the green spot blog

Just over a month ago we welcomed 17 more staff onto site for our Spring Season. These staff, along with our winter staff, have been and will continue to serve our Guest Groups that come through the camp in May and June. These groups are largely made up of schools, Scout and Guide groups, and Churches who are having retreats here. Gerrit and Mikaela Challenge Course Training Days are busy and long - three meals a day, five activity blocks, cleaning, and evening programming which includes wide games, Yodel 'n' Hum, and campfires. Our staff work tirelessly to serve our groups and make sure that they are having an unforgettable experience here at camp. Sometimes you hear people say that camp isn't a "real" job. I'm pretty sure I could make some pretty strong arguments towards saying that there are not many jobs that measure up to camp work. It's not just work though - our staff do Bible Studies together, play sports together, and straight up hav...

  We love fun at camp. We love to laugh and be silly. So it makes sense that our fundraisers should be some of the most fun, most entertaining events you could possibly attend. And the good news is - our fundraisers aren't all about Pond Hockey...even though we're quite fond of our Pond Hockeyers (that's definitely not a word). With all that said (brevity was never a strength) - we'd like to let everyone know about our Spring Fundraiser: A Dinner and a Laugh! This fundraiser will take place on May 7th, 2016 at 5:00pm The evening will start with a wonderful meal put together by our very own Chef Ken, who seems to outdo himself every time he puts on a meal, and will be followed by Leland Klassen. Leland Klassen is Canada's premier clean comedian! We'll be laughing our way into the evening. That's not all - there will be a fantastic silent auction and dessert to follow. Funds raised will go directly into supporting the programs that guests and campers enj...

Did you know that Spring Staff will be joining us in just 4 months & 16 days and Summer Staff will be joining us in 6 months & 7 days! Craziness! With all the snow on the ground and Christmas quickly approaching, I am guessing not many of you are thinking about summer. However, here in the Evergreen office we are already super pumped and expecting God to do amazing things! Here is the thing.. We cannot do this alone - we need you. We need you to come willing to be God's hands and feet and serve these kids! We recently had someone write on our Facebook "Best camp ever" . Know what makes us the best camp ever? You - our staff, and a whole lot of Jesus. Camp is hard work and sometimes you wonder why you signed up but if you've ever been here you know the power of camp. Camp is a place where you are accepted, grow and hopefully walk away with a better understanding of your relationship with Christ. Here the deal - I would love to hear from you i...

“ I love winter!”, “No. Be quiet! I hate the cold!“, “Look at all the snow – so beautiful!”, “Oh, I just want to drive on safe, snow-free roads again.” Hearing such comments is nothing special these days – not at Camp Evergreen either. Both sides think the other ones are just crazy. Even one week into the official spring, there is so much new snow and it doesn't seem to stop. So who's right now? Who's opinion should we join? I want to look at this phenomenon from a German point of view today. Among us 5 Germans the opinions concerning the snow and the winter differ a lot. Some of us would like the winter to continue for another two months. Just because falling into untouched snow is a wonderful feeling; am I right Felix? Moreover, as soon as the cold and the snow stops the world here turns into one big muddy pool. Is that better? Just think of your footwear: winter boots are so  much more comfortable than those stiff plastic rubber boots that make...

Spring has really begun here at Camp Evergreen. It’s wonderful to see things growing again! The snow is gone, and things are greening up. It's a beautiful time to be out in God's creation! The real indication that spring has arrived at Camp Evergreen, however, is the arrival of the seventeen new members of our staff team! We’ve assembled a fantastic Spring Staff team, and they've been working hard for a month now. Each person represents a different set of God-given gifts and talents, and a different point of view. We meet regularly for devotions, led by a different staff member every morning. We pray for each other and keep each other accountable. The community that develops among the spring staff is like no other!  The spring staff are mostly responsible for hosting the guest groups that come through Camp Evergreen during May and June. This involves leading activities and games, preparing meals, and making sure that camp stays clean and beautiful. As well, the me...

Our first annual general meeting was a success! Here's a post from me, spring staffer Sarah, about how things went down: It’s a warm, sunny morning in May at Camp Evergreen in Bergen, Alberta; one of the first beautiful days we’ve had this year. Leaves are silently unfurling, horses munch new grass, and the waters of Fallen Timber Creek bubble gaily between its banks. Suddenly the peace is broken by a child’s terrified-but-excited shriek and the whirring of trolley wheels against a steel cable. With this, the morning’s first zipline ride, Camp Evergreen Mennonite Brethren Ministries’ first annual general meeting has begun! Like us, you’ve probably been to other annual general meetings (known affectionately as AGM’s by Evergreen staff, who use abbreviations constantly). Sitting uncomfortably, we try to sift through the piles of information presented to us. We drink way too much coffee, doze off once or twice, and sleepily raise our hands when it comes time to vote. Hours...

Weird spring, right? First the wildfires (our hearts ache for the people of Slave Lake) and now ridiculous amounts of rain? Back in 2005*, Camp Evergreen (and region) experienced a crazy huge flood: we haven't used the lower playing field for anything but rocketry since, and we very nearly lost our canoe pond. Chunks of the old minigolf course turned up in distant woods for ages and ages. (Next time you canoe here, see if you can find hole 4, embedded in the woods by the lagoon.) It's highly unlikely we'll see a flood like that again anytime soon. Nonetheless, some kind of flooding is happening as we speak. Emily and I drove the gator down to check out the action (we kept a very safe distance from the actual water: we would not want to risk being swept away). You can't get to the teepees right now (the road to the teepees has been replaces with a rushing river) and we're about one foot away from the creek overflowing into the canoe lagoon. It's Rain 'n Jog w...