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Camp Bethel News, March-April 2021, Fincastle, VA
CAMP BETHEL IS OPEN FOR GROUPS AND FAMILIES
In accordance with Virginia’s Phase 3 guidelines, facilities, food services, and conference rooms are available to reserve. Cyclists, hikers, walkers, and day-visitors are always welcome; hiking and biking trail maps and Self-Guided Adventure packets are on our office porch. Disc Golf coming soon! Visit www.CampBethelVirginia.org/groups for information and prices.
CAMP BETHEL 2020 APPLE BUTTER $12/QUART & $6/PINT!
At least one very good thing from the year 2020: Delicious Apple Butter! Our 2020 Apple Butter was hand-crafted on October 9, 2020 by our friends at Cedar Bluff Church of the Brethren. $12/quart & $6/pint. Order yours TODAY at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost, and pick up at the Camp Bethel Office.
COVID-19 CANCELLATIONS CREATE FUNDING VOID. Nearly everything we do at Camp Bethel involves being TOGETHER with others: summer camps, retreats, festivals, meals, and family weekends. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged it all. We cancelled 2020 summer camps for the first time in our 94-year history, and we lost most guest group rentals.
WE ARE INSPIRED AND BLESSED by generous gifts and sponsorships from hundreds of individuals, families, and groups. Camp Bethel “survived” 2020. Specifically, we will retain core staff through (at least) May 2021. (We do not want to lose staff in 2021.) We safely reopened for rentals, events, and we have adapted our programs and food services, with plans to offer Summer Camps in 2021. We maintained site and facilities, and paid invoices for electricity, insurance, and more. 2021 still holds much uncertainty for us. Until the pandemic ends, we will continue to rely on donations to retain staff, safely reopen, and adapt how we operate. Please give to help keep Camp Bethel viable through 2021. Thank you! www.CampBethelVirginia.org/donate.
FOUR WAYS TO HELP CAMP BETHEL:
1. WINTER/SPRING FAMILY VACATION… AT CAMP! Visit CampBethelVirginia.org/groups for info.
2. SPONSOR our SOTM Festival or Disc Golf Course holes at CampBethelVirginia.org/DiscGolf.
3. ORDER Apple Butter & Blankets at CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost.
4. DONATE! Every gift helps! Thank you! CampBethelVirginia.org/donate
SUMMER CAMP ANNOUNCEMENT! Registration is OPEN for SAFE and FUN 2021 resident camps, adventures, trips, and day camps using our “Small Group Unit” model. Health and safety adaptations include: each Unit has their own cabin, bathhouse, and shower; equipment and facilities thoroughly sanitized between use; physical distancing during activities; use of facemasks within 6-feet and indoors; increased Unit autonomy with limited all-camp gatherings; daily health checks; and following Health and Safety Behaviors. Tentative schedule, safety info, and more at CampBethelVirginia.org/camps.
SUMMER 2021 COUNSELORS & KITCHEN STAFF: We seek hard-working and resilient young adults for our 2021 Summer Camp Staff. Counselors serve May 31 through July 24, and Kitchen Staff serve May 28 through August 14. Position descriptions, videos, and applications are at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/summer-staff.
SUMMER STAFF ADOPTION 2021: PRAYER AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We ARE planning to have adapted Summer Camps in 2021, we seek groups, congregations, and individuals to adopt one of 36 Summer Staff Members with a commitment of prayer, letters, and $100. This program benefits everyone involved: it helps Camp Bethel recruit and secure the highest quality Counselors for our Campers, and it helps these excellent young adults to accept God’s call to summer ministry in what will be an unusual (adapted-for-COVID-19) program. Info at CampBethelVirginia.org/adopt.
CAMP SUPPORTER ZOOM WORKSHOP, SATURDAY, MARCH 6: Please ensure that at least ONE person from your congregation attends. 10:00-11:30am, all Camp Representatives, pastors, youth leaders, OMC, friends and supporters of Camp Bethel are encouraged to attend our FREE Camp Supporter Workshop (online via Zoom). Register by March 4 at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/rep.
SPRING VOLUNTEER WORKDAY IS APRIL 3
7:30am free breakfast, 1:00pm free lunch. We need YOUR help! Workday projects (rain or shine; indoor and outdoor) for all skill levels and all ages. RSVP meals by March 26 to 540-992-2940; CampBethelOffice@gmail.com. www.CampBethelVirginia.org/workday
20TH SOUNDS OF THE MOUNTAINS STORY FEST BEGINS APRIL 17, 2021!
