You are Invited!

Register now for a Taste of Hills of Peace online reunion "Let Peace Dwell Here" which begins this Sunday, July 11.​

Last week I highlighted the “Taste of Hills of Peace” online reunion which happened this week. Those attending enjoyed a very good few days with Apostle Janné Grover and other guests. I also briefly highlighted the upcoming “Taste of Samish” online camp and promised more information this week. The following was provided by camp director Kat Goheen.

“Toward the Peaceful One” is the theme of our Taste of Samish online camp, July 29-Aug 1. This Thursday-Sunday experience hopes to offer not just a taste of the campground that we love, but also of the in-person events we love to do there: Reunion, youth camps, Kimtah, and Nurturing Spirit. The full days begin with meditation, two with Vickie MacArthur and one with dancing! We then have an intergenerational worship gathering. Janné Grover will offer a discussion class on Thursday and will offer preaching ministry on Thursday evening and Sunday morning at our communion service. Our elementary and middle-school aged kids will have fun with our games and fellowship during our early afternoon canteens with Laura Harrop and Kat Goheen. We have another class offering on Friday morning with Rod Downing and the North American Climate Justice Team, and classes on the enneagram with Lanette Vawter and Kat Goheen on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. Vickie MacArthur will lead us through a sabbath experience of yoga nidra on Friday afternoon. Reunion wouldn’t be the same without our community campfire, which Dan Beer will stick-handle on Friday, and we’re pleased to announce that Alexis Beer will host our Talent Show on Saturday night. Both of them would appreciate your recorded submissions! Our teens will share with Sean Langdon, Alexis Beer, and Shannon McAdam at our Teen Late Nights.

Our schedule is spacious, yet generous, and hopefully provides food for thought and for soul. Please make room in your calendar to join us for our taste of Samish! Click here to register! Contact Kat Goheen (jkgoheen@gmail.com) with any questions.

Other events are also still upcoming. The following information is repeated from last week.

Campground Association Meetings: Meetings will be held in association with both online reunions for members from their respective areas to receive updates on “their” campground, receive financial information, and elect Board members for the next term.

For information about the Hills of Peace Campground Association All Members Meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Alberta time on Thursday, July 15, please click here: HOP All Members Meeting. This meeting will be of interest to members of congregations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Email steve@communityofchrist.ca to advise of your interest in attending and Steve will send you Zoom link information for the meeting.

Similar information for the BC Caucus Meeting of the Samish Island Campground Association will be available next week. It is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, August 1, starting at 1:30 p.m. BC time. This meeting will be of interest to members in British Columbia.

In addition to these events, check information in the CWM Summer Programming 2021 announcement about the “Hang Out” for Junior High and Senior High youth on July 20, 27, and August 3 and 10, as well as the “Discover Peace” camp for Junior aged children scheduled for August 16 to 19.

Please Register NOW for the events you wish to attend. We are planning for all events to be of interest to, and very worthwhile for, everyone.

As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times.
​
Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Last week “Summer Beckons” was my theme. I invited you, somewhat in passing, to be sure to look for information about the online camps coming up for Canada West. This week I want to be sure you have access to full information about them – because they are coming up SOON! Links to registration processes are provided in the event details for which links appear below for each event. Register NOW!

A Taste of Hills of Peace: starts THIS SUNDAY EVENING (July 11). The theme for the online reunion is “Let Peace Dwell Here.” Our guest minister is Apostle Janné Grover who will join us “virtually” from Independence, Missouri. Janné will be speaking at the opening service on Sunday evening and leading a discussion each morning from Monday through Thursday. In addition, the North American Climate Justice Team of Community of Christ will make a presentation on Monday evening, David Barth will bring us up to date on World Accord on Tuesday evening, and Wednesday evening will be a “sharing and connecting” opportunity for all attendees. On Thursday morning there will be a closing worship following Janné’s class. For more information click on these links: Taste of Hills of Peace Details and Taste of Hills of Peace Schedule

A Taste of Samish runs from July 29 to August 1. The theme is “Toward the Peaceful One” and Apostle Janné Grover will also be a guest minister for this event (although she will not be leading the daily class discussions here). Additional guest ministry will be provided by Sean Langdon, Leadership Support Minister (among other titles!) with the Greater Pacific Northwest Mission Centre, and Vickie MacArthur from Lethbridge, Alberta. There will be a variety of programming that cannot really be well summarized in the space available here. More information will be published next week. Meanwhile, check the schedule here: A Taste of Samish.

