Oil Spill in the North Saskatchewan River

As a result of the Husky Energy oil spill last week and with consultation and advice of the Ministry of Environment and the City of Prince Albert, Shekinah Retreat Centre will not be offering any water-based activities in the North Saskatchewan River until we receive confirmation that there is no longer a threat of contamination.

The oil spill only affects our water-based activities and has no impact on our drinking water supply as we draw our water from ground water through a well that is located on our property.

The health and safety of our campers and all who rent our facilities are our top priority and these precautions will remain in place until the relevant authorities have deemed it safe to utilise the river again.

We will be monitoring and testing our drinking water supply to ensure it remains safe throughout the duration of this contamination.

Shekinah Retreat Centre Board and Management

Children's 1: Psalms

Last week was our first week with campers this summer, and we had a blast! there was energy and enthusiasm and thoughtfulness! In our bible time, we talked about how to be a Co-Creator with God. We learned there are 5 steps: Naming, Studying, Care taking, Appreciating, and Praising. On the last day, our leaders had us create our own Psalms as an act of Praising the Maker for good creation! Here's what we wrote:

Psalm S.4

When Jesus died on the cross,

We suffered a great loss.

Rocks tumbled, thunder roared,

Mountains crumbles, rain poured,

Leaving our hearts covered

In moss

But as the sun cracked through the harsh black

A new light shone onto our Souls…

Everyone’s beautiful

Everyone’s fruitful

These are our new goals.

By Shanty 4

To the tune of “some chicken”

Well God made a little tree and I couldn’t make it grow

But I took good care and the next thing you know

Well the tree gave me air

And a new plant to sow

And now I see trees everywhere I go.

Do op Do op

Some creation

Do op Do op

Some Praise

Do op Do op

Some creation

And now I see trees everywhere I go

Well God made a little skunk who made me really mad

When he sprayed me up and down and I smelled so bad

But I gave him forgiveness

And he was so glad

Now we’re friends and I named him Vlad.

Do op Do op

Some creation

Do op Do op

Some praise

Do op Do op

Some creation

And now we’re friends and I named him Vlad!

By Shanty 5

Nature Psalm

For the trees that blow in the breeze

And for the river that cools our knees.

For the flowers that grow and bloom

And the birds that praise in tune.

For the sun that lights our days,

In you name we praise.

Thank you Lord for this place of fun,

Thank you Lord for everyone.

By Shanty 6

Palm 151

Thank you God for the river that flows

Thank you God for the berries that grow

We thank you for the songs that we sing

We thank you for the joy that you bring

Thank you for the food that we eat

That you for the people we meet

We thank you for the frogs on the ground

We thank you for the trees all around

Thank you for the deer than run

Thank you that the day’s begun

We thank you for the clouds in the sky

We thank you for the snakes so sly

By Shanty 7

Shekinah Psalm

The nature is powerful

Beautiful and untouched.

It frees you from the sins of man.

It is peaceful and quiet.

The sun brightens the land

The animals roam freely

The trees sway through the peaceful breeze.

God can lead us down new paths.

God makes all this possible

God brought beauty to the land.

Praise the maker.

All is balanced. All is good.

By Shanty 8

The Shekinah Psalm

The presence and glory of god is with us.

It is here in the colour of the butterfly’s wings

The presence is here in the twisting of the valleys and ravines.

The glory is here in the bending of the trees.

God is here in our relationships we have with each other

and with the nature around us.

The presence and glory of God is with us here at Shekinah

now and always will be.

By Shanty 10

A sermon on James 1:17&18 - God's kind of Perfect

This Spring, I was honoured to have been asked to speak at two different conference churches. Below is what I got thinking and talking about. Enjoy!

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. (James 1:17-18)

Once I heard this short joke: A man calls on God to talk, saying, “God, we don’t need you anymore. Humans have learned and mastered creation”. God says, “Let’s see this then”. The man says “Well, first we take some dirt…”, and God interrupts him, saying, “Wait. If you’re going to create life without me, you’ve got to use your own dirt!”. 

I think the reason this has stuck with me is lying in James 1:17-18: Every perfect gift is from above. And while we learn this when we’re young, we may not think seriously about this outside of the evolution vs. creation debate. And while this debate is an important question to ask oneself, I think it’s missing the point… at least when referencing James 1.

