Stayner Camp celebrates century of faith and fun

From the entrance, it looks much like any other camp with lots of cabins, recreation and dining halls, and a playground. What makes the Stayner Camp unique is the huge Tabernacle building, capable of hosting up to 600 worshippers for tent-style revivals.

Kathleen denBok, the camp’s interim managing director, says in the early 1900s, groups from all over Southwestern Ontario gathered in Stayner to hold tent revival meetings.

“Back then, they would put up tents, dig holes in the ground for coolers and cook over open fires,” she said. “The property backed onto the railroad tracks so people would get off the train and walk to the camp.”

The property was purchased from the Gartlan estate in 1925 and the Stayner Camp Christian Retreat was formally established. Unlike the early tent revivals, which were quite unstructured, the camp now operates 365 days a year.

“We have seasonal residents for six months of the year and retreats in the lodge year round,” said DenBok. “We host about 50 retreats a year, for anywhere from 15-300 participants.”

They also run children’s camps during March break and for three weeks in summer, plus two weeks of family camp each summer.

In the first year after the camp was established, 3,000 white pine seedlings were planted on the 26- acre property. A groundskeeper shared that, today, those soaring trees are the oldest white pine forest south of Temagami. Beams in the tabernacle are hewn from trees harvested at the site and this year, trees damaged in last winter’s ice storm will be transformed into new benches.

Stayner Camp is affiliated with Evergreen Christian Ministries and Compass Life Church and focusses on providing a full-service day camp experience with a Christian perspective. DenBok attended as a young camper, and had her first job washing dishes at thecamp.

“I knew I wanted my kids to have this experience and they first came here 13 years ago,” she said.

DenBok’s in-laws met many years ago at Stayner Camp, and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

In spite of it being located on Scott Street, within the town of Stayner, DenBok says many people are completely unaware of the camp, which employs 30 local residents.

“There are tons of parents who drive by here everyday to drop their kids off at school who never notice us.”

The majority of winter retreats, according to DenBok are special interest groups like quilters and scrapbookers. An average weekend retreat costs about $300 including food and lodging. Stayner Camp is a registered charity and reinvests in keeping camps accessible for kids. Kids camps range from $259 to $369 per week including all meals and snacks, with subsidies available for those in need.

The camp will celebrate its 100th anniversary August 1-4, with the highlight being a family festival from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 2 complete with bouncy castles, an exotic zoo, concerts and performers, including a 7 p.m. concert with Newworldson. There will be food for purchase but everything else is free.

“It’s our way of saying thank you to the community,” said DenBok. “Most camps don’t last 100 years. The average is more like 50, and we’re still going strong. We are not located on water so we don’t have any boating or swimming. We rely on creative programming like basket weaving, yarn making and dance to keep campers entertained.”

Contributed photo: The tabernacle under construction in 1947-1948.