Donald Davis returns to our amazing “all-headliners” festival including Dolores Hydock, Kevin Kling, Bil Lepp, Barbara McBride-Smith, and Donna Washington. Enjoy (or Sponsor!) this fun, FREE, and truly unique online storytelling event to encourage donations to Camp Bethel. www.SoundsoftheMountains.org.
MOTHER’S DAY DESSERTS – FOR CAMP & CAMPERSHIPS: Mother’s Day is May 9. Honor Mom with a box of home-made treats and/or a gift to help kids attend summer camp. Each box has 6 Chocolate-Chip Cookies, 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, 4 Lemon Bars, and 6 Shortbread Cookies, all custom-baked-and-made by Wesley Shrader. Each box is $20 or $380 (which pays for 1 child’s week of summer camp). Order TODAY for pick up on Friday, May 7, 10:00-4:00 at Camp Bethel or 4:30-6:30 at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke. www.CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost
GIVE A CHILD A CAMPERSHIP FOR SUMMER CAMP
We will not be able to hold an in-person Sow the Seed Banquet, so please give instead. We annually grant Camperships to an average of 108 children for an average total of $27,165 (2010-2019). Please give $380, which is the 2021 cost for a child to attend one week of camp. Mail checks with memo "Camperships" or donate at <www.CampBethelVirginia.org/donate>
COMING SOON: DISC GOLF AT CAMP BETHEL!
Thanks to a generous gift from Stottsberg Engineering (www.StottsbergEng.com) and with help from the Roanoke Disc Golf Club, we will soon install the “front nine” of our new Camp Bethel Disc Golf Course along the fields and forests of our southern acreage. Hole Sponsorship opportunities coming soon! www.CampBethelVirginia.org/discgolf
REQUESTING PROPOSALS FOR RV VILLAGE CONSTRUCTION!
We have approval from Botetourt County, and we have initial funding provided by your gifts to the “Seed, Scattered and Sown” campaign, so now it is time to build! Updated site layout and images for Camp Bethel’s long-planned 15-site “RV Village” area are at VirlinaFuture.org. Plans include water, electric, sewer, picnic table, campfire ring, and parking for 2-3 cars. Contact Barry for info!
SELF-GUIDED ADVENTURES FOR YOUR FAMILY: Compass Trails (or Letterboxing) use clues and a compass and GPS Trails (or Geocaching) use a GPS device (Google Maps) and GPS Coordinates to find each destination. Each adventure has a theme, a color code, an estimated time to complete, and a brief description of activity level. Compass Trails include Camp Bethel Fun Facts; Exercise Circuit; and Photo Challenge. GPS Trails include Photo Challenge; Nature Facts; and Coyote Survival. Packets are on our office porch or at CampBethelVirginia.org/self-guided-adventures.
CAMP BETHEL WISH LIST: 20” box fans; 20”x20”x1” MERV-13 air filters; adhesive weather stripping; duct-tape; infrared forehead thermometers; Clorox wipes, face masks, hand-sanitizer; disinfectant sprays; road-worthy mini-van or 15-passenger van (2015 or newer); clothes dryer; kitchen refrigerator; chest coolers w/ handles; play parachute; digital cameras; GoPro video camera; portable LCD projector; gas grill; laptop computer (Windows 10); LED light bulbs; new (in-the-box) first-aid kits; new (in-the-box) bike helmets & horse helmets; working vacuum cleaners; brooms & dustpans; 3’x8’ plyboards for under bunk mattresses (any thickness or quality); “Tree Cookies;” disconnected smart phones (with their charging cables) for use as a cameras and video cameras. Please help our Amazon wish-list at: https://a.co/5qG5JYq or CampBethelVirginia.org/donate. Tax-deductible!
TREE COOKIES NEEDED: Please help supply THOUSANDS of Tree Cookies for our year-round programs. Ideal “cookie” is hard wood, cross-cut showing tree rings, 2.5”+ diameter and less-than 0.5” thick. 540-992-2940 or CampBethelOffice@gmail.com. THANK YOU!