This verse causes me to feel that tension. The thought of God giving us perfect gifts is appetizing! But it also implies a great deal of responsibility for our actions on Earth. To think that every Perfect gift comes from above, it causes me to think of what my creations have been, and how close to perfection, my gifts and talents can be.

I’ve always loved the word “perfect”. I spent a lot of my childhood trying to please others and, as a child, it is very difficult to understand anything in between right and wrong. Though I was taught to be thoughtful and critical, I couldn’t grasp the idea that something –an action, theory, or way- could fit into a category other than “right” or “wrong”, “good” or “bad”. And it’s been a struggle to undo this way of thinking. In my experience, I’m not the only person -or the only Mennonite- to struggle with this kind of strong conscience.

As I began my degree at Canadian Mennonite University, I was told that I was going in to find some answers, but would leave with more questions. When I was told this, I don’t believe I understood it completely. I believed I was receiving strictly education. And I was. But now I see education as contagious. Once you come to an answer, to one question, another 5 questions don’t seem impossible to solve anymore, and exploration begins! And so, though I explored many questions I had about life and theology, I found that not many of these answers could fit into the categories of “right” or “wrong”, “good” or “bad”. The answers, my answers, fit somewhere in between. And my answers were different from other’s. I learned that we were living in that in between. Between right and wrong, good and bad. And I began to make connections between living between right and wrong, and living in a kingdom that is here, but not yet full. Some parts of the kingdom of heaven are here: they are right and good. But this world is still so broken. 

And this is where James 1:17-18 comes in. Every generous act of giving, every perfect gift, comes from above. This must be the part of the kingdom that is here on earth. This is where the child in me –the one that loves to find perfection- is in awe. In awe of God’s perfect creation. But because the kingdom is not yet full, it is sometimes hard to see these generous acts and perfect gifts. And God does not work in the way we expect… Let’s not forget we’re human, broken in sin, and what we create, even in our imagination, cannot be perfect. We cannot imagine, or create, perfection. We can only see perfection in God’s creation. 

It is part of what I love about my work at Shekinah. Not to mention that Shekinah is the Hebrew word for “Glory and Presence of God”, a fitting name for a place where I’ve heard countless times it’s a little piece of heaven on earth. At camp, I see these perfect gifts all around. It’s easy here to see God’s creation, whether it be the obvious nature all around, or the friendships and relationships that are formed, or how camp tends to bring out the best in people.

The nature at Shekinah, I always find to be refreshing for the soul. Not only in what it can scientifically do for our bodies, but for what it teaches our mind. When we learn about biology, and how nature can sustain itself –and not just individual plants, but all ecosystems and all of the natural earth- we see perfection. Nature is perfect. It is made of numerous, self-sustaining and life giving systems. And although I recognize the debate between creation and evolution, I’ve grown accustomed to living in the in between, and come to my own answer for the questions: I believe that nature is too perfect to be random; it is too perfect to be from this world. Rather, I believe it was created and designed by our maker. And it is too perfect to be simply a gift for humanity. I believe God created our natural world, knowing that of our curiosity to learn; knowing that we would study nature and call it our own. And so God made it interesting for us. God made creation something we could study and understand; something that makes sense to humankind.

The friendships at camp: they form so quickly and look as though you’re putting together two pieces of a puzzle. But in reality, we are just two of God’s creations who interact with one another, and give light to God’s invisible creation: relationships. And these relationships are indeed a generous act of giving and, in that, perfect gift from above. Humankind is a relational kind. We need interaction. And true friendships are generous acts of giving. Giving part of yourself and your strengths to another creature. And because humans are broken, it is also important that we give each other our struggles and imperfections, and share in them. By no means will any friendship be completely perfect, because we are broken and we cannot create perfection. But the gift of friendship, that is from God.

Which leads to us as creatures. I said earlier that camp can bring out the best in each of us. I believe that simply being near to God’s perfect creation will help bring out the part of us that is what God intended us to be: Created in Gods image. The first fruits of God’s creation.