Campground Association Meetings: Meetings will be held in association with both online reunions for members from their respective areas to receive updates on “their” campground, receive financial information, and elect Board members for the next term.

For information about the Hills of Peace Campground Association All Members Meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Alberta time on Thursday, July 15, please click here: HOP All Members Meeting. This meeting will be of interest to members of congregations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Email steve@communityofchrist.ca to advise of your interest in attending and Steve will send you Zoom link information for the meeting.

Similar information for the BC Caucus Meeting of the Samish Island Campground Association will be available next week. It is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, August 1, starting at 1:30 p.m. BC time. This meeting will be of interest to members in British Columbia.

In addition to these events, check information in the CWM Summer Programming 2021 announcement about the “Hang Out” for Junior High and Senior High youth on July 20, 27, and August 3 and 10, as well as the “Discover Peace” camp for Junior aged children scheduled for August 16 to 19.

Please Register NOW for the events you wish to attend. We are planning for all events to be of interest to, and very worthwhile for, everyone.

As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times.

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Canada West Mission Centre has determined that in-person events will not be planned at least through the end of August of 2021.

To be clear, this decision means that for the second year in a row there will not be a Canada West Mission Centre reunion/family camp at Samish Island, and there will be no reunion/family camp or youth camps or retreats at Hills of Peace. Official notice of this decision has been provided to both the Samish Island Campground Association Board and the Hills of Peace Campground Board.

In addition, it has been determined that Canada West will not be supporting delegations of youth attending “Graceland Spectacular” this summer, since SPEC 2021 has been cancelled.

A number of factors were considered by the Mission Centre staff to arrive at this difficult decision:
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• COVID-19 is still very active on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border (which affects our “local” members and friends, and our guest ministry who typically come from the U.S.)
• Although there are promising decreases in case levels in recent days/weeks, there is no guarantee this will continue into the summer, particularly with the addition of the new “variants” into the situation.
• We believe the main thing that will give people confidence to return to large-group activities is the wide-spread application of the COVID vaccines. Significant coverage of all age groups and high-risk populations is not expected until mid-summer and possibly into the autumn.
• Even if there were to be a remarkable up-tick in vaccination rates, we believe there will be reluctance to gather in large groups as early as this summer.
• Similarly, in our discussion about Samish events and SPEC, it is our impression that many/most people will be reluctant to cross the Canada/U.S. border even if it is open by this summer.

The decision to cancel the programs through to the end of August leaves a “faint hope” opportunity that we might still be able to hold an in-person Mission Conference on Labour Day weekend. Discussions are underway about the Hills of Peace Men’s Retreat in September that are leaning towards a “virtual” event. Watch for further information about these events over the next few months.

Plans for alternative ways to facilitate our retreats, camps, and reunions are still under discussion and we cannot make definite announcements at this time. Please watch for program announcements over the next few months in our news and updates and events calendar sections on our webpage and in the events calendar in the “Reggie” registration system.

Thank you for your attention. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca 

​REGISTRATION CLOSED
 
Camp Schedule

Note: July 2 orientation has been cancelled and will take place at beginning of each Week 1 virtual gathering.
 
Junior Camp – Wednesday nights (7:30 to 8:30 mountain time)
Week 1 (July 8):  Cooking activity *gathering will be from 7:30 to 9:00 for orientation
Week 2 (July 15): Nature activity
Week 3 (July 22): Art activity
Week 4 (July 29): Handyman activity
 
Junior High Camp – Tuesday nights (7:30 to 9:00/9:30 mountain time)
Week 1 (July 7):  Paint Night
Week 2 (July 14): Nature activity
Week 3 (July 21): Nailed It (baking activity)
Week 4 (July 28): Give Back project
 
Senior High Camp – Thursday nights (7:30 to 9:30 mountain time)
Week 1 (July 9):  Paint Night
Week 2 (July 16): Nature activity
Week 3 (July 23): Nailed It (baking activity)
Week 4 (July 30): Give Back project

To answer some questions you might have:

• The online camps have been planned for all youth from BC to Manitoba.
• We have planned three separate online camps (Junior, Junior High and Senior High) for youth who have finished grade two through grade twelve.
• The online camps are an opportunity for youth who may not normally be able to attend camp to connect with other youth in Canada West.
• The online camps  are not simply online gatherings . Each camp will have online and offline activities.
• Registered campers will receive an activity package which will contain the instructions and supplies needed for the weekly camp activities.

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If you have any questions, please contact me.
Lisa Neudorf
Camping and Retreat Specialist
lisa@communityofchrist.ca