Christmas 2022
This Christmas season I have been feeling very thankful. I have much gratitude for how God has brought us, his people, through a hard few years and begun to transform what has felt like death, into new life. It brings to mind Jesus’ words in John 12:24 when he says, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Many of us have experienced hard things in the last few years, but out of these hard things has come life. We’ve seen the death of an old dining hall, with beautiful memories baked into its walls. We’ve seen camps cut short, staff shortages and many challenges thrown our way. But through these hardships, God who is faithful has brought life! Life in the form of a brand new dining hall, paid for in full and fully utilized this summer. A return to full overnight weeks of camps, with enough staff stepping in to ensure that we can accommodate hundreds of children. Through these challenges, we have seen so evidently the hand of our God Yahweh at work.
All of the new life we’ve seen is encouraging to us on the Bethel board, but these little hints of God’s grace only serve to remind us of the ultimate life that came into the world in the form of Christ the child. This is the story of Christmas. Hardships, death and suffering meet their match in the form of a baby, Jesus of Nazareth. We’re thankful today for God who sent his son into the world to save it. To be the sacrifice needed, the sacrifice that redeems us from sin. This is what I’m grateful for this holiday season – that we can celebrate Christmas, the sending of God’s anointed one into our world.
I hope you can share in this gratitude this Christmas season as we celebrate the arrival of our King!
– Jesse Nakano on behalf of the Bethel Bible Camp Committee
Bethel Bible Camp 2023 (DV)
June 2-4 WIWACS (young adults)
June 9-11 Men’s Retreat (men 14+)
June 23-25 Ladies’ Retreat (women 14+)
July 2-8 Senior High Camp (entering grade 10-12 fall 2023)
July 9-15 Junior High Camp (entering grade 8-9 fall 2023)
July 16-22 CTP (counselor training program: entering grade 10 fall 2023, or older)
July 18-19 Day Camp 1 (entering kindergarten-grade 3 fall 2023)
July 20-21 Day Camp 2 (entering kindergarten-grade 3 fall 2023)
July 23-28 Intermediate Camp (entering grade 6-7 fall 2023)
July 30-Aug 2 Children’s Camp 1 (entering grade 4-5 fall 2023)
August 2-5 Children’s Camp 2 (entering grade 4-5 fall 2023)
August 8-11 CAYA (adults with exceptionalities)
Camp August 13-19 Girls’ Camp (girls entering grade 7-12 fall 2023)
August 25-27 Filipino Family Camp
September 1-4 Family Camp
You will notice a few scheduling changes this year, notably the Soccer Camp weekend has been replaced with a Men’s Retreat, a few other camps have been moved around, and we’re still awaiting confirmation on other announcements – which we’ll let you know soon! See you next Summer!