2021 OUTDOOR MINISTRIES COMMITTEE
Naomi Powers (Daleville) Chair; Sam Foster (Cloverdale) Vice-Chair and Finance Chair, Stephanie Naff (Mount Hermon) Secretary; Randall Eakin (Oak Grove); Trish Haskins (Fairview Rocky Mount); Charles Huffman (Germantown Brick) Property Chair; Terry Johnson (Troutville); Junior King (Mount Hermon); Amanda Leddy (Williamson Road) Program Chair; Kim Martin (Hollins Road); Ron Rucker (Summerdean); Peggy Sink (Germantown Brick); Scott Yingling (Oak Grove); Barry LeNoir (Camp Director) Ex-Officio; Kathie Robinson (Virlina District Treasurer) Ex-Officio.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY E-NEWS at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/subscribe.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube = CampBethelVirginia Tag/Pin #CampBethelVirginia “Camp Bethel Summer Camp and Event Center”
UPCOMING EVENTS AT CAMP BETHEL, www.CampBethelVirginia.org/events
2021 Summer Camp Registration is OPEN.
March 6, 2021 (Sat), 10:00am: Camp Supporter Zoom Workshop.
April 3, 2021 (Sat), 7:30am: Spring Vol. Workday, RSVP free meals.
April 17, 2021 (Sat): Big 20th Sounds of the Mountains Online Story Fest.
May 27-31, 2021: Memorial Day Family Weekend, RSVP meals.
May 31-June 11, 2021: Summer Staff Training.
June 11, 2021 (Fri), 5:30: Summer Staff Commissioning.
June 13–July 30, 2021: Summer Camps & Adventures.
September 3-6, 2021: Labor Day Family Weekend, RSVP meals.
September 4, 2021 (Sat): Camp Bethel PEP! 5K.
September 22, 2021 (Wed): 27th Benefit Golf Tournament.
October 2, 2021 (Sat): 37th annual Heritage Day Festival.
November 6, 2021: Fall Volunteer Workday, RSVP free meals.
Camp Bethel
328 Bethel Road
Fincastle, VA 24090
540.992.2940
CampBethelOffice@gmail.com
www.CampBethelVirginia.org
CAMP BETHEL IS OPEN FOR GROUPS AND FAMILIES
In accordance with Virginia’s Phase 3 guidelines, facilities, food services, and conference rooms are available to reserve. Cyclists, hikers, walkers, and day-visitors are always welcome; hiking and biking trail maps and Self-Guided Adventure packets are on our office porch. Disc Golf coming soon! Visit www.CampBethelVirginia.org/groups for information and prices.
CAMP BETHEL 2020 APPLE BUTTER $12/QUART & $6/PINT!
At least one very good thing from the year 2020: Delicious Apple Butter! Our 2020 Apple Butter was hand-crafted on October 9, 2020 by our friends at Cedar Bluff Church of the Brethren. $12/quart & $6/pint. Order yours TODAY at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost, and pick up at the Camp Bethel Office.
COVID-19 CANCELLATIONS CREATE FUNDING VOID. Nearly everything we do at Camp Bethel involves being TOGETHER with others: summer camps, retreats, festivals, meals, and family weekends. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged it all. We cancelled 2020 summer camps for the first time in our 94-year history, and we lost most guest group rentals.
WE ARE INSPIRED AND BLESSED by generous gifts and sponsorships from hundreds of individuals, families, and groups. Camp Bethel “survived” 2020. Specifically, we will retain core staff through (at least) May 2021. (We do not want to lose staff in 2021.) We safely reopened for rentals, events, and we have adapted our programs and food services, with plans to offer Summer Camps in 2021. We maintained site and facilities, and paid invoices for electricity, insurance, and more. 2021 still holds much uncertainty for us. Until the pandemic ends, we will continue to rely on donations to retain staff, safely reopen, and adapt how we operate. Please give to help keep Camp Bethel viable through 2021. Thank you! www.CampBethelVirginia.org/donate.
