Summer 2026
Thank you for sending them.
A little recap of our summer, and of the young people you trusted us with for one week of their year.
A message from Jon
Prefer to watch? Jon, our Executive Director, walks through this summer's update.
Dear church partners,
Every summer, we see students arrive at Covenant Bay away from their daily distractions, and watch them remember who they belong to. But we also know how quickly that can fade once camp ends and "real life" starts distracting them again. There's a tug of war for their hearts and attention.
You probably feel this tension too. As a church, you may be noticing young people showing up distracted, discouraged, and unsure of their relationship with God. The work can be exhausting; you're pouring into young people and not always seeing the fruit right away. We want you to know that we see the same struggle, and we don't think you have to carry it alone.
This summer
More young people than ever had a week away from distractions and pressures to simply encounter Jesus.
50%
more campers than last summer
315
campers this summer
67
churches represented
59
staff & volunteers
A glimpse of the week
Stories from camp
A few of those students came from churches like yours. Here's what that week looked like for two of our campers.
Age 12
Something shifted
A 12-year-old boy came into the week joking around and keeping his engagement to a minimum. Mid-week during chapel, our speaker and his cabin leader sat with him and prayed with him, and something shifted for him. He decided to repair some relationships he'd been avoiding and commit his daily life to Christ. He spent the rest of the week tuned in during chapel and had reflective conversations with the Lord.
Middle Camp
More friends than she thought
A girl in our Middle camp almost went home early after her friend had left partway through the week. She felt lonely and upset. But the other girls in her cabin hugged her, treating her like a friend, and she decided to stay. By the end of the week, she'd had a lot of fun and a few cool God moments of her own. She left knowing she had more friends than she ever thought!
Someone showed up for them at just the right time.
A speaker and a cabin leader who prayed with him. A cabin of girls who chose to include her. That's what turned a week at camp into a decision to stay, open up, and grow a little closer to God. The same thing can happen for your young people, whether it's a single conversation or an entire week of being noticed. When someone shows up for them like that, their relationship with God is strengthened.
The next 51 weeks
Camp can be a spark, but it was never meant to be the whole fire.
What happens to these students over the next 51 weeks, back in their regular lives without a cabin leader checking in on them? If that spark isn't tended, it's easy to imagine it fading, since the same distractions that pulled at them before camp are still there when they get home.
Pray with us
Will you join us in praying for our young people?
1
Pray that what was started at camp will keep growing in your ministry.
2
Pray for the camp too, as we plan next summer and desire to be one more voice pointing these kids to Jesus.
Thank you!
Thank you for partnering with us in this. These are your kids, and it's an honour that you trust us with one week of their year.
Lynn Knelsen
Assistant Director, Covenant Bay Bible Camp
