Our Summer Celebration Tour is fast approaching. Join us as we reflect on this past year and hear stories of those impacted by the ministry of Camp Kahquah.
This will be an evening of fun & fellowship and fundraising with one Kahquah’s cooks, Tobi Droppert, serving special desserts, coffee and of course her famous sticky buns.
Go to www.campkahquah.com to register.
See you there!
Welcome to all Week 4 Family Campers! We are so glad that you are here with us this week; the weather looks great and we have lots of fun things planned for you and your family. Our Welcome Dinner was in full swing at 5:30 with many new and returning friends and families.
Sunday morning we enjoyed fresh, mouth-watering, homemade cinnamon buns. Following cinnamon buns, we gathered in the Big Top as we welcomed Dan and Amy Richards. Dan is our Pastor for the week and Amy is our Worship Leader, we are so glad to have their family join us this week. A delicious roast beef lunch was enjoyed and before we knew it sand castles were being built! A shark’s mouth and a giant gator were formed along with many other sculptures. Our camp boat was running all afternoon, and many families had a blast at our beach picnic games. Friends and families gathered in the lodge for sundaes and floats later that evening as well.
Monday was a little bit of a cloudy day, but nonetheless, families were out and about enjoying the day. We had our Activity Hub open and a continuous sign out of kayaks, canoes and paddle boards at the beach. Today we celebrated Gini Mae’s 7th birthday (Ryan and Amy’s daughter), many of the staff and family friends gathered at the Summit Chapel to celebrate this very loved little girl. Our Family Trivia Night was happening in the Big Top, followed by our Meet the Directors/Kahquah Update Meeting as well.
The air was crisp Tuesday morning but our hearts were full as Amy lead us in some amazing worship and Dan shared an inspiring message with us. Following Chapel, Katie Wiens lead some super Aqua Fit at the beach. There was then hours and hours of rain in the afternoon but families enjoyed each other’s company while playing a wide variety of games in the lodge. Tonight we switched around our Programming due to the weather and had our Kids and Teens Movie night, as well as our Ladies Craft.
Wednesday was another chilly morning. Families brought blankets and towels to Chapel, but afterwards the heavens opened up and the sun came out. Our canoe day-trip headed out to explore the waterfall on Ahmic Lake just after lunch with 6 full canoes. Across the road we had our Activity Hub open and the Rock Wall had climbers for the entire time! At 7 p.m. our last Kahquah Carnival of the year took place at the volleyball courts. There were many stations set up, popcorn available and some great tunes as well.
The sun came out Thursday morning, and there were even a few youth down at the dock swimming at 7 a.m. We heard from Dan and Amy Richards once again in Chapel, following Chapel Sandy Bell lead many in a workout class on the beach. During the afternoon, the Camp boat was out running the whole time and many families were enjoying the beach. After dinner, our Kahquah Talent Show was held in the Big Top with many wacky yet wonderful talents. Sundaes and floats concluded our night and then everyone headed to bed.
Friday morning the sun was out and the lake was calm. We had one last Chapel as Hope Brownlee shared her Camp story with us. The beach was fairly full during the afternoon and the camp boat was well enjoyed as well. At 7 p.m we kicked off our final Cafe and Euchre tournament. Family campers, Bruce and Carol took home the win after many close games. Then, pretty much the entire Camp headed out to enjoy what was the first and last campfire of Camp season 2018 (due to the extreme fire ban). Headed to bed, we had a great week with you all and a great Season! Can’t wait to see you next year!
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
A great big hello to all of our Week 3 Family Campers! We are so glad you are here with us this week. Most families arrived at 2 p.m or shortly after, and within a short few hours the Camp was full with Brownlee’s, Wideman’s, VanDerMark’s, Burrison’s, Thompson’s, Fretz’s, Soppit’s, Lofthouse’s and many other families. We kicked off our week with a Welcome Dinner in the lodge, followed by many hello’s all around.
Sunday morning we welcomed our Worship Leader, Andrew Thompson and his “crew” as they lead us in a few songs. Jonathan Manafo is our Pastor for the week and he joined us later that evening. Kenny MacSweyn shared his Camp story with us at Chapel and talked about what God is and has been doing through this place. Our weekly sand castle building contest took place in the afternoon. Many teams participated and there were some great sculptures. My family (The Wideman’s) took home the win at the end with a life size canoe sculpture. The beach was full until sundaes and floats in the lodge. To say the least, it was a great first full day!
I hear Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were amazing days here as well. I was away, on a B.I.C. FLOW retreat, but it sounds like everyone enjoyed themselves. Our activity was open every day from 2-5 – families were able to go across the road and use our rock wall, high ropes course, low ropes course and archery. The Camp boat was also running; tubing, wake boarding, skiing and knee boarding have been big hits this week. One of our staff members, Saira Maloney has been organizing the kids craft each day and I hear it has been full.