FOUR WAYS TO HELP CAMP BETHEL:
1. WINTER/SPRING FAMILY VACATION… AT CAMP! Visit CampBethelVirginia.org/groups for info.
2. SPONSOR our SOTM Festival or Disc Golf Course holes at CampBethelVirginia.org/DiscGolf.
3. ORDER Apple Butter & Blankets at CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost.
4. DONATE! Every gift helps! Thank you! CampBethelVirginia.org/donate
SUMMER CAMP ANNOUNCEMENT! Registration is OPEN for SAFE and FUN 2021 resident camps, adventures, trips, and day camps using our “Small Group Unit” model. Health and safety adaptations include: each Unit has their own cabin, bathhouse, and shower; equipment and facilities thoroughly sanitized between use; physical distancing during activities; use of facemasks within 6-feet and indoors; increased Unit autonomy with limited all-camp gatherings; daily health checks; and following Health and Safety Behaviors. Tentative schedule, safety info, and more at CampBethelVirginia.org/camps.
SUMMER 2021 COUNSELORS & KITCHEN STAFF: We seek hard-working and resilient young adults for our 2021 Summer Camp Staff. Counselors serve May 31 through July 24, and Kitchen Staff serve May 28 through August 14. Position descriptions, videos, and applications are at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/summer-staff.
SUMMER STAFF ADOPTION 2021: PRAYER AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We ARE planning to have adapted Summer Camps in 2021, we seek groups, congregations, and individuals to adopt one of 36 Summer Staff Members with a commitment of prayer, letters, and $100. This program benefits everyone involved: it helps Camp Bethel recruit and secure the highest quality Counselors for our Campers, and it helps these excellent young adults to accept God’s call to summer ministry in what will be an unusual (adapted-for-COVID-19) program. Info at CampBethelVirginia.org/adopt.
CAMP SUPPORTER ZOOM WORKSHOP, SATURDAY, MARCH 6: Please ensure that at least ONE person from your congregation attends. 10:00-11:30am, all Camp Representatives, pastors, youth leaders, OMC, friends and supporters of Camp Bethel are encouraged to attend our FREE Camp Supporter Workshop (online via Zoom). Register by March 4 at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/rep.
SPRING VOLUNTEER WORKDAY IS APRIL 3
7:30am free breakfast, 1:00pm free lunch. We need YOUR help! Workday projects (rain or shine; indoor and outdoor) for all skill levels and all ages. RSVP meals by March 26 to 540-992-2940; CampBethelOffice@gmail.com. www.CampBethelVirginia.org/workday
20TH SOUNDS OF THE MOUNTAINS STORY FEST BEGINS APRIL 17, 2021!
Donald Davis returns to our amazing “all-headliners” festival including Dolores Hydock, Kevin Kling, Bil Lepp, Barbara McBride-Smith, and Donna Washington. Enjoy (or Sponsor!) this fun, FREE, and truly unique online storytelling event to encourage donations to Camp Bethel. www.SoundsoftheMountains.org.
MOTHER’S DAY DESSERTS – FOR CAMP & CAMPERSHIPS: Mother’s Day is May 9. Honor Mom with a box of home-made treats and/or a gift to help kids attend summer camp. Each box has 6 Chocolate-Chip Cookies, 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, 4 Lemon Bars, and 6 Shortbread Cookies, all custom-baked-and-made by Wesley Shrader. Each box is $20 or $380 (which pays for 1 child’s week of summer camp). Order TODAY for pick up on Friday, May 7, 10:00-4:00 at Camp Bethel or 4:30-6:30 at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke. www.CampBethelVirginia.org/TradingPost
GIVE A CHILD A CAMPERSHIP FOR SUMMER CAMP
We will not be able to hold an in-person Sow the Seed Banquet, so please give instead. We annually grant Camperships to an average of 108 children for an average total of $27,165 (2010-2019). Please give $380, which is the 2021 cost for a child to attend one week of camp. Mail checks with memo "Camperships" or donate at <www.CampBethelVirginia.org/donate>
COMING SOON: DISC GOLF AT CAMP BETHEL!
Thanks to a generous gift from Stottsberg Engineering (www.StottsbergEng.com) and with help from the Roanoke Disc Golf Club, we will soon install the “front nine” of our new Camp Bethel Disc Golf Course along the fields and forests of our southern acreage. Hole Sponsorship opportunities coming soon! www.CampBethelVirginia.org/discgolf
REQUESTING PROPOSALS FOR RV VILLAGE CONSTRUCTION!
