Peacebuilders Family Camp
January 25, 2012
This Musing is somewhat of an advertisement/extended announcement that I feel is important to pass along. It comes from fellow Central District Conference congregation Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship. It is a wonderful opportunity for diving deeper into peacemaking education and skill building and is an example of creative missional activity that one congregation is doing to reach out beyond themselves. Their pastor, James Rissler, notes to me that people shouldn’t be too turned away by the price as they do have a number of grants in place and are applying for more. Note also that singles and couples without children are most welcome. Would be great if CMF had some folks there this summer and report back about the experience. Here is their message:
Greetings!
It is with much joy that we write to invite families in your congregation to consider attending Peacebuilders Family Camp this summer, June 11 – 16, 2012. Marilyn McGinnis and Krista Showalter Ehst, members of Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship, and Jonah McDonald, from the Atlanta Friends Meeting, are planning a week full of learning and adventure in south Georgia for families from Central District Conference churches. Last summer, Jonah and Marilyn co-directed Peacebuilders Camp for youth, and with encouragement from CDC pastors and financial support from grants, are this year expanding the camp to include a week for CDC families. Krista will join the leadership team this year and will bring to Family Camp both her passion for peace education and her solid grounding in Mennonite thought and theology.
Peacebuilders Family Campers will live together in community for a week at Koinonia Partners in Americus, Georgia, a working farm with strong ties to the Civil Rights Movement and Christian peacemaking. Koinonia, with its rich history of social justice work and intentional community, provides the perfect setting for exploring peace-building and faithful living. From our home base at Koinonia, we’ll venture each day into surrounding communities to witness the examples of other peacemakers, and to consider the many opportunities that people of faith have to impact their communities and their world. Daily devotional and reflection times will be included in the schedule, as well as plenty of recreational opportunities.
Our plans for the week include:
…a tour of Koinonia Parnters’ farm, with a discussion of its history and its present witness.
…a visit to Café Campesino, a fair trade coffee roastery, where we’ll learn about the importance of fair trade for farmers and craftspeople in developing nations.
…an excursion to south Georgia farm communities to witness the impacts that harsh new laws have had on the migrant workers who harvest our crops, and to meet the dedicated healthcare workers who serve this at-risk population.
…a morning exploring Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village and learning about Habitat’s work in all parts of the world.
…a service project with Fuller Center for Housing in Americus.
…a visit to Andersonville, Georgia, the site of the largest Civil War prison camp, and home to the National Prisoner of War Museum, where we’ll consider the cost of war, its lasting impacts, and the opportunity for courageous peacemaking in the face of brutal conflict. (An alternate activity will be made available for younger children.)
…the opportunity to visit immigrant detainees at the largest immigrant detention center in the nation, and to share a meal with detainees’ family members at El Refugio, a ministry of hospitality one mile away from the detention center.
…a hike at Providence Canyon State Park, a beautiful canyon that was created through agricultural runoff – the consequence of unsustainable farming practices. (Children and adults who choose not to visit Stewart Detention Center may opt to spend additional time at the park or other nearby venues.)
…a half-day of swimming at a state park lake, lots of water activities in the hot Georgia sun, a movie night, and plenty of fun and fellowship.
Peacebuilders Family Camp targets families with children ages 8 and up, and also welcomes applications from single adults and couples without children in the home. Activities will be planned with a wide age group in mind, and different options will be available for children, teens, and adults when appropriate.
The cost for the week of camp is $600 for the first family member plus $300 for the 2nd family member, $250 for the 3rd, $150 for the 4th, and $100 for each additional family member after that. Because of the generosity of Central District Conference, the Peace and Justice Committee of the Mennonite Church, and several congregations, we are able to offer scholarships to families who require financial assistance to attend camp.
We urge you to visit our website at www.peacebuilderscamp.org for more information, photos from last year’s youth camp, and the application for this year’s camps. You may also contact Marilyn through email at marilyn.mcginins (at) earthlink (dot) net or Jonah at jonah (at) surefootadventures (dot) com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Many blessings to you and your congregations.
