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Summer Camp was AWESOME!

We spend a lot of time at Camp Allegheny preparing for a summer season of camping. We have been talking about Summer 2010 since June of 2009! No matter how much planning we do here at Camp, what really makes the summer great is YOU, our campers, staff, and volunteers!

Camp Allegheny’s summer residential program continues to grow.  We not only were blessed with more resident campers than last summer, we also hosted a special week long resident camp for under-privileged Appalachian children.  Through the co-assistance of Camp Allegheny and the Ligonier Area churches, this event became a reality for Don and Sherry Rudge’s long time dream.  Thank you to the Ligonier area churches for the giving of your Lenten offerings and to the volunteers who helped prepare Hemlock for the children’s camping experience!  Camp Allegheny was also blessed with a number of day camps, including Cambria County Community Action, Somerset Day Cluster, and Beulah UM.

More important than just having more people here, the ministry that God did in this place this summer has been incredible. Many campers made either a first-time committment or a recommitment. Many more experienced God in a way that had never met him before. It is always exciting for me (Nate) to hear the stories from our staff and campers. God does awesome things here, and we are blessed to be a part of it. We are a blessed that you were a part of it, too!

Camp Allegheny Dinner Theater is Dec. 11 & 12! Mark your calendars!

Johnstown District Fundraiser Raises $13k

Yeah, you read it right. Belmont United Methodist church hosted a fundraising dinner for Camp Allegheny on September 13. At this dinner over $13,000 was raised in pledges, one-time donations, and silent auction income. The dinner was also a great experience as over 100 people fellowshipped around the tables. Two campers from 2009 and one camper from the early years of Camp Allegheny shared about their experiences at camp. Duane Slade, the director from 1983 to 2004, shared about the many ways that God has blessed Camp Allegheny in the past, and Dennis Tawney, the director since 2004 shared about what God is doing now and where He is taking the ministry into the future. Some excellent silent auction items were donated and auctioned off as well, including a week at a beach house in South Carolina, tickets to a Steelers game in Baltimore, and a flat panel television.

A huge "Thank You" goes out to all of those involved in holding this dinner, and especially to Merrit Edner, John Polacek, and the rest of Belmont United Methodist church for the work they put into this event. The entirety of this money will be put against the principal of the Heartwood Center loan. Praise the Lord!

Belmont UMC of Johnstown

The Heartwood Center

reNewed Mountain Praise

Mountain Praise is going to be held on October 11th this year, and it promises to be a lot of fun! Mountain Praise is Camp Allegheny's annual youth rally and this year will be the best event yet! There will be more activities this year, including climbing wall, archery, horse and pony rides, a hayride, mini-golf and frisbee golf, and more. With earlier start, dinner, and worship times, youth groups that have to travel will be able to get their youth home at a decent time. All participants must register. If you would like more information click here.

Watch your mail! Summer 2010 information is coming soon!

Thank You to the Summer Volunteers

If you have ever been involved in the Camp Allegheny summer program, whether as a camper, staff, or volunteer, you are aware of one thing; the people involved make all the difference! Summer by summer I'm amazed at the passion and verve that people have for being a positive influence on the lives of children and youth at Camp Allegheny. Whether it is someone's first year like Eileen Joll, or if they have over 20 years in like Fred and John Vanderhoff, these people are making a difference!

To see a full list of the people who volunteered at Camp Allegheny this summer, click here!

Good Eatin' - because man can't live on bread alone!

"To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)

Solomon wrote Proverbs to teach his son (and us) insight and wisdom into who God is and how to live a godly life. In chapter eight, Solomon writes from the perspective of Wisdom, emphasizing that She (Wisdom) is “more precious than rubies.” In verse 13, Wisdom then says that we are to hate evil. We know God hates evil, but we are to hate it ourselves. The question you should ask of your life is, "How much do you hate evil?" Think about this…it is very easy to hate murder, but how many times have you “murdered” with your speech? In the very same verse God shows us areas of evil that He hates, and talks specifically about how He hates perverse speech. As Christians, this verse should speak volumes to all of us on how important God values our speech and how we use our words.

(This scripture lesson was provided for Camp Allegheny's use by The Parent Link.)