Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Camp Men-O-Lan

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Camp Men-O-Lan

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Camp Men-O-Lan, located in Quakertown, PA, is the oldest operating Mennonite camp in the US. Established in 1941, it has been serving the community for 80 years. Originally part of Eastern District Conference, Men-O-Lan is eager to extend this ministry to other churches in the Mosaic Conference. 

Day Campers at Camp Men-O-Lan in summer 2019. Photo by 2019 Men-O-Lan Summer Media Team.

The mission of Camp Men-O-Lan is “Life Change through Christ.” We pursue this mission primarily through summer programs which host over 510 campers during five weeks of resident camp and eight weeks of day camp. Campers experience the beautiful outdoors, fun-filled activities, deep friendships with campers and staff, and, most importantly, the good news of the Gospel. 

The camp is accessible for a variety of uses. Churches come for weekend retreats or a day of fun. Businesses use the facilities for team building and meetings. Sports clubs and home-school groups use the gym and the grounds to enhance their activities. 

Men-O-Lan operates with a director and six year-round staff. A board of directors meets to discuss camp goals, finances, projects, and vision. Camp counselors and other summer staff are college students and young adults who love the Lord and working with children and youth. Working as camp staff has been a stepping-stone for many young adults to pursue careers in education, youth ministry, and church leadership.

Enjoying campfires at resident camp. Photo by 2019 Men-O-Lan Summer Media Team.

Throughout the year, Men-O-Lan becomes a host for the community and churches who want to rent space for worship, events, and fundraisers. Harvestfest in October offers family-friendly activities, live music, and food booths. In December, Journey to Bethlehem is a chance to share the true meaning of Christmas through skits and activities. We’re excited to add a similar event to the Easter season.

Our main fundraisers include Summerfest and Sporting Clays. Summerfest, held in May, is a fun day of kids’ games, food booths, activities at the pond, and a benefit auction. In October, the Sporting Clay fundraiser takes place at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays and brings together a variety of people who enjoy the sport and the outdoors. 

Camp Life in summer 2019. Photo by 2019 Men-O-Lan Summer Media Team.

Volunteers and donors are crucial to our ministry. Opportunities for both can be found on our website, menolan.org, or by calling the camp directly. Volunteers are needed for mowing grass, workdays, and fundraisers. The camp has been blessed by generous donations from supporting churches, estate gifts, and individuals who have experienced a life change at Men-O-Lan and want to see the ministry continue to reach children and youth in the same way.

During this year of COVID-19, programs did not happen in the normal way. We continued to invite people to use the grounds in creative ways that allowed families and churches to be on the grounds and enjoy what Men-O-lan has to offer. We are very excited to get back to day camp and resident camp ministry in 2021.

Please pray for Camp Men-O-Lan in the following ways:

  • Summer ministry reboot after a tough year
  • Campers’ hearts prepared to receive the gospel
  • God’s continued blessing on this ministry

Reconnecting with God at Camp

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“When can I go to camp?” was the question that I repeatedly asked my parents every year, as we dropped off my three older brothers at Camp Men-O-Lan (Quakertown, PA). Finally, at the tender age of nine, I was old enough for my own week as an overnight camper. 

Distanced fireside worship during a pandemic at Bethany Birches Camp.  Photo credit: Capjoy Photography

Ironically, I was homesick the majority of the time. My counselors helped me tough it out, and I came home a veteran camper and Christian. In the midst of my emotional longing for home, I had invited Jesus to be my Savior. In my teen years, it was the place that I rededicated my life to serve Christ.

I love Camp Men-O-Lan. Over the years I had the role of a camper, counselor, Bible teacher, and board member. I proposed to my wife after a young adult weekend campfire and we held our wedding reception in the Landis Hall gym. Men-O-Lan has become my Bethel: a special place that I go to walk the hallowed grounds with Jesus to seek guidance and direction.

A poll of our congregation showed that at least half had attended Men-O-Lan since its founding in 1941. Many of them made decisions to enter into a relationship with Jesus or rededicate their lives like I had done. I have had the privilege to experience wonderful spiritual moments at other camps as well, such as retreats and family camps at Spruce Lake and Camp Hebron. 

