 Attention campers and families! There is only 1 week left to take advantage of our Early Bird Pricing! You get $25 off if you register and fully pay your fees by July 1st. Bringing a friend? Use code FRIEND25 to get $25 off the fees for both you and your friend.
If you love to live life #Unfiltered, join us Aug 10-16 for everything you love about camp: friends, food, Nailed It HOP Edition, campfire, and more. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be one of the best weeks of your summer! Instagram: cwm_youthcamp Email: [email protected]  A moment with your Mission Centre President by Becky Middleton, Canada West Mission Centre Co-President It is with sadness we acknowledge the cancellation of Kid's Camp for yet another year. The camping program has been, and may continue to be, the connection our young people have to each other and the Community of Christ. My grandchildren have all loved going to family camp and subsequently Junior (Kid's) and youth camp. Relationships made at camp between the youth have continued through social media connections, Spectacular, Mission Conference etc. Relationships made with God and learning about the Community of Christ at camp continue for a lifetime.
Yes, there is work involved too, but most importantly camp is FUN! It starts with Family Camp. PLEASE consider bringing, sending, paying for your children, grandchildren, adoptive family etc. and come to camp! We need you to step up. Now, more than ever, we need to support our Hills of Peace campground and the camping program!  Bring your family, July 20 - 27, to the beautiful Samish Island campground for a week of fun in the sun! Activities include: games, crafts, music, worship services, relaxing, classes, guest speakers/ministers, horseshoes, volleyball, canoeing, baseball, evening campfires. We will explore the theme "Heal the Earth: A Restoration Imperative" with our guest ministers Apostle Robin Linkhart and Bishop Ron Harmon.
Camp Directors: Chris Phelps (Canada West Mission Centre) and Lisa Stecher (Inland West Mission Centre)  We are sorry to announce that due to low enrollment, and lack of staff, this year’s Hills of Peace Kids Camp has been cancelled. We hope to see you next year!
If you have any questions please email the directors at [email protected] Directors: Amanda Senga, Deborah Mason, Marsha Kliotis  By: Kat Goheen, Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Another learning from my Camino: I planned my last 100 kilometers of walking so that I could arrive in Santiago de Compostela on April 22, doubling up on earlier days to leave only 20 kilometers to walk on the last day. My goal was to arrive in time for Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral without being overly exhausted. That last night my friends told me, over paella, that the big mass of the day was at noon, which I didn’t know! I left well before dawn so that I could arrive in Santiago in time to stow my pack at the post office and get a seat at mass. It was incredibly rushed, but worked out, along with meeting my dear Welsh friend! After mass, we queued up and got our Compostela certificates and ate a late lunch…and then, the rush settled. I had arrived. Nowhere left to walk – my next trip was a bus to Portugal, and a plane home. My friends, who were devout Catholics, felt an extra glow about passing these landmarks. But for me, it was overshadowed with grief. While my feet were more than ready to come home, I had enjoyed the journey and was sad to see it end! My new Spanish friend gushed to me, “Kat, the Camino is life!” I replied, “Yes, but the Camino is over, and life continues…” With a direct look he spoke to my heart: “Your Camino is only beginning.” I don’t know who needs to hear this. Maybe a job contract is ending, an illness is closing in, a church building is being sold, a camp is being cancelled. What kind of ending is this? What kind of beginning? The love we hold is not lost, and it can be a training ground for deeper relationships and wisdom to emerge. Let us learn from our experiences and claim the depth of soul they bring!   Please join us for the Canada West Mission Conference 2024, taking place from September 27 to 29. The Edmonton congregation will be hosting this year, and you are warmly welcome to join us either in person or online via Zoom. Our theme this year is "Bright Hope."
Important deadlines coming up: August 1st: Congregational reports due August 15th: New Business motions due Send questions and submissions to: [email protected]  Register now for a summer adventure at Hills of Peace Kid's Camp! We invite all kids entering grades 3 - 7 to join us June 30 to July 5 for a week of fun activities including campfires, arts & crafts, dance, cooking classes, movie nights, and more. Our camping team is dedicated to ensuring every camper has a fantastic and safe time. We can't wait to see you and share this exciting adventure! The sign-up period is closing soon. Register today to secure your spot! From Sun, Jun 30, 2024, 3:00 PM MDT To Fri, Jul 5, 2024, 11:00 AM MDT Hills of Peace Campground North West 2-38-6-West 4 Cadogan, Alberta, Canada  One of the challenges of Community of Christ seminary is, not everyone who would like to take seminary qualifies, as it is a Masters Degree program. In response to the need for programs that do not require undergraduate degrees, Graceland University now offers other courses of interest to members, through the CIMM program. Recent CIMM sessions focused on Discerning, the Trinity and the Mission Prayer.
