Sand Beach Camp (Mistawasis Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Sand Beach Camp located in the northern part of Saskatchewan, along with West Bank Bible Camp in southern Saskatchewan were the first Mennonite Brethren camp sites in Saskatchewan. Sand Beach Camp was located at the south end of Mistawasis Lake in the Meeting Lake Rural Municipality, RM466, at 53.0668°N 107.2211°W. The first summer of camping was in 1944. Sand Beach was part of the camping program of Western Children’s Mission (WCM). Nick and Elizabeth Willems of the Brotherfield Mennonite Brethren Church were the first camp directors.
The camping experience involved an early breakfast, chores, recreation, then classes with singing and Bible study, then lunch followed by more classes and recreation. Supper came at 6:00 pm, followed by an evening service and devotions before a 9:30 pm bedtime. There was no mixing of the sexes in bathing or visiting. Otherwise denominational differences in social practices were largely ignored.
In 1952 the Sand Beach post office located about five km to the west southwest closed. Because the road to the camp was very poor and the government wanted the site for grazing, camping ended at the Sand Beach location. The WCM acquired property at Redberry Lake in 1952 and there developed a permanent camp site. The nature of outreach to children changed in the 1950s and 1960s. As interest in Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) lessened, interest in camping grew. This resulted in the development of improved camping programs and facilities.
Bibliography
Jantz, Harold and Neoma. Rooting the Faith: A Saskatchewan Mennonite Brethren Story of Losses and Gains. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan, 2008.
Penner, Peter. No Longer at Arms Length: Mennonite Brethren Church Planting in Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Kindred Press, 1987: 51. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/stream/NoLongerAtArmsLengthMBChurchPlantingInCanadaOCRopt?ref=ol#mode/2up.
Maps
Map:Sand Beach Camp (Mistawasis Lake, Saskatchewan)
| Author(s) | Victor G Wiebe |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wiebe, Victor G. "Sand Beach Camp (Mistawasis Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sand_Beach_Camp_(Mistawasis_Lake,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=163588.
APA style
Wiebe, Victor G. (November 2010). Sand Beach Camp (Mistawasis Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sand_Beach_Camp_(Mistawasis_Lake,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=163588.
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