For the first time, the diocese's Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, N.H., will be handling registration and administration of Family Camp, which will be held this year June 25-28. Amy Cook, diocesan missioner for education, formation and discipleship, who formerly administered Family Camp sign-ups, said the change is the next step in a transition that began last year.
“The camp is expanding their capacity and adding intergenerational programs,” said Cook. “Both [executive director] John Koch and [camp director] Alessia Doss have a real commitment to families, and they want to take this on because it allows everyone to take more advantage of the resources at the camp. The camp is not just for kids!” Cook said.
The theme for Family Camp in 2015 is this verse
As in years past, Cook and her team will be creating much of the programming, but camp staff will play a larger role in administration and running camp activities. Pricing and accommodations are largely unchanged, although the family pricing cap has been eliminated. This was a set price for a group of up to seven people, which ranged from $550 to $650. “[Eliminating the cap] is going to allow us to be good stewards of our camp, and to understand what our programs are actually costing per person,” Cook said.
She added that there is ample scholarship funding available through the camp and that no one should hesitate to apply. There is also a required deposit for the first time this year, and because registration is through the camp and conference center's site, new registrants will need to create an online account (those who have already registered children for other camp sessions can use their existing accounts).
Cook acknowledged that the June 25-28 dates may be a bit challenging, with many schools running late into June thanks to multiple snow days, but the dates are set. She encouraged families to prioritize the time together if possible. “I’ve had had so many families say to me, ‘We love making this the beginning of our summer, having this time together.’” Cook said.
Family Camp includes workshops, group discussions and other learning activities, with plenty of time for camp fun, like swimming, hiking, archery, arts and crafts, games and more. The program places an emphasis on teaching spiritual practices that can be brought home—“holy habits,” in the words of Bishop Bud Cederholm, a Family Camp champion.
Cook says families of all shapes and sizes—some related, some not—attend Family Camp.
“We often have grandparents, groups of cousins. There is a church that gets a cabin for women and brings a group of mothers and daughters, there are groups of friends, there are single people who come because they enjoy it. ‘Family’ is however you want to define it,” Cook said.
Family Camp registration is now live at www.bchcenter.org.
--Ellen Stuart Kittle
Read more about the full 2015 summer camp season at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center here.