Upcoming Online Classes through CIMM: The Center for Innovation in Ministry and Mission (CIMM) through the Graceland University/Community of Christ Seminary has opened the following classes for enrollment: Summer B Session (July 1 through August 25):
Most classes include non-degree continuing credits. The popular "CIMM Sessions", free ZOOM sessions, will resume after the summer break on Wednesday nights starting September 4.  By Becky Middleton, Canada West Mission Centre Co-President It has been my joy and privilege to share in a few happenings over the last few days that have reinforced the idea that We Are One. I took a van load of friends/neighbour ladies to a choir concert put on by the Provost Lutheran Choir. The choir however was made up of people from several different denominations from the communities of Provost, AB, and Macklin, SK. It was held in St. Norbert's Catholic Church - Rosenheim. The church is now an historic site hosting only a couple of special events throughout the year and the district of Rosenheim is just out in the lovely countryside between towns. Sunday- the Senlac Community of Christ congregation met with the Macklin/Provost United Church congregations at the United church in Macklin where I provided the service for that day. This has happened several times now and all of us are enjoying our worship together and getting to know each other better. Sandwiched in between these events, we were able to take in the wonderful celebration of life service for Linda Klughart, our beloved Seventy from SK, who passed away in January. This was accomplished through the wonderful collaboration of technology and ministry from across Canada and the USA. Thank you to all involved! It certainly reinforced to me the idea that not only are we 'One Canada', but with the inclusion of 'all voices'... we are 'creating connections' as one world in God's desire for us to come together in unity and love.  By Debra Donohue Creating Connection Director Canada West This past weekend we held “What is Enough? Making Space for What Matters” at Samish Island Campground and Retreat Centre. This is the second time we’ve combined the Nurturing Spirit team and the Nurturing Justice team to create a space that can both acknowledge the tough stuff, like making changes and bringing awareness to challenging topics, while offering nurturing practices to help process these topics in a loving and healing way. At this retreat we offer both 2 and 3-night packages for those who can attend longer. And really, who doesn’t want to spend more time at Samish! The Sessions We began the weekend really looking at what nurtures our spirit and questioning what is enough and what is too much for each of us individually. We discussed sustainable practices like composting, recycling, upcycling, and buying better quality product that will last longer so we’ll have less waste. The group shared tips on repairing furniture, appliances, darning socks and using the ‘visible mending’ technique to mend clothing creatively without discarding it. We explored the concept of What is Enough to retire on and what kind of lifestyle could be ‘enough’ for us. Isabelle Hachette from World Accord had just returned from a visit to Nepal, and she shared success stories in the RENEW program. Our discussions included how embracing a new idea often requires a profound change, which can be sparked by either beautiful or tragic experiences. We talked about the Climate Crisis and used the old stories of Stone Soup and Loaves and Fishes to explore sharing in community as a way to use less. Stories are a wonderful way to help us open up to both new ideas and old ones that can still work in for us in today’s world. We delved into systemic racism and acknowledged how one race can never fully understand another’s experience of racism. To balance these intense discussions, we engaged in playful and creative activities such as playing games, writing poetry, sculpting with playdough, and coloring. We ventured into the forest for Forest Bathing and practiced the deep relaxation technique of Yoga Nidra. We also tried simple practices like breathing, rocking, shaking, tapping and sounding to help our nervous system slow down, rest, and relax. Our goal was not to judge what is enough for anyone, but to help each of us explore what is enough for ourselves and recognize what might not be enough for others. My brother, David Donohue did a weekend of service at Samish. He painted, mowed the lawn, pressure washed, chopped wood, helped us with tech, and much more. To find out how you can do a weekend of service at Samish Island during one of our retreats, and at no charge, contact [email protected] Our next Nurturing Spirit retreat is the Nurturing Silence retreat at Samish Island, Washington. The theme is ‘Deepening into Silence’ Go to www.NurturingSpirit.CreatingConnection.ca to reserve your spot. More information will be coming soon.  A Moment with your Mission Centre President by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President What a great weekend and rewarding experience to be at HOP work camp this past weekend- May 31-June 2! The weekend started on Friday May 31 for some by attending Lauren Levitt's (Senlac Congregation) graduation exercises from Lakeland College in Lloydminster. Others went straight to the Hills of Peace to get started. Saturday was a lovely day weatherwise and the three page list of jobs as well as some not listed were able to be completed by late afternoon. There is no picture of the workers because- well, we were all working! It was the largest turn out for numbers (20 plus) we've had in a while and many willing workers got things done so efficiently. In addition to work though, we had great food, even greater fellowship, and generally a good time! You should have been there! LOL You can be there this summer, by coming to Family Camp August 3-8, or volunteering or registering for Kid's camp June 30- July 5, or Youth camp Aug. 10 - 15, or the Men's retreat Sept 13-15. The possibilities before us offer great potential for MORE FUN, FELLOWSHIP, FOOD ETC. Come be a part of it!! You will love it and we will love to have you there.  We are excited to share that we surpassed our goal and raised $35,138.00 during Hills of Peace Month! Your donations will cover the campground’s insurance premium and help us continue serving the Canada West Mission Centre. Please be sure to read the attached letter from Dorothy Ungstad, Chair of Hills of Peace Campground, to learn more. Thank you! 
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