For the last full day of Youth Camp (ages 15-18) at Camp Qwanoes we do a giant outdoor banquet complete with elaborate decorations, a huge setup, and an incredible meal. It's a memorable night that takes ALL our staff to make it possible. This past summer, the setup for the banquet was well underway—staff were giving their all to make it as special as possible. A camper came up to me and asked a question that caught me completely off guard: "Why are you doing this?"
I was confused. How could she not know? Could she not see? Then I realized it was my privilege to answer. I told her we wanted a celebration of our time together and for every camper to know how special they are, how we love each one, and how we want them to know how much God loves them. I think she saw everything through a different lens from then on.
God is constantly going all out to show how much he loves us and that he wants us to follow him, but so many miss it. This summer, we're going to make sure his love is known and experienced by everyone! Campers will discover how valued they are and how loved they are, all in the midst of amazing adventures and fun. Camp is an ideal place for faith to come alive, to put faith into action, to make a difference, to grow as a leader, to gain positive life-skills and friendships, and to discover and experience life the way God intends it to be.
And we do this together with YOU! SDBC is one of the owners of Qwanoes and last summer we welcomed over 4200 campers—it was our largest nine-week summer ever—and we're hoping for even more this summer.
There are so many ways you can be involved and make a difference: kitchen helpers, dish crew, maintenance crew, activity leaders, cabin counsellors, nurses, doctors, drivers, builders…come for a week or all summer. Consider joining our prayer team, helping us prepare, or invite kids to attend camp. Or maybe join a leadership program (grade 9 and up), bring your family to a Family Retreat, Family Work Weekend, or come to our 60th Anniversary Open House on June 6th. Or, help families send their child to camp by giving to our campership fund, or give directly to a project fund.
Last summer a counsellor shared, "It was my girl who shared in the fireside about how her heart went from a caterpillar to a butterfly. She LOVED being here. On the first day she was given a small bible and she fell in love with reading it. She then got a second, complete bible and she's been talking all about it, she's falling in love with Jesus. She said she's going to share with her parents about God."
Qwanoes summer 2026. Something is happening. We're putting everything into it. Love so strong, life so alive. And everyone's invited!
Join us Sunday, as we hear from Scott during our service and make sure to visit the Spotlight Table. You can also click the button below to learn more.
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