Camp Bow-Isle kicked off the start of the 2011 season with a full day of activities, including lake time, field games, and great food. We’ve got a crowd of Junior Boys, ready for two weeks of adventure, fun, making new friends, and learning new skills — with the practical application of Christian Science woven through every aspect of the Camp programs.

We’ve added some new digital cameras to Camp’s box of goodies this year, and campers will have the opportunity to be “Camp Photographer of the Day”. Be sure to check out the photo galleries for frequent additions, both from the staff and from a camper’s eye view!

There’s still time to enroll your campers in the remaining sessions for this year — Senior Boys, Junior and Senior Girls, and the Boys and Girls Skills weeks — give Camp a call toll-free (877) 943-BIG-A for more details on last-minute enrollment.  It’s an experience of a lifetime!

And don’t forget — the men’s staff arrives this Sunday, and another amazing season at Camp Bow-Isle starts with Junior Boys arriving on June 26!!

The Canada & US Northwest Regional Church Alive Summit runs from Thursday evening, May 12 through Sunday, May 15, in beautiful Victoria, BC. The event takes place at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Victoria. It promises to be an amazing weekend full of inspiration — you won’t want to miss this special time together with friends and family as you embrace your spiritual identity and your community!

For more information, or to register online, click here for all the details.  We’ll see you there!

Best-Ever French Toast

4 slices Texas Toast, French Bread, or thick-sliced homemade bread
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk or half & half
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Butter

Melt butter in a medium hot skillet.  Put eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a shallow flat bowl and whisk with a wire whisk until frothy and well-blended.  Dip bread into egg mixture, making sure both sides are well coated.  Transfer to skillet and cook until lightly browned.  Flip bread over and repeat.

Dust slices with icing sugar and serve with butter, warm maple syrup, sliced oranges and fresh strawberries.  Serves two hungry campers!

Don’t forget to check out our new poll on the home page and vote for your favourite!

For all the details and to complete the easy online application process, just click here to get started!  We can’t wait to see you here at Camp Bow Isle this summer!!

The Canada & US Northwest Regional Church Alive Summit runs from Thursday evening, May 12 through Sunday, May 15, in beautiful Victoria, BC. The event takes place at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Victoria — all the information and registration details can be found here and the Facebook page is available here.

Financial assistance is available and people of all ages are welcome to attend!  Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian — families are welcome!  A great flyer is also available with information on travel and transit, accommodations, restaurants, and more.  It promises to be an amazing weekend full of inspiration — you won’t want to miss this special time together with friends and family as you embrace your spiritual identity and your community!

If you can’t wait until the end of April for that favourite CBI breakfast recipe, you’ll want to order a copy of our official 50th anniversary CBI Recipe Book, filled with all the best-loved items from Camp’s kitchen, along with some recipes from camper families.

To order your own copy, head to our online Camp Store for price and ordering information!

In her chapter on Marriage in Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy writes of the special roles of men and women, and without stereotyping or limiting either, it is important to recognize the specific challenges to be overcome for each, and to have an opportunity to pray accordingly. Camp Bow-Isle affords and encourages this opportunity.

Most of us (and most of our children) live in a co-educational world. And while this is considered normal in our society, it is important to recognize that some lessons are learned better in a single gender experience. At Camp Bow-Isle, a large part of our focus has to do with modelling appropriate male behaviour for boys and appropriate female behaviour for girls. In our society, the images of INAPPROPRIATE male (and female) behaviour are beamed into our children constantly. On the male side, the de facto definition of manhood coming from the media includes having big/ fast/ expensive toys, (ie trucks, cars, houses, castles, weapons, and even muscles) the ability to consume copious amounts of alcohol, settling disagreements with violence or the threat of violence, and bedding as many women as possible. It may make for entertaining movies, but this is a lousy definition of manhood!

On the female side, the definition of womanhood includes having a perfect body, dressing scantily to show it off, luring and manipulating men to do their bidding, and gossiping, backstabbing, and strategically controlling the social scene to one’s own benefit; an equally lousy definition of womanhood.

Of course these are generalizations, and one can find excellent movies, books and websites that offer far better illustrations, but the images described above still dominate and are pervasive in our society, and it takes a specific effort to confront them. A two-week hiatus from the constant bombardment of these image/definitions is a great start! The frank and direct conversations that are needed to capitalize on the reprieve are much more easily and spontaneously had in a single gender setting than a co-ed one.

Several years ago, a group of Senior Girls came to Karin and asked to have the mirrors removed from the bathrooms. This request was the result of recognizing the freedom that comes as a result of NOT having to meet the visual expectations of a co-ed society. Can you imagine this request being made in a co-ed setting? I cannot.

A Senior Boy at a recent session recognized that his competitive nature had gotten the better of him and that he needed to be more of a team player. I’m convinced that the lens of a single gender camp setting helped him to see this need much more clearly than would have been possible otherwise. He realized while here that he had few male friends at home, and that he had offended and alienated most of his camp friends due to his “need” to prove himself superior physically. This was rectified before the end of the session, and he pledged to improve on this issue over the coming year at school as well.

In a number of societies throughout the world the males retreat for a period in order to better train the young men in the important job of growing up and being men. Of course, while they are gone, the elder-women are busily educating the girls in what it means to be a woman in that society. They spend the bulk of their time together, but it is acknowledged that some lessons are easier to absorb in a single gender subset of the community.

I would never advocate a lengthy separation of the genders, but for short periods of time, like the prophets retreating to the mountaintop, it can be highly beneficial. Having worked at a number of camps, I can say absolutely, that the benefits of a single gender program are both evident and abundant.

Jon Heath — Camp Director

Are you between the ages of 12-35 and in need of some spiritual inspiration? Come experience Christianity in Motion with three days of inspiration and action. We’re taking summits to the next level! We’ll be joined by the Board of Directors, engaging lecturers, and local facilitators. Plus, we’ll be bringing
spirituality to the streets of Portland.

Mark your calendar for April 8-10 for a weekend that you won’t want to miss out on — here’s a link to a downloadable PDF flyer for your Church, Sunday School, or Reading Room. There’s financial assistance available for those attending the three day session, and those that are new to Christian Science come for free, so bring a friend!

All the information, weekend schedule and more can be found on the website and the Facebook Fan page for TMC Youth.