A Special Announcement from the Director and her Assistant
Hi Everyone! Roo (Alana Matteson, Assistant Director) here!
Happy New Year!
I hope that you are all doing well and having a great January. I just wanted to write a note and let you know about some changes that are happening at camp and my life. On January 9th, I started a new position at University Hospitals (a hospital system in Cleveland, OH). I will be working full time in the transplant unit as an Intake Coordinator. I'm very excited about this opportunity! It will allow me many other opportunities for professional and personal growth as well as the opportunity to continue my education and pursue my masters degree. Unfortunately, this means that my work at camp is going to come to an end. I will be working with Rufous throughout the spring to transition out of my position as Assistant Director.
As a child, camp was the highlight of my year. As a teenager and adult, camp became my home. If anybody knows the power of God through CCWNY, it's me. Many people have worked to make Camp Cherith a place where one can truly be themselves... where people know the love of God, and where they can eat delicious food cooked over a fire. My years working at Camp Cherith have been so valuable, and it's truly been bittersweet to make this decision, but I am so excited to see the way that God will orchestrate a new group of people into leadership.
I can't wait to hear how leaders are trained, disciples are cultivated and lives are transformed at CCWNY this summer!
Hi Everyone! Rufous (Evelyn White, Director) here!
I just want to take a moment to say how thankful I am for the opportunity I've had do the ministry of camp with Roo. Over the years we have been able to make so many great memories together as we served campers, parents and staff at CCWNY. I know I have grown through the time we've had together and I am so grateful for the things God has allowed us to accomplish. We serve a great God who cares so deeply about us and has a unique plan for each of us. It has been wonderful to see God's plan unfold for Roo through this very exciting, new opportunity she has. I know that likewise God will show us His plan for CCWNY.
We don't always know what the future holds but we do know who holds the future. I am glad that even when we are uncertain of the path ahead we can trust God to lead us and be with us. I am looking to God to show us His way, through His word, just as we need our flashlights at camp to find our way on a dark path.
Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path.
Please join me in sending Roo off to her next adventure with our blessings and our prayers! So, this is not good-bye, just so long for now.
Fall Courier Newsletter
Get an update of the state of Camp Cherith since the summer season ended. Prayerfully consider how you could be involved with this special place in the coming year.
70 Year Celebration Gala
An elegant setting, an excellent catered dinner, terrific music, renewed friendships and shared memories all contributed to an exceptional evening. Campers, staff, supporters and friends--past and present--joined in celebrating 70 years of Camp Cherith WNY. We remembered the dream of Cherith as it began in 1946 and grew into the philosophy, program and place that we so cherish now.
Our hearts were thrilled as many shared how CCWNY had directly touched their lives, taught them skills, modeled a close walk with Jesus, developed their leadership abilities, demonstrated the unconditional love of God and inspired them to serve the Lord at school, home and around the world. Smiles, hugs, laughter and tears were abundant. “Camp was where I learned how to have my morning devotions.” “Camp was the first place I learned to love the outdoors and to connect with God in nature.” “I always felt loved at camp--it was my home.” “Camp was foundational for my kids and especially one with special needs. The relationships she developed allow her to live independently.” “”Being immersed in Bible teaching and dependence on God throughout each day helped me remember to keep Christ in every part of my life: “CCWNY has been such a blessing!”
See the slideshow below to see highlights from the evening.
Fall Chatter Newsletter
Missing summer camp as fall turns to winter? Read some notes from your camp friends to remind you of your time.
5 things to keep in mind about following God’s path for your life
As a new summer approaches, I realize that this will be my 8th year on staff at camp. If you had known me prior to my first summer at camp, I would have been the last person you would have seen at any summer camp. But God’s plans are way different than our own.
We all know the verse Jeremiah 29:11 that says “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Although we all know this verse, often times it’s hard for us to completely trust the fact that God has a perfect plan for our lives. As a result we try to do things out own way, and it usually turns out as a disaster. If we want to walk on the path that God has planned for us, then there are a couple of things that we need to do.
1) Identify yourself with Christ- To know where we are going we have to know who we are.
