Heartland News

Pelican Lake Baptist Camp will be sold sometime in the near future with the proceeds applied to the camp’s debt and the remainder put into a trust fund. The decision to sell the camp came at its Annual General Meeting on April 10 in Brandon.

The small Canadian Baptist camp in the Heartland, located on 60 acres on Pelican Lake southeast of Brandon, has been struggling for several years and has not held camps for the past couple of summer camping seasons. The camp has a debt of about $45,000 for new washroom facilities and operating costs.

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“The board had a mandate to repay the debt, so we so we tried to do that by getting commitments from the churches and by fundraising using a dollar a day campaign. We didn’t go so well even though some churches did contribute,” said Corie Seburn, the chair of camp’s board. On top of the debt issue, “some work is needed to bring the camp up to Canadian Camping standards.”

In 2007, the last year the camp operated, it attracted only 100 campers, about 2/3 of its usual appeal.“Our presentations were warmly received and people are committed to the idea of camping,” she adds. “I do believe God has a plan for camping, but we don’t know what it is right now. We need something for our younger children.”

A task force is being established to explore camping alternatives that may include setting up a formal partnership with other camps in Manitoba, simply recommending that churches send campers to other camps with beliefs and approaches similar to CBWC camps, or undertaking Urban Camping initiatives to offer camping programs in the cities and towns where children live.

If a partnership with another camp is set up, it is unlikely to be ready for the 2010 summer camping season. “We don’t know what the future might look like for us. We need a fallow time to know God’s direction for us,” says Corie.