 Camps and retreats are beginning across our campgrounds as we prepare for an exciting 2026 camping season across Canada. Below are the first upcoming opportunities through June, with more events to follow in the months ahead. Each campground will host additional programs later in the season. Visit the links at the end of this article to view the full schedule for each site.
Samish Island — Work Week (Apr 26–May 3)
Ziontario — Camp Clean Up (May 30–31)
Ziontario — Women’s Retreat(June 5–7)
Hills of Peace — Camp Opening Weekend (June 5–7)
Hills of Peace — Women’s Retreat (June 19–21)
Ziontario — Loaves and Fishes Family Camp (June 27–July 3)
For more information and additional opportunities visit our camping pages
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 Several new opportunities are currently available at Samish Island Campground, offering ways to get involved through employment, volunteering, and summer experience.
There is currently an opening for a Grounds and Facilities Manager. Those interested in this role are invited to request a job description and application details. A summer internship in campground management is also available for two individuals age 18 and older. This 8–10 week opportunity offers practical experience supporting the life and operations of a church campground. From April 26 to May 3, Samish will host its annual Volunteer Week, with projects including cabin renovations, landscaping, cleaning, carpentry, and power washing. Volunteers of all skill levels are welcome, and food and accommodations will be provided. The campground is also seeking a head cook to support its programming and community life. For more information about these opportunities, or to express interest, please contact Brad Martell at [email protected] To learn more, including full job postings and upcoming events, click here We look forward to seeing you at upcoming Samish Island events. For more information about upcoming events, please see the calendar.  Have you cooked at camp before—or are you curious about what’s involved in this important role?
You’re warmly invited to join an upcoming online information session focused on camp cooking and supporting those who serve in this role. This session is for experienced camp cooks, those considering becoming a camp cook, and anyone interested in learning more about what the role involves. Topics will include meal planning for camp settings, working with camp directors around food budgets for meals and snacks, purchasing and transporting food, accommodating allergies and food sensitivities, and mentoring and supporting new cooks. The session will be led by Darlene Kent and will include time for discussion, questions, and shared learning. Date: Wednesday, March 25 Time: 7:00 p.m. ET Location: Online via Zoom To receive the Zoom link, register by March 23:  At the recent Nurturing Spirit Retreat at Samish Island (Feb 27–March 1), we welcomed our special guest artist Kathy Nutt, a talented multimedia artist who works across a wide range of forms including ink drawing, acrylics, coloured pencils, printmaking, and photography. Kathy generously donated a beautiful mixed-media artwork for auction to help support the retreat titled Finding the Calm Through the Storm. Congratulations to Jeri Mortimore for placing the winning bid! Throughout the weekend, Kathy guided us—even those of us who don’t think of ourselves as artists—through several creative practices designed to reduce stress, reconnect us with our spirits, and help us release thoughts and worries that may be holding us back. One of these practices was The Magic of Sigils, where we learned how to create meaningful symbols that focus intention and invite the subconscious to work its magic—blending creativity with mindful purpose. We’ve attached an example of a sigil Kathy created, with the intention written beneath it. Although the process—from beginning with a word or phrase to transforming it into a symbolic design—seemed a bit daunting at first, Kathy made it approachable and engaging. Even those of us who usually limit our artistic skills to stick figures and quarter suns in the corner of a picture found ourselves able to participate and create something meaningful! And yes, I am referring to myself, Debra! Kathy McAdam from Chilliwack reflected, “It was a weekend of creative freedom that allowed us to search our souls and discover new creative outcomes, insights, and responses we didn’t know were waiting within us.” As many of you know, recent circumstances have made cross-border travel more challenging for Canadians wishing to attend Samish Island Retreat Centre in Washington. As a result, this year’s Nurturing Spirit Retreat was a smaller gathering of just 15 participants. Yet the richness of the program—and the spirit, creativity, and openness of those who attended—made the experience truly extraordinary. With the incredible support of the staff at Samish, our weekend was nothing short of amazing. For more information about upcoming retreats, opportunities to volunteer, or to share your ideas for future retreats and activities with Creating Connection Canada, please reach out to [email protected]  Calling all lifeguards!!! Community of Christ in Ontario is hiring lifeguards for the 2026 summer for youth camps and reunions. We are looking to hire a Waterfront Supervisor Lifeguard and Lifeguards to meet the needs of each camp.