2) Submit your whole self to God and trust Him
a) James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you
b) Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth
3) Pray and spend time with God
a) Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will so that you know the voice of the Holy Spirit.
4) Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you then listen and obey
a) John 10:14-15; 27 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
b) When we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal something to us, He will, and we have to listen.
i) 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.
5) Protect yourself from the words of others-
a) 1 Samuel 17:8-11 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelite's were dismayed and terrified.
i) The Israelite's were intimidated by the words of Goliath they were not protecting themselves against his words they were "terrified"
Remember God has a plan for your life and it’s up to you to walk in His ways so you can fulfill it. Never let the enemy knock you off track and distract you from all that God has planned for you!
<3 Pteri Ibis
If you would like to submit a devotional for Morning Watch Monday or have a topic you would like to see, contact Lorianne, loriannewalker7 [at] gmail.com
New Cherith Chatter Available for Campers and Parents
Check out the newest Cherith Chatter for information about the upcoming camp season. Be sure to read it for check-in and check-out procedures, how to send letters and email to your campers, and special events going on related to our 70th Anniversary!
2016 Weekly Themes! Register Today!
Here's the announcement of our 2016 weekly themes! Come join in on the fun today! Remember: register for week 1 now for a special discount!
Week 1: Stories from Outer Space (girls only)
Week 2: Stories from the Kingdom (girls only)
Week 3: Stories from the Movies (girls only)
Week 4: Stories from Superheroes (boys and girls)
Week 5: Stories of the Old West (boys and girls
We're so excited for you to be a part of The Greater Story at CCWNY!
70th Anniversary Celebration Gala
Come enjoy a night to celebrate The Greater Story at Camp Cherith of Western New York. A catered event including pictures, friends, a program, and music on Camp's very own site!
If you have pictures or memories you would like to include in the event, please contact Stephanie Rawleigh at stephrawl@gmail.com
If you have questions, please contact Alana Matteson at mattesonalana44@gmail.com
When: Saturday, September 24th at 5pm
Tickets are $20 per person, or $140 for a table.
Light and Life
I’ve been thinking about the word “hope” a lot lately. It’s in those moments when I acknowledge the hope that we have in Jesus that I am filled with joy. Hope can make our eyes smile and dance with excitement because hope in Jesus is rooted in the promise of full and eternal life.
The passage that I keep returning to that reminds me of that hope and gives me peace is found in the gospel of John:
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…
He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:4-5, 10-12
We live in a broken and dark world, but because of Jesus we have light and we have life. His life is the light of men.
He came into this world, knowing that He would be rejected by the very people that He created and the people that He loves and so desperately desires to know. He came to give us a chance...to give us the right to become children of God.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1
Despite our brokenness, a holy and perfect God lavishes His love on us and calls us His children. We can live out every day with joy in our hearts because no matter what situations or challenges or decisions we face, God’s love for us remains unchanging, and we are allowed the blessing of being His children.
-Jay
If you would like to submit a devotional for Morning Watch Monday or have a topic you would like to see, contact Lorianne, loriannewalker7 [at] gmail.com
Platinum Year Reunion Weekend
How many summers did you spend at Camp Cherith of WNY? Whether you came every summer from the age of 9 and are still coming today, or only came one week, we want you to consider joining us for a Reunion Weekend this summer.
Many will be gathering July 22-24 on the camp site to celebrate God's faithfulness through the 70 years we have been an organization. Reconnect with old friends and make new ones. experience your favorite camp activities, and tour the site to see how things have changed and yet stayed the same.
The cost is $40 per person/ $100 max per family. Limited on-site accommodations are available. First come, first served. Come for all or part of the weekend.
Have questions before you register? Contact Leah Jane Dusel at 716-440-7391 or email ljdusel [at] gmail.com or call Egohr at 248-722-1531
July 22
Arrive between 7 and 8 pm for CILT graduation and Friday Night Campfire
July 23
Breakfast
Time to explore trails
Lunch, complete with jobs and singing
Riflery, archery, hiking, creeking, tree climbing, crafts, horseback riding
Cookout Foil Dinner with S'mores
Unified Evening Program
Campfire with songfest and testimony time
July 24
Continental breakfast
Informal Worship
Help out where needed to prepare camp for campers