We have approval from Botetourt County, and we have initial funding provided by your gifts to the “Seed, Scattered and Sown” campaign, so now it is time to build! Updated site layout and images for Camp Bethel’s long-planned 15-site “RV Village” area are at VirlinaFuture.org. Plans include water, electric, sewer, picnic table, campfire ring, and parking for 2-3 cars. Contact Barry for info!
SELF-GUIDED ADVENTURES FOR YOUR FAMILY: Compass Trails (or Letterboxing) use clues and a compass and GPS Trails (or Geocaching) use a GPS device (Google Maps) and GPS Coordinates to find each destination. Each adventure has a theme, a color code, an estimated time to complete, and a brief description of activity level. Compass Trails include Camp Bethel Fun Facts; Exercise Circuit; and Photo Challenge. GPS Trails include Photo Challenge; Nature Facts; and Coyote Survival. Packets are on our office porch or at CampBethelVirginia.org/self-guided-adventures.
CAMP BETHEL WISH LIST: 20” box fans; 20”x20”x1” MERV-13 air filters; adhesive weather stripping; duct-tape; infrared forehead thermometers; Clorox wipes, face masks, hand-sanitizer; disinfectant sprays; road-worthy mini-van or 15-passenger van (2015 or newer); clothes dryer; kitchen refrigerator; chest coolers w/ handles; play parachute; digital cameras; GoPro video camera; portable LCD projector; gas grill; laptop computer (Windows 10); LED light bulbs; new (in-the-box) first-aid kits; new (in-the-box) bike helmets & horse helmets; working vacuum cleaners; brooms & dustpans; 3’x8’ plyboards for under bunk mattresses (any thickness or quality); “Tree Cookies;” disconnected smart phones (with their charging cables) for use as a cameras and video cameras. Please help our Amazon wish-list at: https://a.co/5qG5JYq or CampBethelVirginia.org/donate. Tax-deductible!
TREE COOKIES NEEDED: Please help supply THOUSANDS of Tree Cookies for our year-round programs. Ideal “cookie” is hard wood, cross-cut showing tree rings, 2.5”+ diameter and less-than 0.5” thick. 540-992-2940 or CampBethelOffice@gmail.com. THANK YOU!
2021 OUTDOOR MINISTRIES COMMITTEE
Naomi Powers (Daleville) Chair; Sam Foster (Cloverdale) Vice-Chair and Finance Chair, Stephanie Naff (Mount Hermon) Secretary; Randall Eakin (Oak Grove); Trish Haskins (Fairview Rocky Mount); Charles Huffman (Germantown Brick) Property Chair; Terry Johnson (Troutville); Junior King (Mount Hermon); Amanda Leddy (Williamson Road) Program Chair; Kim Martin (Hollins Road); Ron Rucker (Summerdean); Peggy Sink (Germantown Brick); Scott Yingling (Oak Grove); Barry LeNoir (Camp Director) Ex-Officio; Kathie Robinson (Virlina District Treasurer) Ex-Officio.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONTHLY E-NEWS at www.CampBethelVirginia.org/subscribe.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube = CampBethelVirginia Tag/Pin #CampBethelVirginia “Camp Bethel Summer Camp and Event Center”
UPCOMING EVENTS AT CAMP BETHEL, www.CampBethelVirginia.org/events
2021 Summer Camp Registration is OPEN.
March 6, 2021 (Sat), 10:00am: Camp Supporter Zoom Workshop.
April 3, 2021 (Sat), 7:30am: Spring Vol. Workday, RSVP free meals.
April 17, 2021 (Sat): Big 20th Sounds of the Mountains Online Story Fest.
May 27-31, 2021: Memorial Day Family Weekend, RSVP meals.
May 31-June 11, 2021: Summer Staff Training.
June 11, 2021 (Fri), 5:30: Summer Staff Commissioning.
June 13–July 30, 2021: Summer Camps & Adventures.
September 3-6, 2021: Labor Day Family Weekend, RSVP meals.
September 4, 2021 (Sat): Camp Bethel PEP! 5K.
September 22, 2021 (Wed): 27th Benefit Golf Tournament.
October 2, 2021 (Sat): 37th annual Heritage Day Festival.
November 6, 2021: Fall Volunteer Workday, RSVP free meals.
Camp Bethel
328 Bethel Road
Fincastle, VA 24090
540.992.2940
CampBethelOffice@gmail.com
www.CampBethelVirginia.org
