.png)
Auction
On October 30th we had a great time at the Camp Auction. Between the yard sale, live and silent auctions and food sales, we raised over $12,000 for Camp Mardela! We saw many familiar faces as friends and families connected, as well as some new faces from the community who got to see Camp Mardela in action. We shared our upcoming programs and ongoing fundraisers with all attendees and hope to continue to build connections within this community.
Sights and Sounds of Christmas
In just a few days we will host our first ever “Sights and Sounds of Christmas” event at Camp Mardela on December 4th from 5pm-8pm.
We will have music groups performing a free concert at the pavilion for the duration of the event, including Rhythm of the Ridge from Caroline County High School, the Tidewater Singers Carolers and the Bethany Chime Choir.
There will also be a Christmas Tree raffle at the pavilion with trees decorated from each church. Purchase raffle tickets and enter for a chance to win one of these fabulous trees! Entired can be made from 5pm-7:45pm when the winners will be drawn.
There will be transportation available from the pavilion to Krabill Hall in the form of a Santa sl”hay” ride! Enjoy the Christmas lights on this holiday ride.
At Krabill hall, there will be Christmas crafts for children ages 3 and up. For $2 children will have a choice of crafts to make unique gifts for the holidays. Crafts will be available from 6pm-8pm.
There will also be a food stand open from 5pm-8pm at Krabill Hall and the Pavilion. Enjoy a nice, warm meal or just cozy up with a cup of hot chocolate.
We are excited to celebrate this holiday season with you, so come join us on Saturday, December 4th at 5pm and take in the sights and sounds of Christmas!
Winter Retreats
Registration for winter retreats are still open! This is a great opportunity to get your fill of camp before the summer, whether you are a faithful camp attendee or new to Camp Mardela. It will be a fun-filled weekend for all who come to join us! You can register here. The retreat dates are below:
Tween Winter Retreat (Grades 6-8)
February 25-27th
3rd-5th Grade Winter Retreat (Grades 3-5)
*March 4-6
Youth Winter Retreat
*March 11-13
*Date correction from previously published information
Spaghetti Dinner
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a plate full of pasta! Come enjoy this classic all-you-can-eat spaghetti meal to benefit Camp Mardela programming on March 12th from 5pm-7pm and the Denton Church of the Brethren. The meal will be prepared by volunteers and served by our Camp Mardela Youth! Click here for more information.
New Board Members Welcome!
As this year comes to a close, it comes with some transition within the Camp Mardela leadership. We are saying goodbye to our board chair Walt Wiltschek, and a “see you later” to Curtis Hartman and Jean Shaffer as the have finished their terms for their board duties. In their places, we are welcoming Karl Layton, Mycal Gresh, and Sara Potvin to the board, and Mikalah Potvin as the treasurer. While the responsibilities of these previous board members may be shifting, they are still an integral part of camp, and have dutifully served Camp Mardela for many years, and will continue to be involved in camp. Our farewell to Walt will be a bit longer, as he moves out to Illinois to serve the Church of the Brethren as the district executive minister for Illinois/Wisconsin. He may be farther away, but we know Camp Mardela still holds a special place in his heart, and hope to see him again as soon as we can.
Thank you to all of our board members, past, present, and future for your service to Camp Mardela. You are invaluable to the operation of this camp, and we want to take this time to recognize you for all you do:
2021-2022 Board Members
Walt Wiltschek (outgoing at-large member/board chair)
Curtis Hartman (outgoing at-large rep)
Jean Shaffer (outgoing treasurer)
Paul Hutchison (current Fairview rep)
Fred Miller (current Bethany rep)
Lezah Lakin (current Green Hill rep)
Jered Hannawald (current Denton rep)
Stanley Hutchison (current Ridgely rep)
Bob Musch (current Easton rep)
Sara Potvin (incoming at-large member)
Karl Layton (incoming community rep)
Mycal Gresh (incoming at-large member)
Mikalah Potvin (incoming treasurer)
Devotional Thoughts - All Things New
As I spent Sunday Morning at church, I was reminded of the importance of looking for the new things God is doing. Last Sunday marked the beginning of the advent season, which is a time of preparing our hearts and minds for the birth of Jesus. Of course, we all know that Jesus was already born thousands of years ago, but it is a time where we reflect on what the world was like before we had a savior, before the miraculous conception of the son of God. We relive the moments when our hearts were in their own BC timeline, so that when Jesus is born on Christmas day, we can give thanks that we are no longer living “Before Christ”, but “After Death”, when He arose as took away our sin and shame.
The entirety of history was shaped around the redemption Jesus brought to the world, and we should see our lives in the same ways. We once were lost, but now are found, were blind and now can see. But we can’t appreciate sight without remembering what it was like to be blind. We can take refuge in being found unless we know what it was like to be lost.
When Jesus was born, it was not what anyone expected. He came from a humble beginning to write a glorious ending. God was doing a new thing with Jesus, and unfortunately, many people didn’t see it. This Christmas season, look for the new things God is doing. Remember where you started, and where God has brought you, and most importantly, where He is taking you. That is what Christmas is about. This is the reason we celebrate.
“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:19
Shop With Scrip
As the year’s busiest shopping season is upon us, support Camp Mardela by shopping at your favorite stores! You don't have to buy anything extra, just purchase gift cards to store you frequently shop at and Camp Mardela will earn a percentage with each purchase! If you have any questions about how to enroll in Scrip or how to purchase cards, you can read this informational blog at https://www.campmardela.org/post/shop-with-scrip-fundraiser, or contact the camp office at 410-479-2861 or email campmardela@gmail.com
*Enrollment Code - (contact camp office)
*Please do NOT post code online for security.
Camp Mardela Reflections - Walt Witschek
My love affair with camps and outdoor ministry goes back to college, when I was recruited to serve on summer staff at Camp Eder in Pennsylvania and—against all expectations—found my call to ministry amid the forest and trails.
The beginning of my journey with Camp Mardela began a few years later, when then-directors Brian Kruschwitz and LuAnn Harley—whom I knew from denominational activities—asked if I might be available as a volunteer counselor for youth camp. I had just started that year as associate pastor for youth and education at the Westminster church and was eager to connect with Mid-Atlantic camping, so I said yes.
I confess that when I arrived in Denton for the first time and wound my way down the lane, I arrived in the center of camp and sunk into the sand and saw the concrete cabins and wondered, “What have I gotten myself in to?” But as the week unfolded, of course, I loved it. We had a great group of campers, with the inimitable Steve Frazier as the director, and the week had a fun and worshipful but relaxed flow.
That began two decades of involvement at Mardela for me, counseling most years, directing a few, and most recently also serving on the camp board. I’ve also stayed in touch with Steve throughout that time as a mentor and friend, and others that I’ve met at camp have become important members of my circle of friends.
When I was seeking a ministry position five years ago, Easton rose to the top in part because of its proximity to Camp Mardela and my camp connections in the area, and it’s been great to be part of that during my time living on the Eastern Shore. While I’m now preparing to move back to Illinois to accept a call in district ministry, some of my thoughts will always be along the shore of Watts Creek, and I hope to get back from time to time.
I hope that others here continue to treasure camp as the incredible resource it is: a place where children and youth can experience God and community in a new way; where people of all ages can find fellowship and opportunities for service; and a place for all to appreciate the divine delights of creation. Like the ubiquitous sand, camp sticks with you—and that’s a wonderful thing!