Covenant Youth of Alaska Special Edition: Covenant Bible Camp Update
Volume 17, Issue 4 August 2021
Camp in a Box 2021: Reconnecting and Rekindling Greetings! It’s with great joy and gratitude that I write an update after another unique, but successful summer of ministry for Covenant Bible Camp. The sand, dust, and smell of “bug dope” have been washed away, but the joy of serving young people and inviting them to journey with Christ remains strong. Bible Camp’s mission has remained the same throughout the volatility and uncertainty of the last two summers. We work together with the Church and Alaskan communities to connect youth and adults to God through biblical teaching, worship, and fun in a wilderness setting. With this year’s travel restrictions, we once again created a Camper Care Package offering digital chapel sessions, worship videos, and camp-themed gear. New this year: We took the opportunity to partner with 6 (and counting) village churches to host camp-themed local youth events. Each event was custom-made to best serve the needs of these local church partners of ours. From bonfire worship services to 5-day overnight retreats, the camp ministry was alive and well this June. The goals of these visits were to 1)Reconnect relationships that have been challenged by geography and pandemic restrictions. And 2)Rekindle the hope of following Christ in faith each day. Personally, I had the privilege of serving in Bethel, Unalakleet, and Shaktoolik over 16 straight days in June. Here’s a snapshot of what I experienced. In Bethel, the ministry team was a large-group effort with CYAK Staff and Bethel church leaders/interns/summer students. We welcomed 36 campers for a 4-day VBS-style event, meeting with our Pathfinders and Trailblazers (Grades 3-6) each afternoon and Jr. & Sr. High in the evenings. Clouds and rain kept us inside often, but we laughed a lot and had some great small group discussion times together. Many of the campers there haven’t been to our camp on the North River, so we extended the invitation to join us next summer. “Quyana Caknek” (Yup’ik, Thank You Very Much) to all those who served in Bethel. In Unalakleet, the Covenant church envisioned hosting 5-day, overnight camps for each of their high schoolers and middle schoolers, utilizing our camp property on the North River 9 miles from the village. It took a significant amount of planning and energy to pull it off, but the rewards were significant as well! Nearly 40 campers and 12 staff retreated to the wilderness to continue building a Christ-centered
community. Veteran Camp Staff, Mike and Peggy Nystrom, and I joined them for the High school week. We canoed/ boated/swam in the river, hiked to “Monument” (spotting 4 moose on the way), and carried on some valuable camp traditions. The local church even hosted their Sunday worship service with us at camp to close out the event. “Quyanaqpak” (Iñupiaq, Thank You Very Much) to the entire ministry team in Unalakleet for hosting us so well at camp and going the extra mile for your youth! I finished up the month visiting Shaktoolik, where 30 campers came for 3 days of VBS-style events. I was welcomed by Katelynn Evan, who coordinated on behalf of the Shaktoolik Covenant Church. The weather was hot through the summer solstice that week, so we enjoyed beach games followed by refreshments in the church basement before watching chapel sessions. The campers taught me a game called “Over” and I taught them “Steal the Bacon”. Camp worship songs were certainly the highlight of our time together. I heard kids each night after our session singing in the streets. “Quyanna” to the village of Shaktoolik for hosting me, feeding me, and showing me around. Overall, the outcome was even more than sharing the love of Christ with young campers. For those who served, it was a chance to partner with others in a ministry we love. For the local churches, it was a reminder that we are part of a family of churches. For the villages, it was a chance to show us guests their heart for hospitality and for their community. Often we say, “camp is for the campers” but more accurately, “Camp brings hope to all who participate”. Please pray for the ongoing work of our local churches as well as the camp’s role in supporting their ministries through our unique contribution. I also invite you to register for “Camp in a Box”, as we have the capacity to expand our Bible Camp community to those who have never even been to Alaska or the village of Unalakleet. It’s open to all! For $15, you can get the camper care package (T-shirt, USB Drive, Snack) shipped to your door. Visit www.covenantbiblecamp.org to register now. We also have high hopes for resuming full-scale camps on the North River in May/June 2022. We invite you to join us as both staff and campers. Expect Applications to go live in January 2022. If you have questions about how else you can get involved with this ministry, please contact me at marc@cyak.org.
INTERNS SHARES
CAMP THEME: ‘I really liked the small group talks after chapel! Some of the kids’ answers were amazing! Just how open their mind is and how new they are in their faith, especially at a young age when they are learning a lot of new stuff!’ -Royale
This summer, we were able to take teams out to muliple villages for in person contact and connection. Marc’s teams partnered with Bethel, Unalakleet, and Shaktoolik to do Camp in the Box mini camps. Mike’s team was able to play games and makes S’mores with the youth in Elim, Golovin and White Mountain. We praise God for these partnerships!
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ANCHORAGE, AK PERMIT NO. 37
COVENANT YOUTH OF ALASKA PO Box 203356 Anchorage, AK 99520
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PRAYER PRAISES & REQUESTS
JOIN WITH US
Praise: For opportunites to partner with the villages in-person this camp season where God’s presence was felt and known by hundreds of campers and staff
Covenant Bible Camp serves over 300 youth from across Alaska each summer. Our registration fee is less than what it costs to run the camp. Many communities we serve have high rates of unemployment and some families struggle to pay for their children to attend camp. We want to see as many kids attend camp as possible in 2022!
Prayer Request: For campers who recieve Camp in a Box - that they will see how God can use them to reflect His vision to others Thank you for your faithful support of CYAK’s ministry through prayer.
Covenant Youth of Alaska
A relational outreach, discipleship and leadership ministry for Alaska youth and young adults A ministry of the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church
Help make camp a reality for more kids!
Website Email Phone Address
www.cyak.org info@cyak.org 907-222-1432 PO Box 203356 Anchorage, AK 99520