At camp, I have the privilege of encouraging individuals to be proud of themselves, of who they are naturally, just how God created them to be. Over the past number of years, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why I work at camp. And this has been the clearest to me. And saying that I encourage others to be proud, may appear to be too forceful, especially for some good humble Mennonites, but that is where living in the in between revisits. When we become proud of ourselves, it is not a complete pride, in that we take credit for ourselves. It’s the kind of pride we find when we’ve created something beautiful. Something that is in the image of what our creator can do. Something that is a gift FOR above… an effort to replicate the love we are given by our creator, for our creator. We are proud of who we were created to be, and we cannot have that pride without gratefulness to God. And as we recognize ourselves as creatures, we must remember that we are still creatures in a broken, sinful place. We too are broken and sinful. We make mistakes, and we struggle with certain parts of our lives. Some of us struggle with pride, some with greed, some with self-doubt. We all struggle in life. And we cannot be rid of those struggles, at least not in this life. We live in a world in between human made creation and God made creation; A kingdom of heaven that is here, but not yet full. And we live in a body that is created, but not perfect. We are born into a space that is in between; a space that is not “right” or “wrong”, “good” or “bad”, “black” or “white”. We’re born into a world filled with colors. And how fitting that God gives us a rainbow in remembrance that God is never changing and will never leave us. And so, let us take pride in and be grateful for the creation our God has given us. Thanks be to The Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Amen.

-Katie

Living green

Hi Again! Curtis here. Recently, Shekinah set up a booth at the Living Green Expo in Saskatoon for the weekend. It was our first foray back into the world of trade shows after a lengthy hiatus with the goal of drumming up a bit more business for the Timber Lodge and connecting with a few more prospective campers. These are worthy goals, to be sure, but one might raise an eyebrow at our presence at this particular show. The question I have been asking myself over the weeks since is: do we deserve to be a demonstrator at a show that promotes green living?

After giving much thought to that question, the answer I have come up with is yes, but just barely. I can think of a lot of reasons why we don't live up to that charge. All of our buildings are heated with natural gas, which I know is the status quo in Saskatchewan but when you look at all of the green presentations on display at the Living Green Expo, our fossil fuel set-up seems behind the curve. We buy all of our groceries for food services from a town 70km away and we pick them up weekly using a truck that is a pig on fuel when the same job could be done with a smaller, more fuel efficient car. Now, we have been trying to use more food that is produced close to home and that works a lot better in the summer, when produce is in season, and the truck is kind of our only option as beggars can't be choosers and we are certainly beggars in the vehicle department. Don't get me wrong, the camp truck is a great vehicle that is a much-needed work horse pulling out cars from snowbanks, and hopefully by next winter will be plowing snow with a front mounted blade, but wracking up the highway miles on that thing to pick up food produced in Mexico or California is pretty emissions heavy. Those are two quick examples of ways that we certainly could be doing better and hopefully our experience with the living green expo will push us to work a bit harder towards that reality. We aren't doing a terrible job by any means, but we aren't leaders in green living like we have the potential to be.

I did say though that we did, just barely, belong at Living Green and I intend to justify that conclusion. Firstly, we do have solar panels on top of the Timber Lodge. They are used to pre-heat the domestic hot water to reduce the amount of fossil fuel energy required for that piece of the puzzle. The Timber Lodge was also built using a lot of salvaged materials so we have that as a green angle. Secondly, our many activities are all human powered at Shekinah. We don't allow snowmobiles, quads, or dirt bikes on site and we encourage people to re-discover the power of their own two feet to move them around the camp, whether that is walking, running, or riding a bike. I like the way this reminds people of what our selves are capable of with engines, motors, and technology stripped away. Lastly, I want to talk about what I believe is at the heart of Shekinah's green identity: summer camp. Campers get to experience a whole week of living in a shanty (carbon footprint zero!) and immersing themselves in the sights, sounds, and smells found in 287 acres of (mostly) natural area. The bible curriculum used for once-a-day worship times teaches us to live simply, in harmony with our neighbours and with God's creation. Campers are exposed to a worldview which is in many ways radically counter-cultural and provides ways to practically live out a calling as followers of Jesus in a world where our neighbours and natural envionment are calling out for reconciliation. During camp over the last few summers, we have explored themes like making peace in different ways, being in covenant with God, being named in God's holy image, and all of these are grounded in the setting of Shekinah, which I think nurtures a humility that allows us to approach kingdom-building work with a conviction, rooted in love, to share the presence and glory of God with others. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven.

Tis the season...

Christmas time has come to Shekinah. Many of us this time of year are contemplating the desire to look at Jesus’s earthly walk with new eyes for a fresh year ahead. For us at Shekinah, this season involves decorating with lights and wreaths to create an atmosphere of celebration of Jesus’s birth. We want to create that atmosphere for our big Christmas event: A Buncha Guys Christmas concerts. These concerts are the best excuse for a supporter of Shekinah such as yourself to find yourself within our walls during the Christmas season.