Wednesday evening we celebrated two individuals who were baptized! Hayden Fretz (one of our CREW members) and Megan Cameron (one of our LITs) publicly declared that they want to follow Jesus. Nolan Beni, the Youth Pastor at Riverside Church came up to baptize them and it felt as if the whole Camp was down at the beach cheering them on. Truly a memorable moment here at Kahquah.
Thursday morning the sun was shining and the air was crisp. At Chapel Jonathan spoke about mercy. He discussed the difference between mercy and merciful, and then addressed the importance of showing mercy to ourselves and others. Matthew 18 and Luke 15 are great examples of what mercy looks like. Jonathan added that Micah 6:8 is exactly what God wants from us. He then closed by rhetorically asking, “Who do you need to show mercy towards?” We have loved having Jonathan here this week from the Village Church!
Before lunch Katie Wiens lead us in Aqua Fit at the beach. Our weekly Volleyball Tournament took place in the afternoon with eight teams competing. Although there was lots of competition; The Vandermark Family (Grayden, Bridgeley, Gabi and Anna) had the hits to win it all. Thursday was full of sunshine, and with a temperature of over 30°C the beach was well enjoyed. At 7 p.m our Kahquah Talent Show was held under the Big Top, every bench was full, and it looked to be our biggest turn out yet. Sundaes and floats followed in the lodge.
We blinked and just like that the last full day of Week 3 Family Camp has come and gone. The day started off cloudy and rainy but during Chapel the heavens opened and the sun came out. After lunch many families were at the beach enjoying the water, paddle boarding, kayaking, and canoeing. Our activity hub, and camp boat were running and people took full advantage of those all day which was great.
At 7:45 we kicked off our Euchre Tournament with 28 teams signed up, a record breaking tournament! Our Café began shortly after with sweets and treats to be enjoyed. Friends and families were playing board games and card games; the lodge was full of good, fun conversation. 3 hours later our Week 1 champions, Meredith Engle and Justin Osolky conquered all 28 teams and won the finals!
Saturday morning was cloudy and the air was crisp as families packed up and said goodbye to dear friends. Thank you to everyone who made this week amazing, we’ve loved having you here! Can’t wait to see you all next year.
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
Saturday evening the Camp was full with over 200 family campers and staff members. It was quiet during the day; families and friends were arriving throughout the day because of the long weekend traffic but nonetheless, people got here safe and it’s so good to see so many familiar faces. The lodge was full for dinner as we kicked off our week with a Welcome dinner.
Sunday morning we welcomed our pastor for the week, Pat Hand, the lead pastor at Wainfleet B.I.C Church, and our worship leader Gord Kentie. Following chapel a delicious roast beef lunch was served and everyone headed to the beach afterwards to enjoy the sunshine. Sunday afternoon we had lots of activities happening throughout the day and concluded our first full day with sundaes and floats in the lodge.
Monday was another beautiful day here at Family Camp. We began our morning with some staff testimonies, worship and dove into the word with Pat. Our afternoon activities were in full swing with water sports happening, the high ropes course open and crafts in the lower lodge. Monday evening families gathered under the Big Top to enjoy Trivia Night, followed by our Kahquah Update Meeting.
Tuesday was another gorgeous day. I awoke to the sound of the the Fretz’s boat as they enjoyed their usual 7 a.m morning ski. Chapel was full today, with another staff testimony, followed by songs of praise and a message from Pat. Afternoon activities were up and running, and our weekly Kahquah Carnival took place at the volleyball court at 7 p.m.
Wednesday was a rather cloudy day, but nonetheless families were out and about enjoying the day. After Chapel, Tammy Hand lead Zumba On The Beach and the beach was full, (even the boys were down there dancing about). Today seemed to be a nap day as many of our activities were slower than usual. During the evening, kids enjoyed a movie night with popcorn in the underground, and the Ladies were Crafting upstairs with snacks and all.
Thursday was a little bit cloudy but the sun managed to come out later in the afternoon. Chapel was full once again, but unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Pat and his wife, Carol had to head out after chapel. Our weekly volleyball tournament took place at 3 p.m. Many competitive, talented teams were signed up; we even managed to put a staff team together. Advancing to the finals were the, “Drop-a-Hogg’s” (Laura and Tim Droppert, Graeme Hogg, and Ryan Chambers) and the Staff Team, (Kenny MacSweyn, Bridgley Vandermark, Justin Osolky and Hope Brownlee). However, because a few staff members had to work, they had to forfeit and the Drop-a-Hogg’s won, (mind you, I think the staff would have dominated otherwise). Haha! Thursday evening everyone came out to enjoy some Kahquah Talent in the Big Top and it was great.
