{"id":6603,"date":"2025-08-18T14:44:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplescef.org\/blog\/?p=6603"},"modified":"2025-08-19T13:28:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:28:36","slug":"youth-young-adults-grow-christ-canadian-camp-j-c-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplescef.org\/blog\/youth-young-adults-grow-christ-canadian-camp-j-c-p\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth and young adults grow with Christ at Canadian camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Where do you go to explore your faith? You might say church\u2014but what about camp? For many young Christians in Digby County, Nova Scotia, Johnston Christian Park<\/a> (J.C.P.) is the first place that they learn about their religion. It\u2019s also a space for young adults across the United States and Canada to strengthen their leadership skills as counselors.<\/p>\n

Despite its robust programming, the park\u2019s staff is primarily comprised of volunteers. Each summer, finding enough suitable counselors to accompany youth as they deepen their spiritual awareness poses a challenge. But with support from ministries across the denomination, including our own, J.C.P. will continue to thrive for many years to come.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sharing Christ with campers since 1954<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1953, the Maritime Area of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada<\/a> bought land on the shores of Porters Lake from Rev. Roy Johnston for $1. That purchase became J.C.P. the following July when a road and dining hall were built on the property.<\/p>\n

The early years proved to be a basic experience, as campers aged 12 to 18 had to sleep in borrowed tents. When those became unavailable in 1959, J.C.P provided replacements, which were decimated after a week of heavy rain. The following year saw the construction of the camp\u2019s permanent cabins and in 1965, washrooms replaced the outhouses.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cJ.C.P. was around for more than 20 years before I started going to it. From its inception, each year has seen changes large and small\u2014mostly in the physical surroundings,\u201d recalls Wendy Kinney, who has served at the park as a counselor, assistant event director, and event director. \u201cAs buildings go up and trees come down, the essence of what makes the camp the special place that it is, is the mission and the people who make it happen. The most important thing about J.C.P. is sharing the message of God’s love to young and old.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Today, the park boasts an administration building, indoor chapel, and laundry facilities in addition to its dining hall, cabins, washroom\/shower facility. Children aged 7-14 can enjoy sports, crafts, theater, and more, while 15-year-olds can apply to be counselors-in-training. In addition to offering physical and creative activities, J.C.P. schedules time for campers to clean common areas and their shared cabins, ensuring that they learn about accountability to their community as well. With such a mix of responsibilities and personalities, the interpersonal skills of these young people are often tested.\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCamp allows kids to engage with each other and caring adults, away from their usual schedule,\u201d explains counselor Wendelin Galatianos. \u201cSometimes that means learning how to set and enforce boundaries, which is very useful as youth transition from high school into the world of work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Living in Christian community<\/strong><\/p>\n

But what distinguishes J.C.P. as a Christian facility is the opportunity for campers to experience God\u2019s wonder in an outdoor environment through Bible study, small group discussions, and worship, including vespers, a service of evening prayer at its outdoor chapel.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe park enables youth to find fellowship together in a natural setting \u2014 lovingly, messily, and joyfully,\u201d shares Maddy MacGregor, who is the National Youth Pastor for the Canada region. \u201cAs this year\u2019s Chi-Rho camp director, I felt blessed to spend time with the 13- and 14-year-olds who attended, hearing about their lives and their faith, as well as getting to know staff new and old who commit weeks of their summer to supporting J.C.P. programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the guidance of first-time Chi-Rho chaplain Sara Fornoff, these teenagers explored the Biblical figure of Daniel. Once assembled around the park\u2019s beloved campfire, they discussed the bravery he had to stand up for his beliefs and how they could apply this courage in their own lives.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"

Campers Brenna LeBlanc and Chloe Baril pose with counselor Nadine Compton and others that shared their cabin during Chi-Rho.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhile \u2018being in community\u2019 was chosen as the focus theme because it’s bound to be relevant when more than 50 people gather for a week, being at J.C.P. reminded\u00a0me<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>that real community is built on shared life, regardless of how our journeys differ,\u201d she reflects. \u201cOur campers came with varied church and faith experiences,\u00a0so I hope our theme\u00a0gave us space both to learn from one another and to discover that God meets us wherever we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

J.C.P.\u2019s environment leads to a more vital and personal relationship with God for counselors too. By supervising their charges during daily activities, modeling inclusive welcome, and inspiring appreciation for the beauty of creation, counselors also gain a stronger sense of self. Indeed, two counselors at Chi-Rho camp decided to be baptized in the lake.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026never turn a child away\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cJ.C.P. is important because you can try new experiences, meet new people, and have fun,\u201d say Chi-Rho participants Brenna LeBlanc and Chloe Baril.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"However, for a number of the campers, one of their more memorable experiences at J.CP. is having three square meals a day.<\/p>\n

While most of them come from middle-income households where they will never face food insecurity and nutrition deficiency, some campers do face these issues back home. Not only does the park serve up enough food so that they can go back for additional plates at mealtimes, but it also offers financial assistance to families who find summer camp to be an expensive investment.<\/p>\n

The park is able provide such an accessible model because its employees are volunteers. While it was easy to pull young adults from local communities in the park\u2019s initial years of operation, more recently, it has had to cast its net wider. In mid-July, our Creative Writer\/Digital Media Specialist Nadine Compton flew from Ontario to serve as a Chi-Rho counselor.<\/p>\n

In the past, others have come from across the border. In 1974, the Volunteer Work Project saw American Disciples traveling to the camp, where 101 jobs were completed over the span of two weeks. Almost thirty years later, our former Director of Development Bethany Lowery flew from Massachusetts to serve as a Peace Intern with Disciples Peace Fellowship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cJ.C.P. was where I felt, for sure, a calling to ministry I couldn\u2019t deny any longer,\u201d she remembers.<\/p>\n

The future for J.C.P.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Church camp is not just roasting marshmallows and singing songs, with some Jesus on the side. It\u2019s about anchoring everything the park does to his lessons about compassion, forgiveness, and service to community so that campers can have a solid foundation for their faith.<\/p>\n

\"\"When youth are supported by adequately staffed facilities, then they can nurture the skills needed to not only practice the radical acceptance they learned away from home with their peers, but to apply to it to their own personal development as they mature into adults.<\/p>\n

As society begins to meet more frequently in digital spaces, places like J.C.P become more valuable and\u2014fragile.<\/p>\n

But with partners like us to walk alongside them, we know that they can go on to share Christ with youth and young adults no matter where God meets them.<\/p>\n

Is your campground in need of support? We provide building and capital planning services. <\/em>Contact<\/em><\/a> your regional Advisor today.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where do you go to explore your faith? You might say church\u2014but what about camp? For many young Christians in Digby County, Nova Scotia, Johnston Christian Park (J.C.P.) is the first place that they learn about their religion. It\u2019s also a space for young adults across the United States and Canada to strengthen their leadership […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[183,143,184,182],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nYouth and young adults grow with Christ at Canadian camp - Disciples Church Extension Fund<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where do young Christians first go to explore their faith? You might say church\u2014but what about summer camp? 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