The Diocese of BC closes an outreach camp because of a lack of funds:
The Anglican diocese of British Columbia has suspended operations of its outreach camp on Thetis Island, because of continuing financial problems.
The 72 acre Camp Columbia has been used for church outreach in the summer months, and available for parishes to book special events during the rest of the year. It was founded in 1947…it’s been running an operating deficit for years…and currently has an accumulated debt in excess of 500 thousand dollars.
A prepared statement from the diocese says five staff positions at the camp have been terminated, effective immediately.
Diocese leadership will meet this week-end in Victoria to discuss options for future camping programs; for the Camp Columbia property; and many other “crucial issues” facing the diocese.
Seventy two acres on one of the Gulf islands! It must be worth a fortune! Enough to keep a lot of pension cheques rolling along on in the Diocese of BC I’ll warrant. No wonder it has been let slide into debt. All the more reason to sell it off. Wink wink.
A people who refuse to confess their sins and repent, but instead look for acceptance and even support of their sins, are not likely to be interested in participating in “outreach”.
The simple fact of the matter is this. God is exceedingly clear on what is a sin. No matter how much someone may try to re-interpret the Holy Scriptures, the message still comes through (albeit sometimes it takes a while for those who refuse to listen). A person either has to confront their sins and repent, or run away. The financial distress of this camp is a clear indication if which is happening in the Diocese of British Columbia.
#2 AMP
Get a grip. Running a seasonal business like that is challenging at the best of times because it must be maintained year round on revenues earned in just two short months. The financial distress of Camp Columbia indicates a non-viable business model more than anything else: rising overhead costs, especially insurance, combined with its relative isolation on an island accessible only by ferry 1 1/2 hours away from the the city.
Noli Aemulari #3:
According to what you are saying Noli, ALL churches that have summer camp places should ALL be closing their summer doors. Are these camps not also used for Cursillo weekends, Alpha weekends (fall and spring) and other events also?
Baptist, Pentecostal, non denominationals and Salvation Army camps do not (and correct me here if I am wrong) seem to be closing their doors because of the financial distress that the ACoC seems to be suffering.
Perhaps the old adage of “reaping what we sow” is once more standing the test of time.
More for Noli to digest:
The following is taken from the previous item on this blog and is the perfect explanation as to the ACoC closing the doors of the summer camp on thetis island, BC.
Prominent American sociologist, Rodney Stark, in an interview in 2004 was asked what he thought about churches which choose to make themselves more popular by being very undemanding in either thought or practice. Stark replied: “They’re death wishes. People value religion on the basis of cost and they don’t value the cheapest ones the most. Religions that ask nothing get nothing.”
I agree fully with #2. The apostates within the ACoC have only two interests – job security and pension benefits. They have lost any commitment they may have had for the Gospel and cannot at the present time be considered as either Anglican or Christian.
I don’t think that can be said of everyone who is still worshiping in an ACoC church…
For Kate #7
If you take a close read of my posting, you will note I am not suggesting everyone who is still worshipping in an ACoC is apostate. However, it is clear that the Primate and the House of Bishops refuse to deal with apostasy and any clergy person who continues to give allegiance to an apostate bishop can only be considered as falling into this camp.
This is terribly sad. Even if we do manage to build the church up again we’ll never get these sold-off properties back. We could never afford them. It really drives home the fact that much of the damage inflicted by the current leadership will be permanent, impacting future generations.
I suppose Camp Canterbury will be next to go. I’d hate to see it, since I have happy memories of the place. But I wouldn’t be surprised.
I agree with Noli – running camps has never been a money making venture. We have one in our diocese and if it was used only for church groups it would struggle greatly. Kids go to camp in the Summer far below cost because the diocese subsidizes it so that it becomes possible for any child that desires to go to go. Through other means we often subsidize some kids to the full cost. Its a ministry. Gerry is right – we do all kinds of other things at this camp – Cursillo, ACW, Women’s weekends, Men’s weekends, Youth conferences, Lay Ministers conferences, clergy conferences, parish groups, servers conferences, etc., In the off time it also gets used by outside groups and agencies.
However, I don’t feel that because a camp closes (such as the one referenced here in BC) one can conclude that it did so because of what is happening in the Anglican Church of Canada and that “Sin is the reason”. Here in the area where I live I can list at least 5 or 6 churches that have closed its doors and neither of them are Anglican. There are other reasons that are outside of the control of churchs that leads to the closing of its doors, especially in rural areas where the population of communities have dwindled away so that its numbers are no longer able to sustain full time or even parttime ministry. I would much rather pray for these kind of things going on than to take pleasure from it. I’m sure there are many kids and adults that will miss that camp and its ministry, and I’m sure God’s Spirit was present there to many. It seems its financial woes existed long before the present situation of the ACoC. Maybe Gawk & AMP might say a prayer for the camp and gloat less over its closing.
#4 Gerry wrote:
“According to what you are saying Noli, ALL churches that have summer camp places should ALL be closing their summer doors.”
No, not all church summer camps. Just the non-viable ones, which are usually the small outfits without economies of scale needed to break even these days.
My family helped build a non-denominational Bible camp back in the 60s and 70s. It was great fun watching my dad and the other volunteers dig wells, erect outhouses, build chapel, etc. Once it was up and running, I attended as a camper and in due course I graduated to cabin counsellor.