Dates: Loaves and Fishes Reunion -- June 27 - July 3 -- (Ziontario Campground) Noronto Children’s Camp -- July 3 - July 5 -- (Noronto Campground) Jr High Camp -- July 11 – 17 -- (Ziontario Campground) Kids Camp -- July 12 - July 16 -- (Erie Beach Campground) Kids Camp -- July 18 – July 23 -- (Ziontario Campground) North Star Adventure Camp -- July 22 – July 26 -- (Noronto Campground) Healing and Freeing Reunion -- July 25 - July 31 -- (Ziontario Campground) Erie Beach Reunion -- July 25 – Aug. 2 -- (Erie Beach Campground) Noronto Reunion -- Aug. 8 – Aug. 15 -- (Noronto Campground) Senior High -- Aug. 15 – Aug. 22 -- (Noronto Campground) See the attached position descriptions with the job information/ details Please submit a cover letter stating what camps/reunions you are interested in working and resume to: [email protected] with the subject line –Community of Christ - Lifeguard Application Deadline to submit resume and cover letter: March 17, 2026  We are thrilled to offer a unique opportunity to own a piece of original art while supporting the Nurturing Spirit Retreat at Samish Island (February 27–March 1). Artist Kathy Nutt, our special guest for the weekend, has generously donated an original work to help ensure these meaningful gatherings continue to thrive. Kathy is a lifelong explorer of creativity and a fine artist originally from Canada, currently living in Texas. She finds inspiration in the beauty of nature as well as imagination, the mystical, and fantasy themes. As a multimedia artist, she works across drawing with inks, acrylics, coloured pencils, printmaking, and photography. A gallery of her prolific visual artworks can be found online at: How to bid All proceeds go directly to sustaining the Creating Connection/Nurturing Spirit retreat program. Bidding for this auction is now open and will close February 28th. E-cabins are still available for the Nurturing Spirit Retreat: Finding the Calm Through the Storm, taking place February 27–March 1. This retreat features special guests Kathy Nutt, Ashley Whitham, and Alexis Beer. For more information and to register:  This piece is an image of a sailboat with music sheet sails and gold foil details, sailing in calm, moonlit water encircled by a chaotic storm rendered in thick textures of silvers, blues, and greys. One of the gold foil shapes on the sail includes a sigil representing Calm Through Storm. Artwork details
Acrylic, collage, and gold foil on gallery-wrap canvas 20” × 16” × 1.5”  We invite youth in grades 9–12 to join the SPEC rally at Samish Island, running February 13–16. This retreat will be an opportunity to reconnect with friends, build community, and explore what SPEC is all about—whether you’ve attended before or are thinking about going for the first time.
Those attending in person will gather at Samish Island for a weekend shaped by shared activities, conversation, and connection. If you can’t join us in person, you can still take part online. The approximate cost for in-person participation is $120 USD and there is no cost to join online. Participants who register for the online option will receive a Zoom link ahead of time. For questions or more information, please contact Gwyn Beer ([email protected]).  Join us for our annual Wake-Up Weekend, February 6–8, as we clean, organize, and prepare Samish Island Campground and Retreat Centre for the 2026 camping season, which begins the following weekend.
All volunteers are welcome. To help with meal planning, please RSVP to Shawna Custer at [email protected]  Do you ever feel like a small boat at sea in a big storm? With so much uncertainty in the world, many of us long for a place to slow down, breathe, and reconnect. Connecting to Spirit Through Creativity is a retreat designed to help you find that calm. All of this unfolds February 27 to March 1, 2026, within the peace and beauty of Samish Island Retreat Centre, a setting where inspiration feels natural and connection comes easily. There are many ways to tap into inner peace—through art, music, writing, and mindful presence. Artist Kathy Nutt will lead The Magic of Sigils, a creative practice that focuses conscious intention and engages the subconscious. She will also offer additional arts-based workshops to awaken the creative spirit. Through music and voice, Alexis Beer will guide participants in connecting more deeply with spirit and inner rhythm. Ashley Whitham will explore blackout poetry as a way of opening new pathways of meaning and revealing insights hidden within the written word. Come experience a weekend that restores, inspires, and invites you to be held by something deeper. Cost: $250 Canadian per person |
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