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We are very excited to be hosting our annual Family Camp program, open to campers of all ages! There will be lots of things to do, and lots of ways to do them all. Read this blog to get all the information you could possibly want about Family Camp!
Schedule
Below is the intended schedule for Family Camp. We would love for you to join us for the whole weekend, but if you are only able to come for a few activities or sessions, you can plan when you want to come. Make sure to register by August 29th even if you are only coming for a partial day.
The general schedule can be found below, which is subject to change. More details will be posted shortly.
Friday, September 2nd
7:00 Registration & Move in
8:00 Campfire – Singing, Theme Intro, S’mores
9:00 Visiting, Games, Puzzle, Lane Walk
Saturday, September 3rd
7:30 Coffee Ready!
7:45 Morning Watch
8:15 Breakfast
9:30 Morning Session with Walt
10:45 Free Time Activities - Bird Hike w/Robin, Choir Practice (?), Corn Hole, Crafts
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Camp Store, Free Time
2:00 Afternoon Session with Walt
3:15 Afternoon Activities - Canoe/Kayak, Fishing, Hiking, Visiting, Puzzle, Games, Hammock Village, Choir Practice(?)
5:00 Group Picture
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Candy Bar Bingo
7:30 Campfire – Singing, Stories, Devotion, Banana Boats
8:30 Movie & Popcorn
Sunday, September 4th
7:30 Coffee Ready!
7:45 Morning Watch
8:15 Breakfast
9:30 Choir Practice (?)
10:30 Morning Worship @ Pavilion
12:00 Lunch
2:00 Departure
Activities
Guest Speaker Sessions
These sessions will be times for our guest speaker, Walt Wiltschek, to share throughout the weekend. He will be exploring the theme "Close Encounters of the God Kind", and it is sure to be an encouraging and enlightening time.
Meals
You are free to join us for meals throughout the weekend. We will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Every meal is $8. Please try to register in advance if you plan to stay for meal so we can make sure we have enough food for everyone.
Bird Hike & Fishing
If you want to enjoy the calm serenity of the outdoors, on Saturday we will have the options of a Bird Hike and Fishing to give you a chance to see all of the natural wonders at camp.
Service Project
This weekend, as we talk about encountering God, we want to create opportunities for God to encounter others through our service. One way we are doing that is through camp service projects. There are some painting projects, paths that need to be cleaned up and marked, wood that needs to be cut, areas that need to be weeded and more. We plan to make a couple hours available during the weekend to serve in any one of these projects as you so wish.
Candy Bar Bingo
We will be hosting a Candy Bar Bingo game on Saturday night as a benefit for His Hope Ministries. Bring donations of non-perishable food items to be entered into the bingo game, and get a chance to win candy bars as you play!
For more information about His Hope Ministries and the items they are looking for, visit https://hishopeministries.org/needs.
Church Service
Sunday morning at 10:30am we will be having a church service completely free to the public at the pavilion (as weather permits). Josh Layton will provide worship music, and Walt Wiltschek will bring the message. Feel free to join us for the service, and if you would like to come early for breakfast or stay later for lunch, make sure to register for your meal by August 29th to ensure we have enough food for everyone who wants it.
Registration
Please register for Family Camp by August 29th. Even if you are only coming for the Sunday service and staying for lunch, we need an accurate count of guests so we can ensure we have enough space, food, and resources for everyone who comes.
Registration for Family Camp is a la carte. You can select what sleeping accommodations you want and how many meals based on when you plan on being at camp. Registration is arranged this way on the online registration and in the registration brochure. Make sure you select each item you will be needing. If you plan to stay in a cabin all weekend, make sure to select Friday night and Saturday night on the online registration.
To register online, visit www.campmardela.org/event-details/family-camp-2.
Guest Speaker
Our guest speaker this year will be Walt Wiltschek. Walt spent the past 4 years serving on the Camp Mardela board and has recently moved to Illinois to serve as the district executive minister for Illinois/Wisconsin District. He is coming back to join us and share about "Close Encounters of the God Kind". His sessions will be at 9:30am and 2:00pm on Saturday, and he will be preaching at the Sunday service that will start at 10:30am.
To learn more about Walt, read his biographical information below:
"I grew up in the city, and I was never a camper growing up. But during college, our camp director at Camp Eder somehow got my name and asked if I would serve on camp staff that summer as Bible study leader. I kept putting him off until finally I just felt God prompting me sufficiently that I gave in and said yes. As we got into the program, though, and the kids arrive, something sparked. I found God calling me, and my sense of ministry came together. I returned on staff three more summers, and I've been volunteering at camps ever since.
I came to Camp Mardela when my friends who were the camp administrators asked me to come help with youth camp one summer, and I kept coming back for most of two decades. I recently served on the Camp Mardela board for four years, and now as district executive minister for Illinois/Wisconsin District, I have continued to be involved as a volunteer youth camp counselor, Bible study session leader, and director at Camp Emmaus in Illinois, with some ongoing connections elsewhere as well."