with multiple coats of danish oil. BID CODE: BBCTAB

: You can even put a doile on it!

: Old Pavi Siding transformed into a mirror: Red wash over black. Varnish sealer. CODE: MIRROR

: Old Pavi Siding transformed into a mirror: Black with gray inside border. Varnish sealer. CODE: MIRROR

: Old Pavi Siding transformed into a mirror: Black borders with gray wash. Varnish sealer. CODE: MIRROR

: Old Pavi Siding transformed into a mirror: Gray paint and varnish sealer. CODE: MIRROR

: Old Pavi Siding transformed into a mirror: Gray wash over black. Varnish sealer. CODE: MIRROR

Demolition: It’s begun

The old pavilion is no more! We have managed to save some posts, roof structure and fire place rocks. A camp supporter (Fred Schlabach) has taken some of the old building and is making art out of it to be sold at the auction. Beyond these items, the building is gone. You can see for yourself on the live pavicam: bethanybirches.org/paviprogress. Even better, you can watch the building coming down right here (below)! It was quite a site.

What was really awesome (besides the fireplace crushing through the roof as shown in the video below) were the 100 people who came to celebrate the old building and this milestone in Bethany Birches Camp history. Seriously – at least 70 people were put to work for a couple hours to empty the old building. It was awesome! Thanks to those of you who moved all the old stuff out.

Before you watch the video, allow me to ask for prayer (and money). We’re trying to sort out the budget right now. Each day the cost of the building changes as we make different decisions. The building plan is excellent and will benefit the camp greatly. As long as we can make it cost something close to the $1.4M we expected to pay. Pray for wisdom in decision making and speedy info collection. Pray for more money. We still have $400,000 to raise before the goal is met. More on all of this in the next post.

[button-medium color=”green” link=”bethanybirches.org/give-time-pavi/”]I Will Help[/button-medium]

Annual Sunday Service and BBQ (Church at Camp)

It’s that time of year – time for the camp staff to share about their experiences at camp, including how they’re experiencing God. And a Chicken BBQ!

You’re invited. If you can, come up to camp this coming Sunday, July 13, 2014 a little before 10am. Service starts at 10am. AND, there’s a Chicken BBQ directly following. The BBQ is on us (free of charge – however we will take an offering for the Pavilion Project during the service).

As you probably know, the work of Bethany Birches is to create a camp atmosphere where young people can learn, grow and come to faith in Jesus. This Sunday is about how that work is progressing and how we’ve evidenced God working and moving among us.

This post includes some of the folks who shared last summer.

See you here July 13?

August 9: Pavilion Teardown Hoedown Celebration

It’s a sad day and a glad day. As you probably already know, our plan, in faith (and assuming all the necessary permits are finalized), is to tear the pavilion down starting in August. To commemorate the building and the many memories, experiences, transformations, weddings, meals, (fill in the blank – seriously, which memories do you have from the pavi?) that happened under the original pavi roof, a party is being thrown! And you’re invited.

Come one, come all.

Where: Bethany Birches Camp’s Pavilion

When: August 9, 2014 @ 2pm

What: First, work. We’ll haul a bunch of stuff out of the building. Second, party. BBQ and square dance

See you there?

Tuna

Giving Creates Happiness (and more money)

This post is about money and time. These are two scarce resources. By the end of the post, I hope to have made a great case for why you might like to accept my invitation to come and give time to camp, or give money, or both. In the giving of these two scarce resources, you will be happier!

I stumbled upon two blog posts this past week, both dealing with the data that shows giving things away (especially money and time) make people happier.

One post was sent to me by my brother (thanks Bryce). It’s here. In it, author Arthur Brooks writes:

In 2003, while working on a book about charitable giving, I stumbled across a strange pattern in my data. Paradoxically, I was finding that donors ended up with more income after making their gifts. This was more than correlation; I found solid evidence that giving stimulated prosperity.

He’s not talking about tax loop holes… he’s talking about the way that giving stimulates us. He goes on to explain:

Psychologists, I learned, have long found that donating and volunteering bring a host of benefits to those who give. In one typical study, researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia confirmed that, in terms of quantifying “happiness,” spending money on oneself barely moves the needle, but spending on others causes a significant increase.

I have seen this over and over again. I’ve been working for Bethany Birches for 10 years now. One of my primary responsibilities is to reach out to supporters and would-be supporters and share the power of camp with them. It’s amazing. When people are here, at camp, they meet and impact young people. Often they catch a vision of a better world. They are inspired to adjust aspects of their own lives, encourage young people and give to the camp. It’s magical… or perhaps a better word is mystical. Mystical is a better word, I think, because it makes room for the possibility that in this process of relationships and service (giving of ourselves and our resources), God enters.

The second post is from a blog I subscribe to called Generous Matters. In her post, Rebekah Basinger references Brooks’ post and adds some of her own words.

Here’s the problem with all this. It sounds suspicious. Until you experience the joy that comes from giving your time and money away, especially to those who need it (like young people at camp), you can’t quite believe that it can provide meaning and happiness.

Won’t you give it a try?

Give Money Give Time

Tuna

(aka Brandon Bergey)

Pavi Virtual Tour

Check this out! Architect Robert Buchan created this short video tour through the building for the recent Camp Association Meeting. We suspect the building to look something like this: