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Newsletter 2013: Snow Camp!

A lot of snow + campers + BBC= SNOW CAMP!! Undoubtedly campers love going to camp: to see friends, to see the staff, and at BBC- to learn more about God. We (a group of volunteers) had a great time with the campers in a non-stop action packed weekend, but the focus wasn’t necessarily on snow – It was on God.

Something that stands out in my mind from the weekend was a conversation that a couple of us (volunteers and campers) were having. I remembered one of the campers – he has a brilliant mind but had a hard time processing the existence of one almighty God. He and his family tended to be polytheistic and as we talked about the story of Elijah found in 1 Kings in the Bible, he asked some really good questions – like, “Why did Elijah call upon Baal to bring fire down when that wasn’t Baals ‘gift’ or ‘power’? He wasn’t the god of fire so of course he won’t be able to send fire down on the altar.” Hmm, good point. We continued to go deeper, yet at some point he seemed to reach an impasse, to which he said, “I’m a skeptic…” as if he thought that by saying that I would stop asking questions. We pressed on. He said that it would take a REALLY BIG miracle to prove to him that the God of Abraham is real.

It was a blessing to be a part of that discussion. He was processing the Christian story. He was asking good questions. He has a deeper knowledge now than he had before – whether that translates into a trust in Jesus and eventual service of God’s Kingdom is yet to be seen. At least a weekend at camp filled his heart and mind with knowledge of the truth. Sometimes these conversations can be a challenge, but they’re the ones that can also bring about the most change and can give us the most encouragement to keep going, to keep proclaiming the message of the gospel to a world that so desperately needs to hear it, see it, feel it, experience it – and Bethany Birches IS all of those things to EVERY camper!

Scott Kratz, Volunteer

Annual Association Meeting

It’s that time of year! When the Bethany Birches Association gathers here at camp. In short, we work together, eat lunch and transact business. This year, however, our business transacting will be cut short by two very important things:

A “walk-through” of the pavilion we intend to build in 2014. More on that later.
Family Feud (or Jeopardy) as Annual Report. We did this for the first time last year and it was a hit.

So please, mark your calendar and plan to join us. Even if you’re not an association member. The day is open for all!

Here’s the schedule:

9:00 am – work begins. Total agenda not finalized, but may include: water tramp, clean kitchen, carpentry in shelters, trail maintenance.

12:30 pm – lunch!

1:30 pm – meeting begins (see above for most of the agenda)

4:00 pm – if it’s nice, play a round of disk golf… or just go home!

Can you make it? Drop me a line at brandon @ bethanybirches.org

See you on the hill this spring!

Tuna

Volunteers and Video Conference

Last night I had a very fun experience. I had a 3 hour meeting with a bunch of cool people. Here’s the thing – it was all via Google Hangout (a free video conferencing tool). There were 7 of us on the conference in 4 locations. What makes this more interesting to me is that the meeting was about and for Bethany Birches – a wilderness camp in a rural location. On top of that, the age range of people in the conference was 25-50. I was surprised that it felt relatively easy to engage with each other and in the content of the meeting.

While this is a non-traditional way for a Christian, wilderness camp to operate, let’s think about some benefits:

7 people representing 3 different states would have to travel a LOT to get together physically
That travel costs:
- A lot of money (auto or plane expenses plus lost time at work)
- A lot time (1 day instead of only 3 hours)
- A lot of carbon (we still haven’t main-streamed travel without fossil fuel)
Everyone got to finish out the evening in a way they chose rather than driving home.

In short, I’d say it was a worth while way to have this meeting, even for a camp!

I love when an organization invites me to volunteer in a way that maximizes my time and includes me in the right part of a process. I have a hard time when an organization invites me to give my time before there is an effective way to use it or before there is clarity around the objective.

Our hope here at BBC is that everyone will consider volunteering here in some capacity and that we will find meaningful ways to plug you in. It’s not too late to make plans to volunteer this summer!

Tuna

Occupancy Obtained! THANK YOU

It’s true. Occupancy for the Bethany Birches Cabin has been granted. Here’s the proof, in fact.

This post is about the people who made it happen and what happened. THANK YOU!

What happened:

About a year ago we were informed we’d need to stop using the cabin April 1, 2012
The board and I struggled to find a way forward – including how to pay for the upgrades
Many people gave of their financial resource generously. Without these folks, we couldn’t have done it: First Congregational Church of Woodstock, Doug and Becky Clemens, Dave and Beth Anders, Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, Bernard Sippin and many others.
$75,000 poured in over just a few months.
$65,000 has been spent and we’re done meeting the requirements! We expect to use the “extra” toward a few details in the cabin and any additional toward the upcoming Pavilion replacement. Please do write to me (Brandon) if you’d prefer your gift to be allocated differently.
The fire marshals were kind and flexible and helped us create a building that is much safer in case of fire.

Some of the people: (THANK YOU)

Robert Buchan – helping with permitting and lending knowledge
Paul Derksen & Dave Beidler – carpenters working at a discount seeing the project through
Bergey’s Electric – giving materials and sending retired veterans
Harold & Esther Bergey, Herb & Janet Frederick – the retired vertans
Mike Bryan – overseeing the electrical at a discount
Many volunteers came to help
- The Horsts (Earl, Merle, Mike & Clifford Horst)
- Joanne & Ken Hershey
- Leon Kratz
- Andrew Moyer
- Matt Haritoonian
- Greg Jenne
- Gerry Hawkes
- Kristopher Blanchard
- Scott Hepler
- Dave Doria
- Tom & Gail Smith
- Mary Jane Crockett
- Margaret Campbell
- Diane Root

THANK YOU!

Some pictures from the first first stage

Some pictures from the second stage:

How the lofts look upon completion:

Cabin progress – loft ceilings – killer ski cabin near Killington & Okemo

I am encouraged at the speed with which Dave Beidler is moving along in the cabin. Larry Wilfong joined in to help him recently and they’ve been putting the ceiling in the lofts.

Fire Marshal stopped by yesterday to have a peek. He was pleased.

I continue to be thankful for the many folks who gave to make this necessary project possible. The cabin is going to be an even better, inexpensive location to host your ski trip in the Green Mountains.

Rent the cabin.

Pictures updated:

Help on Sat. Dec. 8

Greetings!

This Saturday, December 8, we could use your help. Here’s what’s going on:

Painting of the easiest kind – priming a brand new wall with nothing on it!
Installing a sub-floor in a basement
Putting the ice rink boards up if time and weather allow

If you can come, just reply in the comments and let me know your time-frame. Even a couple hours will be helpful.

Tuna

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)

Fire Marshal and Cabin Update

We’ve been hard at work! So many volunteers have lent a hand as well as paid help. Paul Derksen of Turning Leaf Houserights

Paul working on exit stair from loft

has been running the construction side of the project and putting paid and volunteer labor to work. Mike Bryan (electrician) has been working with Harold Bergey and Herb Frederick of Bergey’s Electric to get the necessary electrical work done and Jim at Royal Alarms has been making things happen on the fire alarm side! We’ve had so many helpers to date and it’s so encouraging. When this project is finished, we’ll list all those involved.

Something amazing – the giving toward this project. We’ve had two gifts of $20,000! Thanks so much to Doug and Becky Clemens and also the First Congregational Church of Woodstock. It’s just amazing how God moves through people to accomplish things. Many have given besides these two very large gifts. We’re so thankful we can keep moving, buying materials and getting everything in place because of this financial support. And on top of that, Goodro Lumber is giving through a 15% discount on materials and A.M. Goshow and Son supplied the windows for the project. Robert Buchan Architect has given quite a discounted rate on services.

Pray with us that we’ll be ready for a final inspection by the week of June 11 and that we’ll have necessary lodging for staff and volunteers this summer. Pray also for wisdom! We want to make good choices about the Bethany Birches facility – choices that will be cost effective but durable and long-lasting. Choices that will serve the program of the camp extremely well and allow us to continue to create a facility that accomplishes the unique mission God has given to Bethany Birches.

Thanks be to God for all the wonderful people who are coming together to help make this building safer!

And no matter what happens in the cabin, summer 2012 is on and only three weeks away!

Tuna

Leon working on the exit from the loft

Fire Marshal Update: Call for help

It’s been about two months since the fire marshal’s visit. We continue to be thankful for the way their office is working with us and helping to make the building safer.

Here’s what’s happening this month (May):

Electricians are working on the smoke detection system
Egress windows being installed
Cutting trees for a neighbor to earn cash for the project ($5000!)
Stairways being upgraded (smoke proofed)
Exit from loft constructed
LOTS OF CLEANING afterward!

Will you join us? Here are some ways to help:

Carpentry, building trades – May 21-June1. We need at least 2 volunteers each day.
Cleaning – we’ll need help with this from June 4-8
Cooking – particularly things that can be frozen. Baked goods too. We need some lunches for people working the last two weeks of May.

You can let us know when you’re available and what you can give by filling this form out. Again, here are the dates:

May 12: Spring Workday – come one, come all!

May 21 – June 1: Carpentry and building help

June 4 – June 8: Cleanup and prep for summer

Once we hit June, we hope to have occupancy. We expect to begin a small addition project that will finish the requirements for the building. But, because of time, we need to postpone that till August and the fire marshal has been gracious in helping us get a timeline that works.

Join me in praying and hoping for a fun-filled, safe, eternally impacting summer!

Tuna

Fire Marshal Update

I can’t tell you how good it is to be loved and cared for by a community. In Bethany Birches’ case, this is a community of love. A community built on Jesus. I don’t always know how to articulate what that means, but I write it because this community is different than many. For example:

One of our campers made a $10 contribution to the cabin project.
Parents of campers continue to call and write offering whatever they can to help.
Two large churches are planning to give to the project in a meaningful way.

What has become clear over the last two weeks is that many have received something special while at Bethany Birches. Others have received something special by supporting Bethany Birches. They have freely received and so they freely give. This is the way God’s spirit works and it’s so encouraging to be a part of the receiving side.

It’s starting to look like there’s a good chance we’ll be able to get the cabin in shape by June. I met yesterday with Robert (architect) and Paul (builder) to start the detailed punch list. Very exciting. Within a week or so, we ought to be able to post the dates for a couple work days/weekends. There’s already a work group planning to come mid April. If you are or have friends that are skilled in a building trade, contact me and we can find a time for you to get to work!

If you have money you can contribute, you can give through the website or by mail (address: 2610 Lynds Hill Road, Plymouth, VT 05056) or phone (802-672-5220).

Hot off the press – this is from our board meeting last week. One of the greatest challenges to meet is the required exits for the sleeping lofts. We can’t even put a door on the side near the road because the porch roof from below is in the way. In order to get the exits needed, we’re planning to move forward with one of our master plan initiatives. In short, it’s to add adequate bathrooms to the cabin (right now there are two, very small bathrooms). So, if we put the shell for the bathrooms up now, we can bring the two exits out through that shell. Yee Ha!

Next up – completion of design and plans to obtain permitting through the fire marshal.

I thank God for each of you and for what God’s spirit will do here at camp this summer!

Brandon