We love to see familiar faces and new ones coming through the Timber Lodge doors to experience with us the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of Christmas. It is an opportunity to come together with our camp family and make a human connection in the midst of this dark and frosty season. It is one of those times you can confidently drive down the steep and wintery hill in the dark and know with certainty that you will reach the top when you go to leave and you are not alone in that endeavour. It is a time to hear some great music that appeals to a wide swath of listeners that speaks to the heart and invigorates the soul. You can hear the 4-part male voices of A Buncha Guys and this year, we had the special treat of the unique blend only a family band could achieve from the Friesen family. Thanks to Chris, Louise, Silas, Simone, Godwin, Amos, Junia, and Caspian for providing us with joy from your singing and many instruments. You truly were a special guest.

Another bonus of coming to the Shekinah version of the Christmas concert (as opposed the Knox concert in Saskatoon, which is also very good and highly recommended) is that you get to enjoy a very fine selection of Christmas baking from the Timber Lodge kitchen and that in itself is reason enough to make the trip out. Take part in the fellowship time after the music has finished ringing through the beams of the Timber Lodge and stay as long as you like tasting the treats and enjoying the company of friends you haven’t seen for a while who share your same love for the setting and mission of Shekinah. Consider giving generously to support the work of Shekinah when you attend the concert where the beauty of Shekinah’s ministry and the joy and hope of Christ’s coming are manifest in the faces of those around you and the warm memories of what camp has done in our lives and the lives of those who need it. While this year’s concerts have come and gone, I hope to see you all when we do it again next year and wish you and your family a merry Christmas.

It's getting closer!

In other news, the toboggan run on Quill Hill is getting close to full snow coverage, one centimeter at a time it seems. It almost seems like temperatures might actually stay below zero now so the ice for skating and broomball should be ready to go soon but at the moment is not and although snowshoeing and skiing are not really in the cards right now, the upside is that hiking is still relatively easy because of the lack of snow and access to all of our hiking trails is good to very good. So get outside here or wherever you are and enjoy the beautiful outside weather which through the grace of God we are able to enjoy despite the somewhat ominous implication that winter may be fundamentally changing through a gradual shift in climatic norms to warmer temperatures for Saskatchewan.

So in conclusion, may your holidays be filled with the love of family and of God above who humbled himself 2015 years ago to be born in a manger and live among us so that we may come to know his desire for us, that we share his love with friend, enemy, and stranger so that we may fully embrace the love he has for us, which is unconditional, undeserved, and wider than our understanding. Merry Christmas.

Stories from Summer Camp 2015

Hello Hello!

I must first apologize for the tardiness of this post! I should have posted this end of season report sooner! Personally, adjusting to the new season has been busy and time consuming, preventing me from sitting down and writing. However, I still think it is not only important to write about summer, but also life-giving! And so, let’s reminisce about the previous season:

To put it simply, camp was awesome. And I mean that in the total sense of the word. I am still in awe with regard to how well camp ran, and how our staff worked, how each person loved each other and this place, and the goodness that God blessed us with. After giving my summer report to the board, they reminded me that there is truly something incredible about this statistic: no campers left camp early due to homesickness. It seems that I had forgotten why we don’t want kids to get homesick. It’s not because we don’t like dealing with homesickness, but rather because we (camp staff) want every camper to love Shekinah as much as we do. We want Shekinah to be a second home for campers the same way it is for us.

And so, our staff that worked towards this goal this year included 1 kitchen coordinator, 8 full time counsellors, 10 counsellors in training, and a great deal of support from volunteers. Allison Schmidt was our kitchen coordinator for the second year in a row, doing a tremendous job with the menu and kitchen organization. Our returning counselors were Meghan Wiens, Nora Pederson, Jenae Funk, and Matt Schellenberg. Or new counselors were Brita Pederson, Ryan Wiens, Dylan Longhurst, and Bandon Janzen. One interesting quirk about our counselors is their love for travel and service. 6 of our counselors have travelled to Guatemala either with Rosthern Junior College Alternative Learning Service Opportunity week or Canadian Mennonite University’s Outta Town program. Speaking of the Outta Town program, 2 of our male staff have been on the program previously, and the other 2 are now currently studying with the program. The 2 staff who did not spend time in Guatemala spent time learning and serving in Granada. The counselors used their experience with service to serve the campers, even sharing their stories during our Bible time. This summer’s curriculum was all about peace; peace with self, peace with others, world peace, and peace with creation. The counselors took on the responsibly of leading a full week of bible for our Sr. Teen camp. They used the curriculum as a basis, but relied on their personal experiences with peace. It was truly incredible to see the staff enjoy taking such a responsibly.