Just like that, it’s as if we blinked and the last full day was here. The weather was perfect though, and many families spent the entire day at the beach. The lodge was full of friends and families at 8 p.m as everyone gathered for our Cafe night. Our euchre tournament was in full swing with 12 teams euchring it out, people were enjoying sweets and treats as well as participating in open mic. Can you guess who won the tournament? If you guessed the Droppert’s, you guessed right. Laura and Tim Droppert were the week 2 champions!
Saturday morning is here, people are packing up and getting ready to head out. It’s been a great week here with our very loved Week 2 Family Campers. We are looking forward to seeing you all next year.
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
Family Camp week 1 is well underway. Things have been going great and everyone is enjoying their week. We opened the gate on Saturday at 1:30 p.m (just 3 and a half hours after the campers departed), and kicked off our week with a Welcome BBQ. The Camp is full with over 200 family campers and staff members.
Sunday was full of sunshine. We welcomed Jim Lambert as he is our worship leader for the week and Tom Fenske as our Pastor for the week. Many of our staff members organized some great vbs classes for all different ages. Tom then guided us through Ephesians this week and challenged us to dive deeper with God and to explore the jam packed verses Paul writes within Ephesians. Sunday afternoon the children (and their parents) gathered by the beach for some picnic games and some even got out on the Camp boat to enjoy some tubing and water sports. During the evening there were sundaes and floats in the lodge to be enjoyed all, along with many games.
Monday was a beautiful sunny day as well. Family’s and friends were chair to chair and towel to towel on the beach all afternoon. Our Activity Hub was open from 2-5 and people got to experience our high ropes course and archery, share lots of laughs behind the Camp boat, be creative with crafts in the underground and to enjoy some sweets from our tuck shop. After dinner, our programmers planned a great trivia night for our loved Family Campers. Our new Directors for the year, Ryan and Amy Terpstra, hosted a “Meet The Directors” meeting and included a Kahquah update as well.
Just like that, Tuesday was here and another sunny day it was. Once again, Jim lead us in some wonderful worship and Tom challenged our hearts. The afternoon was great and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. From after lunch until dinner the lodge was completely empty, it was a fun filled afternoon. Tuesday night consisted of one of my favourites – The Kahquah Carnival! We transformed our volleyball court into a super carnival; kids were enjoying ring toss, sponge toss, getting their faces painted and many other games.
On Wednesday we had lots of activities planned, unfortunately, it was a rainy day here at Kahquah so some event got postponed. Family campers still got out to the beach to enjoy some rainy day swimming and tubing and many had a fun day playing games and watching movies in the lodge. Wednesday evening was our Ladies Craft and this week they made wall decors and boy did they look great. The little ones (and some adults) had a movie night in the underground. They watched, “Alice In Wonderland” and got to munch on some tasty popcorn as well.
Thursday was a day for the books. The sun was shining and there was lots going on. After lunch 10 canoes set out for there, “Canoe Day Trip” lead by our fearless Maintenance Manager, Kris Kaster. The group spent the afternoon paddling to and from a beautiful waterfall on Ahmic Lake and were back by 4:30 p.m. There was also a volleyball happening as well as our usual afternoon activities, (activity hub, water sports/tubing and crafts). After dinner we kicked off our evening with a Kahquah Talent Show, with sundaes and floats to follow.
Our last full day of Family Camp Week 1 has come to an end. Families were out enjoying the sunshine. The Bell Family took home the win at the sand castle building contest, but rumor on the street is that there were many creative castles. During the evening we had our weekly Friday Cafe night. People gathered in the lodge to enjoy some sweets, each other’s company and many participated in the euchre tournament. At the end of the evening, two of our staff members, Meredith Engle and Justin Osolky won the tournament and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
Saturday morning was beautiful as people packed up and headed out. It was an amazing week here with our loved First Week Family Campers! We can’t wait to see you next year!
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
It was refreshing waking up this morning. The air was chilled and there was fog covering the lake; a beautiful sight to see. Morning activities were a go, except many campers felt quite tired this morning. Aspire then finished off the week strong as they lead flag raising and prayed for breakfast. We enjoyed a variety of muffins, cereal, yogurt and fruit.
Morning session in the Big Top began with a daily dance party, in hopes of waking everybody up and getting them excited. Laura sang, “Days Of Elijah”, “I Am Not Forgotten”, and a few other Camp favourites.
