April is Camp Oneida Awareness Month
The Christian Education committee is hoping to raise awareness of opportunities with Camp Oneida.
- To sponsor children to attend camp. From our church or from the community.
- To send your children or grandchildren to camp.
- To help with repairs/clean-up, either financially or by participating on work weekends.
- To volunteer to be a cabin leader, craft leader, Bible study leader, or camp director.
The response of camp stories has been overwhelming! There are more stories coming in the May newsletter from Keith Ellis, John and Janet Dickson, Tiffany Forde, Isabella Dambrauskas, Lori Kerr and more!
Amanda Broughton 1995-2001
Camp Oneida is a happy place for me. Although I haven't spent much time there in recent years, it's still a wonderful memory I often come back to. I spent five summers visiting Oneida. I was a leader and a camper over those years. It was one of the few places I felt safe to be me. I loved campfires with their silly songs. I loved dressing up for themed meals and doing silly tasks to receive mail. I loved laughing with my friends. Mostly I loved being able to completely immerse myself in God's presence without the pressures of the outside world. Oneida was a place of renewal for me. There I strengthened my faith, grew as a person and made connections with people who to this day inspire me to walk in faith.
Eva Dixon 1994-1999
I helped as a cabin leader with the senior high group for 5 years. I enjoyed spending time with teens talking about their journey with Jesus and what they wanted for their futures. I enjoyed playing games! But just getting to know the teens was the best.
Rachel (Maguire) Lahn 1995-2010
Camp Oneida has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Over 17 summers spent at camp, both as a camper and a cabin leader, I developed lifelong connections and friendships with campers and staff. My time at Oneida provided me with opportunities to try activities I would never have experienced otherwise, such as canoeing and windsurfing.In addition to all of the fun games and crafts, Oneida opened my eyes to the variety of ways we can worship God, including singing, reading scripture, sharing stories, and even through our play. Specifically, the evening Vespers was my first introduction to the importance of quiet time spent with God. Camp Oneida was a huge part of my childhood, and played a huge role in making me the person I am today. I am so glad that I have been able to to share Oneida with my children as well. Melody attended last summer at age 4½.
Bernie Mummery 1956-1967
Memories of Camp Oneida are powerful even after almost seven decades. Growing up on an isolated farm near Tyrell, I had plenty of adventures. I did not however know any girls outside of school classes.At Oneida, I became a girl among other girls in our cabin and all our activities. Every day was filled with fun. I loved the games, the crafts, the camaraderie, the skits in the dining hall, and swimming every day!
We were very excited to hear that there was to be an overnight hike planned for the end of the week! On a very dark night we hiked for what seemed like hours to a barn near Peacock Point, where we slept on piles of straw wrapped up in our blankets. A real adventure!
The campfires every night were the most special times for me. This is where we shared love of the Lord and gave our lives to Him.
Laura Maguire 1973-2005
It took me to the third year of my mom registering me for Camp Oneida, to finally get there. I was a very shy girl who would work myself into a sick tizzy with anything new, especially an overnight camp. But once I got there I wondered why it took me so long! This was great! I went to girls camps many times from about the age of 9, then Junior High, Senior High, and finally Baptist Youth. I think I loved it all, well maybe not morning dip! But yes, the food, crafts, learning to swim, theme meals, skit night, campfire, Bible stories learned in new ways, the songs, and let's not forget about rest hour eating your tuck!I also enjoyed being a leader. I started as a junior leader and learned so much from my senior leaders. I loved getting right into the themes. When Darrell and I were raising Joshua and Rachel on the farm in Selkirk, Darrell would direct and I would go back and forth being the Bible study leader with the kids being at the camp. I did co-direct coming back to the area after moving to Toronto, including the year of the great power outage! I was at camp with 50 campers waiting to cross the road for swim time and we saw the Nanticoke power plant throwing billows of steam as systems shut down. We ate with throw away plates and utensils since nothing could be washed. We went for an extra swim as only the nurses cabin washroom worked! But it was the calmest bedtime with glow sticks hung in each cabin. The power returned at 11:00 the next morning, just before we would have had to end camp early.
My greatest take away from Camp Oneida was meeting my husband! Yes Darrell was handy man there many years while I was a camper, not that I cared much about Chucky Baby then (named from being the Gong Show Host). It wasn't until Baptist Youth Weekend, Labour Day weekend in 1982, that I saved a seat for him to sit beside me, and we were married 2 years later.
Pam (Ilton) Almon 1970s, 1990s
Camp Oneida was always spoken in our house. The church had Sunday School picnics there. I was 9 years old the first time I went, my first time away from home. I loved morning dip, sunrise at the flagpole, and this all before breakfast at 7:00am. Cabin number 3 was my cabin, I choose the top bunk but then changed my mind so I was on the bottom bunk (easier for the bathroom runs). At the time I was there they still had a toilet attached at the back the cabin, but they just built new washrooms and showers.Wednesday of that week we had quiet time and I looked out and saw the smoke stacks at the hydro plant. I got home sick. I knew there were people at camp from Simcoe and knew my family. The counsellor was great. At campfire one night a missionary who was staying with us participated in an activity where we wrote something on paper and threw it in the fire. She got up to throw hers into the fire, tripped, and landed in the fire. The next morning she was back for breakfast, with only burnt stockings, no marks on her at all. This is a story Laura also talks about, which means Laura and I were at the same camp!
In 1990 I found myself out of work and thought of my one happy place that I could work. They were needing summer staff (called perm staff). I was hired to work in the kitchen with the weekly cooks. I was always washing dishes so they changed my camp name to St Francis of Oneida. It was even put on my camp shirt.
I met so many great people who also worked there or were campers. The staff had lots of free time. The crazy things we did and the awesome services of praise to God. One time 2 lifeguards, 2 handy men, and us 2 kitchen help had a bonfire of on the beach. At midnight we went swimming, and then fell asleep around the fire. One thing we still can’t explain are the footprints we found the next morning walking around us, but no footprints leading to the fire or away from it, just the circle around us.
I have so many memories that I would not change for the world. Yes, Camp Oneida is one of my happy places to go to, even if just in my heart. My favourite place is Vesper point. I love the view and solitude there.
Registration is now open for 2024!
There are six kids' camps and four family camps.
Leader applications are also open. Would you like to be a one-week cabin leader? Or full summer staff? Lifeguards needed!
Visit camponeida.com
