Summer at camp rarely goes exactly according to plan. There are hot days and smoky skies. Staff get tired. Campers arrive excited—and sometimes wishing they could turn around and go home. There are water fights, campfires, chapel times, lake days, friendships, laughter and unexpected challenges.
Summer 2026 brought all of that across our five BCMB camps, but underneath the activities, schedules and challenges, something much more important was happening: Young people were encountering Jesus.
And you were part of making those moments possible.
A First Bible
A camper arrived at camp without a Bible. Giving a camper their very first Bible is always special, but this camper’s reaction made it even better: When given the choice between heading off to play laser tag or spending time with that new Bible, the Bible won.
Another camper, attending one of our camps for the first time, went home excited to tell her mother about what she had experienced, and about Jesus.
Your support helps create places where moments like these can happen.
Camp Changes the People Who Serve
Your support doesn’t only affect campers. Every summer, teenagers and young adults give their time to serving at our camps. They lead cabins, wash dishes, run activities, pray with campers and learn what it means to put someone else first.
Along the way, they discover they can lead. Older leaders invest in them. Their own faith is challenged and strengthened.
This summer we heard young staff talk about loneliness and belonging, questions and faith, difficult seasons and learning to trust Jesus.
Camp was part of their stories. But camp wasn’t at the centre of them. Jesus was.
When Summer Doesn’t Go According to Plan
There were difficult moments this summer too. Smoke and nearby wildfires had to be watched carefully, a windstorm brought down trees, and staffing was stretched at times.
At Stillwood, a significant break in the main water line forced the cancellation of a week of summer programming affecting nearly 300 campers.
Families and staff were disappointed, and the financial impact was significant. But people prayed, encouraged and gave. Repairs were made, the water returned, and camp reopened.
Even when things didn’t go according to our plans, God continued to work.
Stories We May Never Hear
For every story we hear, there are many more we won’t.
We won’t know about every nervous camper who found a friend, every cabin leader who stayed for one more conversation, or every prayer around a campfire. We don’t know what will happen years from now because a camper received their first Bible or a young staff member discovered they could lead.
But we know those moments happened.
Across five camps, young people played, laughed, learned, served, worshipped, asked questions and discovered more about Jesus.
And behind those moments is a community of churches, volunteers, staff, prayer partners—and donors like you who make this ministry possible.
Thank You
As Summer 2026 comes to a close, we simply want to say thank you.
Thank you for believing in the ministry of our camps, for investing in young people and for trusting BCMB Camps with your gifts.
The summer may be ending, but many of the stories that began this summer are just getting started.
Five camps. One mission. And a community of people like you helping make it possible.
With gratitude,
Bob “Ranger” Kroeker
Executive Director BCMB Camps