Graceland bound! SPEC fundraiser update

By Kat Goheen, Canada West Mission Centre Co-President

If camping is what we do best as a church, then SPEC is what we do best in camping! In only fifty days, our Grade 9–12 youth travel to Independence, MO, to tour the Temple, play endless volleyball, and prepare for a week of sports, worship, and music on the Graceland campus. We have a record number of CWM campers from BC, AB, and SK going to SPEC this year, which is fabulous news! As a Mission Centre, we are supporting part of each camper’s registration to the tune of $425 CAD, as well as full fees for two chaperones, which is a little more sobering.

To that end, we held a high-energy fundraiser at the Vancouver congregation on May 18 that featured a SPEC morning worship led by the youth, many SPEC testimonies, and a taco lunch and jewelry sale by donation. Our youth cleaned up the meal and dishes afterwards, just like KP at camp! We raised over $1,500 from those present, and over $2,000 from online donations, and one very generous donation before the event. BC was well-represented in our online Zoom-room and we were pleased to have the entire MacArthur clan from Lethbridge helping out in person.

Here is a joyous report from Shannon McAdam about how the youth pulled together to bring us a wonderful time of worship and celebration of everything that SPEC is to them: 

“The view 'from the pew' was so inspiring! I had arrived thinking my help was needed to facilitate the Zoom, but I was informed it was being handled by a young person! And then I watched with great hope in my heart as another young person set out hymnals, and yet another was making sure all the microphones worked and the sound was set up. Then I was overjoyed to see Charlotte—one of our SPEC youth—take the lead in 'presiding' over the worship experience. She dealt with tech instabilities with grace and led the music with confidence. Young folks shared in readings—one even wrote a poem for the occasion! We also had youth join virtually from Vancouver Island and Northern BC. I felt such a sense of possibility and hope seeing these younger folks stepping up to take the lead in making this event a success. I was moved to tears on several occasions and can't wait to see them all again at SPEC this summer!”

If you feel you missed the boat, don’t worry! You can support the donation drive anytime at Canada Helps or by e-transfer, making sure to specify “CWM SPEC 2025 Fundraiser.” As always, please don’t let this special drive take away from your planned giving, but if you have extra capacity, please share!

Let’s show our youth that we care about them through this tangible gift of love.