Although used by church people off-season for retreats and such, most of our summer campers were local Children’s Aid Society kids through some sort of community program.
We ran it on a shoestring budget so recruiting good staff could be tough. Some years we got lucky with excellent camp managers who were highly qualified, other years we settled for duds with poor judgment. It’s a big deal being responsible for the safety of so many kids, especially in the water and on boats, not to mention broken legs on land, sprained wrists, allergic reactions etc, so every kid (and every counsellor) was a walking liability risk. Over the years insurance costs rose and at a certain point in the 80s we found that the camp just couldn’t break even with so few cabins and we didn’t have the wherewithal to expand. So it was closed.
That was very sad because I have many wonderful memories of that place, but times changed. Its closure was hardly a sign of apostasy, though.
I find it particularly sad that ANY of the Church Camps should be closed, however, I do not think that they would be being closed except for the fact that the ACoC is dwindling in parishioner support, both from the ones left in the parishes and the ones who have opted to leave the ACoC because of the apostasy that is taking place.
I mentioned in my earlier post Are these camps not also used for Cursillo weekends, Alpha weekends (fall and spring) and other events also? which was exemplified by Randy in #10 where he states Through other means we often subsidize some kids to the full cost. Its a ministry. Gerry is right – we do all kinds of other things at this camp – Cursillo, ACW, Women’s weekends, Men’s weekends, Youth conferences, Lay Ministers conferences, clergy conferences, parish groups, servers conferences, etc., In the off time it also gets used by outside groups and agencies. which leads me to add this portion.
Perhaps some members of the ACoC would not have left if what the camps were being used for were things of the Church, things of Christ. However, in the diocese of which I was a member, the Diocese was and is still renting out the summer/winter facility to groups which are promoting witchcraft and other things that go directly against the Holy Scriptures. Once, when I was at a Cursillo, I stayed in one of the cabins and the smut and filth carved into the wooden walls and bunks was sickening AND, unless it has been erased and replaced is still promoting the present day attitude of the ACoC.
How can a “church”/diocese” expect to survive when such things are going on?
This particular diocese is still alive as is the attitude of inclusiveness and social justice being promoted by a bishop whose lack of direction is obvious and by clergy whose presence of poor direction and poor leadership is also obvious.
#12 Gerry
Do you really think it was wiccan smut and filth carved into the camp bunks by new age cranks? Or juvenile smut and filth carved by outreach kids? We never rented our camp to unorthodox groups but still we had shocking grafitti left behind by the children.
If we were bent on maximizing off-season income, I suppose we would’ve had to be less exclusive. A diocesan subsidy would’ve been nice, too, but our camp was founded by a mixed group of evangelicals from a number of different local churches so that was never really considered. Thinking back to all of that, I recall that it closed in the 90s, not the 80s. Perhaps with an expanding subsidy they could’ve eked through to 2009.
I know there are still many church camps operating out there, but recently the only kids’ camp I’ve been to was the commercial for-profit camp my son worked at a couple of summers ago. What most impressed me was the camp’s large scale with 400+ capacity. Facilities were hardly luxurious, but very well-maintained, and the operation appeared no less chaotic than any military exercise I’ve ever attended. I was very impressed by the obstacle course and safe climbing facilities where my son worked, plus there were a million storage sheds sheds full of sports equipment and life preservers. I am told there was also shocking smut and filth carved into the bunks (which probably explains why all pocket knives are to be confiscated immediately from campers and logged in to the office).
The sad thing about Camp Columbia is that a few years ago the Synod of B.C. voted to give money to the camp – 50 000 – pending a business report, which was duly produced. The Diocesan leadership has proven time and again, against the will of synod, which was willing to consider and bear an increase in assessment to keep Camp going, that they do not wish to keep the camp open. Funding camp means evangelising, and when one’s theology considers that anathema, well camp has to go.
Camp leadership were not given a chance to make camp viable. The diocesan leadership thwarted them. I just want to know why. I wish I didn’t think it was because the 72 acres were so valuable.
And finally, there just aren’t enough young volunteers to run camp. It has been years since camp had a full compliment of volunteer nurses and clergy who are willing to be camp padre without acting like they’re going for a root canal. It is not just about money. As Walker wrote, the diocese is dying – and not slowly either.
Without a belief that people need Jesus there is no reason to actively support a Christian camp whose reason for being is bringing kids to the Lord…as I was. Thank you to those faithful volunteers who gave of themselves, b/c without you, I would not have found salvation.
Some might be interested to follow along on a Facebook group that has been created in light of the decision to close Camp Columbia. There are many interesting posts and discussions both about Camp Columbia and the overall health of the diocese.
The Page is called “Camp Columbia is closed!” and the address is: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=141559282108
I’m a former staff member and am quite passionate about this place. I know first-hand that dozens of campers came to know Jesus through this ministry during this past summer alone. It’s tragic that many of these young people will now be left orphaned without a camp to call “home”. We often say that a week at camp is worth a year of Sunday School for kids.
It’s almost criminal in how this has all played out for those involved and I feel worst for those kids who will never have a chance to experience Jesus in their lives while participating at Camp Columbia.