Cape Breton Bible Camp
A True Family Camp in its 31st Year

by Kevin MacDonell

Melissa Cann, 17, watches a group of children aiming at a target
with bows and arrows, then wanders over to join others kicking around a soccer ball. Cann started attending the Cape Breton Bible Camp when she was seven and never missed a year for the next ten years. Crafts and swimming were her favorite activities.

"I have parents who attended whose kids are here." - Gary Long, Camp Director

Today she's just visiting. Her brother is working this week as a camp counsellor (or "cabin leader"), and another brother and a cousin are
attending as campers.

"I have parents who attended whose kids are here," says camp
director Gary Long. "They attended as teenagers, and now their kids are here, some working as staff."

Last year, former camp directors, staff and more than 100 campers
descended on this idyllic spot on the shore of the Bras d'Or Lake to celebrate the camp's 30th year with a "family camp." The Bible Camp, one of 44 owned by the Canadian Sunday School Mission was moved here in 1967 from Port Hood Island, off the west coast of Cape Breton Island, to make it safer and more accessible.

"One thing individuals like about the camp is that even though we
might teach a perspective that may be similar to some local churches, we're not governed by any denomination." The campers have diverse religious beliefs and backgrounds, and there is no pressure put children to hold certain beliefs. The aim, Long says, is good, wholesome fun.

Nestled near the foot of Kelly's Mountain and surrounded by forest,
the camp site is peaceful, but it wasn't always so. Years ago, there was a town near this site, built around a coal mine that no longer exists. The
camp property was owned by the mine owner and, up until four years ago, his three-storey mansion was the camp's main building. It had to be torn down, and a new dining hall and multi-purpose building (housing chapel, bath and showers, staff quarters, and a workshop) were built to replace it.

The last summer camp this year will be a teen camp running August
16-23. In the fall, the facilities are rented by church and mission
organizations. Gary and his wife Christina also run activities in the fall
and winter.

"One misconception people have of camping in general, of people who
work at camp, is that it's just a two-month job. It's not," Gary says.
"It's 12 months of the year. As soon as our winter camps are done, and even before that, we're preparing for our summer - working on the facilities, improving programs, contacts with campers and promotion."

Location:

On the Bras d'Or Lake near the foot of Kelly's Mountain. Take the New Campbellton exit at the sharp, 40 km/h turn on the Trans-Canada Highway, near the western approach to the Seal Island Bridge. Follow this dirt road for about 5 km. Camp is on the left.

Fees & Registration:

Phone for a registration form. Six one-week youth camps running July 5 to August 23. Ages 7-19. Camps begin on Sunday afternoon and end Friday evenings. Also, "family camp," open to all ages, Aug. 2-8 (call for fee details). Excepting the family camp and the final 7-day teen camp, rate is $105 per child. Special rates: 2nd child $90, third child $75, fourth child $60. Teen camp rate is $125 ($110 for 2nd child, $95 for third child). There is a non-refundable pre-registration fee of $25 per person, deductible from the camp fee. Children in need may be sponsored through donations - ask about the Keep-a-Kamper program.

Accommodations in camp facilities on a first-registered basis. Camper trailers and tents are encouraged for the family camp, as cabins and
rooms fill up quickly.

Kids Should Bring:

Enough clothing to last a week, rainy-weather clothing, one dress-up outfit for Banquet and closing chapel service, one warm outfit, no short shorts or extreme apparel, modest bathing suit (no bikinis or high hips), warm bedding or sleeping bag, one pillow, plastic bag for dirty clothes, towels, notebook & pencil, camera, toothbrush & paste, Bible, musical instrument (optional), soap, flashlight, comb, sun screen. No radios, tape players or comics - already enough camp activities! Put your name on all belongings.

Activities and Programs:

Swimming pool, Bible studies, Ping-Pong, softball, volleyball, playground, crafts, games, hiking, ski biscuits (inner tube hauled behind speed boat - lots of fun!), campfires, singing, archery, boating, canoeing, basketball, water skiing (teens only), target riflery (teens only), picnics, overnight camp-out.

Contacts:

Gary B. Long, Camp Director, Cape Breton Bible Camp, RR 1, Bras d'Or, N.S. B0C 1B0. Phone/fax 902-674-2238. E-mail cbbiblecamp@ns.sympatico.ca