(Left to Right, Top Row: Dylan, Ryan, Matt, Brandon. Bottom Row: Nora, Brita, Meghan, Jenae)

We also had a superb group of 10 counsellors-in-training: Adelle Sawatzky, Dannica Funk, Hailey Funk, Jadyn Lennea, Kaitlin Kolbe, Jesse Neufeld, Zachary Stefanuik, Avery Leblanc, Marcus Kruger, and Conner Friesen. This group of high school students quickly bonded together and began to care for and encourage each other. The C.I.T’s loved spending their time at Shekinah, being a part of the family, and working with the campers. One great thing about our group of C.I.T’s this summer was that they all returned to be campers during our Sr. Teens week! Sr. Teen’s landed up being our fullest week this summer with 33 campers total. Our Jr. Teen’s weeks combined had 40 campers, and our Children’s weeks combined had 30 campers. Our total camper number ended up at 111, which is a little less than 2014. Of course, there is the long list of volunteers that made this summer possible, and better than ever. Volunteers can spend time with us, either in the kitchen, bible tent, or in spirit through our Camp Connections program. This program just finished it’s 2^nd summer running, and has really begun to grow roots.

(Left to Right: Hailey, Adelle, Zachary, Marcus, Jesse, Avery, Connor, Jadyn, Kaitlin, Dannica)

Already, I’ve been talking with others and planning for Summer Camp 2016! I’m excited to begin putting these conversations into action, including searching for a new nature focused curriculum for our staff and campers. Yes, that does answer the age-old-question of whether I plan to return for summer 2016 J I’m very excited about continuing my leadership in the summer camp program. Since we’re still in the planning stages, unfortunately I can’t announce much else right now, but stay tuned in to our website, Facebook, and Instagram for updates throughout the year! Like always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding summer camp, feel free to contact me.

Take care for now,

Katie Wiebe

Summer Camp Program Director

Katie@shekinahretreatcentre.org

Grand Camp 24 - 26 July 2015

I can’t remember the first time someone brought up the concept of Grand Camp to me. I do know that it was in the first few weeks after I had started and so we weren’t quite ready to do anything about it. Several weeks ago I was approached by some of the members of one of our local churches asking if there was something we could do. The main reason behind hosting a Grandparent – Grandchild camp is to create and environment whereby the next generation will have the opportunity to experience the presence and glory of God in a non-traditional setting. The weekend is designed to be fun and interactive for the grandparents and the kids while also allowing relationships to build and grow.

The concern that seems prevalent amongst many of the grandparents in our congregations is that their grandkids are exposed to so many different influences today, yet somehow they are not exposed to God’s love. There is a hole in our congregations. The congregation is aging and the youth are voting with their feet. Sunday School classes get smaller and the classes for the older kids get cut. Some Sunday school programmes are even asking the question of whether or not they should continue. If ever there was a need to expose our kids to the love of God it’s now, but the traditional recipe does not appear to be working.

This is certainly not the case in all congregations as some churches are thriving and growing. Is it a question of theology? I don’t think so. The church has grown and evolved over the last 2000 years and now it is time to think about what we are doing and how we are doing it. So what does this have to do with Shekinah and Grand Camp? Well this is an opportunity to look at things with new eyes. Do you want your kids in church but you don’t know how to get them there? Do you want them to want to go and get involved? What does a church filled with engaged and excited youth look like? These are some of the questions we want to explore this weekend amongst the grandparents. By no means is that the focus. The focus of this weekend is the grandkids. Let them have fun with each other, with their grandparents and in the presence of God. This is not a weekend to do church but rather a weekend to allow kids to come and have fun and get exposed to world they may be missing out on.

One thing to think about is what happens when we return to our congregations, to the routine? How do we follow this up? Well that remains to be seen, but if we want to achieve something and make a positive impact we need to take the first step.