It was billed as a fundraiser for the Northern Echo Bible Camp but with the blowing snow and plunging temperature outside, it could have doubled as a Christmas supper.
Nevertheless, a large crowd filled the hall of the Christian Reformed Church in Emo on Friday evening to raise money for this year’s camp, to socialize, and to enjoy a fantastic turkey meal.
The turkey supper, complete with dressing and home-made pie, was prepared entirely by Stuart and Debbie Firth and their family, who must have spent many hours preparing the amount of food necessary for such a large crowd.
When more people arrived around 7 p.m., extra tables were set up and the cooks simply went back into the kitchen and returned with even more containers of turkey and all the trimmings.
It is this kind of dedication and generosity that has kept the Northern Echo Bible Camp going for so many years.
Emcee Lori-Ann Shortreed thanked the Firths for their hard work.
“Everything was home-made, even the apple pie,” she enthused as the satisfied crowd applauded in appreciation.
Shortreed explained that rather than setting a specific price for the supper, there would be a free-will offering, which would go towards the cost of running this year’s camp.
The first “Rainy River Bible Camp” was organized by the Covenant Churches of the Rainy River District in the summer of 1951. The first camps were held six-and-a-half miles outside of Fort Frances, along the Rainy River.
The cost of running a summer camp always has been expensive.
At first, the cost of setting up and operating the camp was covered by a few dedicated volunteers. By 1958, however, the camp rate was $2.50, with most of the food including the meat being donated.
Camp insurance was a great concern from the very beginning. At first, each child was charged 25-50 cents to cover the cost. Later, it was recorded in the camp minutes that the cost for insurance rose to $10 for a three-year period.
The Rainy River Bible Camp operated at its location along Highway 602 until 1958, when the cost of running it just became too expensive.
A committee then was formed to locate a camp that could be rented for a short period of time. The Bible camp officially moved to its present location at Sunny Cove Camp in the summer of 1959.
Transportation to Sunny Cove, in those days, was by boat and cost $41. By then, the average cost of camp was between $7 and $10. There was a sliding rate for those families that had several children.
No one is quite sure where the present name of “Northern Echo Bible Camp” came from, but the traditions established by those early camp pioneers are still part of today’s Bible camp.
This year’s camp, for students from Grade 2-7 (ages eight-12), is called “Son World—Adventure Park” and will run from July 12-17.
The theme of an adventure park will allow for some special activities in the evening, such as Disney night, PJ night, wild hair night, and twin night, explained Shortreed.
The camp, of course, also will include sports, crafts, singing, drama, and swimming.
The cost for one child will be $135, and $120 for each additional child from the same family. Financial assistance will be available again this year by contacting Pastor Ken Johnson at 274-1873.
If you have a child, or know of one, who really wants to attend this year’s camp and money is the only issue preventing them from attending, call Pastor Ken.
Northern Echo Bible Camp always has prided itself on being accessible to all children who wish to attend.
If you would like to sponsor a child (or two), contact Pastor Ken or send a cheque to Northern Echo Bible Camp, P.O. Box 261, Fort Frances, Ont., P9A 3M6.
The aim of the camp continues to be getting the gospel to the young people of Rainy River District.
As one camp pioneer expressed it, “Camp is a real fruitful place of service for boys and girls accepting the Lord, and for Christian boys and girls to grow spiritually.”
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