Although it was raining for session, the rain held off for first activity and everyone got a final chance to conquer their major for the week, or enjoy an activity of choice. The theme for today was, “Marvel.” Cabins came dressed as superheros from far and wide. Chicken wraps and veggies were served for lunch and the last round of lunch time songs were sung.
Campers got to choose up to six items today from tuck, (the idea is that they save at least three items to enjoy while on the bus tomorrow, but sometimes the self-control is limited). On they went to second and third activity to get some last craft time in, to experience high ropes, archery and tubing. There was a little bit of rain for about 20 minutes during second activity but none the less; on it went.
Free swim was open and available to all, however only a few cabins were there. Most of the girls were getting dress-up for tonight’s banquet dinner with their leaders. It’s an unwritten rule that for Fridays dinner during Summit, everyone comes, “dressed to impress”. After a delicious dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, corn and salad; cabins gathered outside to take picture with each other. I also managed to get some cabin pictures from the week. Here are your very well dressed, amazing kids.
Here’s your Aspire team!
The final Camp wide game began just after pictures were complete. Tonight’s game was a relay. Teams had to choose designated runners and swimmers to compete in specific running and swimming events throughout the race. BUT, here’s the catch: teams were required to carry their giant rocket ship they made on Sunday (a couple rockets are up to five feet tall). After a very competitive game, team ASI took the win!
Tonight’s Big Top time was so incredible. You could feel God in this place. Nolan discussed how Jesus makes things different than in Exodus. He explained that Jesus comes in and lifts us up, He pulls us from the muck and mud of our sin and shame. Nolan had been preparing us for when we go home all week, at the end of his talk he handed out glow sticks. The glow sticks represented us as stars; he then explained how each one is so unique and how we can be a light where ever we go. The session ended with a 45 minute dance party and glow sticks being waved high.
AND the winners of the week are… ASI! Each team did so good and put forth an amazing effort. ASI celebrated there victory with, “Out Of This World, Galaxy Swirl Cupcakes,” (made by our very own Cyndy Cober).
After some major awards and highlights, everyone headed to bed. Well that’s a wrap on Summit. A huge thank you to our Program Directors; Chloe Murphy, Noah Martin, and Keiran Hogg. Also a huge THANK YOU to YOU all, for sending your kids to Kahquah, we couldn’t have done it without our amazing campers! Until next year Summit campers.
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
Day 5 of Summit 2018 complete. Today it was a beautiful, brisk morning with an average temperature of 18°C. Morning activities were well on there way by 7:45 a.m (with a few exceptions, due to some cabins failing to awake for the wake-up bell). Aspire crushed flag raising once again, and a hundred campers lined up to enjoy some baked oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, and fruit.
Teatherball, always an enjoyable morning activity.
Today was the day Crew had their solo’s in the afternoon so our amazing Aspire took over their cleaning responsibilities for the day. Each tribe got a taste of each responsibility by rotating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to either kitchen, hospitality or programming and they did a wonderful job!
Cabins were cleaned just in time for our daily pre-worship dance party. Each and every leader was scattered throughout the Big Top jumping and shouting to begin and within minutes the campers were joining in too.
First activity rolled around rather quickly this morning and everyone was off aiming to achieve the next level up in their major, relaxing on the beach or putting their creative mind to work at crafts.
The overall theme for today is, “Star Wars”. The lunch time dress-up challenge was to dress your cabin leader. Every cabin went all out and did absolutely amazing, support staff were out on the porch as well checking out the dress-ups. Baked potatoes, chili, broccoli, veggies and a variety of toppings were served for lunch with a colourful fruit tray for dessert.
Off they went to tuck and bunk to enjoy some sweets. Then, everyone excitedly ran off to their second and third activities. Thankfully the thunder and rain held off and the sun came out! Campers were busy doing archery, low ropes, high ropes, water sports, tubing, crafts, wilderness and beach activity; the water mat even came out for the campers to enjoy. Free swim was a smashing success as well. There was a line-up to swim off the dock, and a football toss happening at the beach.
Dinner tonight was an outside BBQ. Aspire helped to prepare and clean-up at the end as cabins enjoyed their hamburgers and hot dogs outside. A fun volleyball game was also started as well.
There were lots of events happening tonight. The campers played, “Douce The Aspire” (a spin-off of “Douce The Flames” due to the extreme fire ban). Following the game, the annual Crew vs. Aspire Relay Challenge took place and Aspire took the WIN! Then, when all the cabins headed to campfire the LITs had their LIT Graduation. During the Graduation, they enjoyed some treats & sweets, and each earned a certificate awarded to them based on their talents, skills or a funny memory. Today was a day for the books here at Kahquah, that’s for sure.
Blessings,
Your Camp Kahquah Family (Hope Brownlee)
