When Terry Bridges, Coordinator of Urban Ministries and pastor of Midtown Parish UMC, was looking for ideas to bolster his church’s new youth ministry program, he turned to someone who works with young people a lot and knows them quite …
Summer camps connect 2,366 young hearts with God and each other
Two statements sum up the reactions of many children and youth to their summer camp adventures the past two months at the Eastern PA Conference’s four Camp & Retreat Centers: “I feel so much more connected with God, personally” and …
Musicians partner with camp, church to spread gospel in verse
Ripe Creatives, a collective of young, dynamic, Christian poets, singers and rappers, has been delighting and discipling campers and staff at EPA’s Carson Simpson Farm Christian Center in Hatboro this summer. And they will bring their message-rich music—sung and spoken—to …
Latino Commission celebrates faith, family at Camp and Convocation
‘Here is where God stirs their hearts.’ The word reuniones, Spanish for “gatherings,” evokes thoughts of la familia, which describes well the two most important gatherings sponsored annually by the Eastern PA Conference’s Latino Commission. Faith and family are both …
Summer camps launch, fostering fun, faith, friendships
After weeks of staff training and preparations, summer camps are fully underway at EPA’s four Camp & Retreat Centers, delighting children, youth and adults with memories and friendships that may last a lifetime. Beyond all the expected fun and fellowship, …
Carson Simpson Farm to host Worship Fest, Oct. 15
Carson Simpson Farm in Hatboro, EPA’s Philadelphia-area Camp & Retreat Center, will host a free, lively, half-day, outdoor worship festival on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 12 to 5 PM. WorshipFest will feature an outpouring of music and messages from a …
Camps combine new and old in upcoming events, site improvements
During nature’s season of vibrant vitality, EPA Conference Camp & Retreat Centers are springing forth into new things. They are hosting and planning exciting new events and site improvements, while making preparations and registering children and youth for the thrill of their summer camps.
Black-Brown Youth Retreat explores identity, relationships
“Black, brown, black, brown, black, brown.” That’s how the Rev. Will Brawner instructed the youth at the Black and Brown Youth Retreat, April 1-3, to sit in chairs encircling Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center’s largest meeting room. He mixed …
EPA Camps inspire faith, fun, fellowship for all seasons
As frigid winter begins to move off-stage and the more temperate seasons of spring and summer wait in the wings, EPAUMC’s Camp & Retreat Centers—“God’s Place Apart ~ Transforming Lives”—are making similar transitions in their seasonal preparations and activities. That …
New Pocono Plateau director seeks to learn in order to lead
Carmen O’Shea, new director of Pocono Plateau Camp & Retreat Center, shared in a letter to campers, friends and supporters, the joy of her new ministry assignment, as she settles into a learning mode and faces its many challenges and …