Cooling off in the mud pit during Messy Monday at Bethany Birches Camp. Photo credit: Capjoy Photography

Christian camps are an oasis for campers of all ages to reconnect with God and each other. Full-time and summer staff form lifelong bonds and may even find their spouse through the flickering flames of the campfire. These sacred places become a spiritual institute for future pastors, missionaries, youth directors, and others serving in full-time ministry. Those not formally called to the vocation of ministry are also prepared to be Jesus in whatever realm they live, work and play. 

More than just spiritual growth for campers, Christian camps offer a social education as well. It was at camp that I had my first face-to-face living experience with those of another race, culture, and neighborhood identity. What better place to learn the beauty of diversity than at camp?

2020 has been a hard year on our camps. Many could not operate as normal with the COVID-19 regulations. I have heard of many creative ways that our Mennonite camps have ministered via “camp in a box” and virtually. Those camps that were able to hold their summer sessions will definitely be able to know what year it was by the pictures of masks and social distancing. Christian camps also took a financial hit from the cancellation of other groups that could not hold their retreats and other adventures.

I would like to challenge all of us, especially those with rich memories of your own camp experiences, to make a special donation to the camp of your choice. You can be an answer to the prayers of administrators and staff who have been called to serve God by introducing people, young and old, to their Savior through Christian camping experiences. I am a pastor today largely because of the heart work Jesus did in my life at camp.

The following camps are Conference Related Ministries (CRMs) of Mosaic Mennonite Conference: Camp Men-O-Lan, Bethany Birches Camp, and Spruce Lake. 
This is an abbreviated version of the full article that is available at https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/reconnecting-with-god-at-camp/

Who makes the grass turn green?

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menolanby Monica Bauman, Camp Men-O-Lan

Spring is here! And along with the change in season, I often find myself refreshed and excited about the “newness” that nature once again graces us with.

This year, however, I realized that I have taken it for granted and have forgotten the wonder and the excitement of little growth around us. Leave it to my son, recently adopted from Jamaica, to remind me.

I was cooking in the kitchen when he came running into the house and grabbed me by the arm. When I asked him what was wrong, he didn’t know how to explain it and instead pulled me by the sleeve outside.

He pointed to a bush.  “What’s that?” he asked.  “Why does the bush have those green things coming out of it?”

I took a deep breath and realized that he was experiencing, for the first time in his life, the growth that spring brings. I explained, “It’s spring time! It’s getting warm so the trees are starting to grow leaves, the grass is going to turn green, and the bushes and plants will grow flowers!”

My son looked at me. “Who makes it do this?”

And to that, I answered, “God. Only God can create such beautiful growth in his creation.”

Thank you Lord for such an amazing reminder to slow down, examine the growth around me, and to remember You, the Creator.

God IS at Work…

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by Sandy Landes, Franconia Prayer Ministry Coordinator

On November 10, Franconia and Eastern District Conferences will gather for our annual assembly, around the theme of “God at Work.”  More information.

How do we live life in such a way that it requires faith? Hebrews 11 says that, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him, must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I see God at work building faith in Him in many different ways in our community. In my role as prayer ministry coordinator for Franconia Conference, much of what I do involves seeing people cooperating with God through prayer as they put their faith in a God who invites us to come to the throne of grace with boldness (Hebrews 4:16).

On Wednesday, September 12, twenty-eight pastors and credentialed leaders gathered at Camp Men-O-Lan (Quakertown, Pa.) to spend the day in prayer and fellowship. God was at Work as the pastors listened to what God was saying to them through the Word, through the testimonies of each other, and through creation. I saw faith built as leaders related the ways in which God has been faithful and is providing all they need to continue to follow Jesus and equip the church for ministry.

Salem Mennonite Church (Quakertown, Pa.) was the setting for another example of God at Work, releasing his healing power. Marcella Ruch shared her story of being a “yes” woman for God, even as God called her to a healing ministry after retirement. We may hear the words, “healing ministry” and assume it means only a prayer ministry but there is a duality to the work God is doing through Marcella. Since her retirement 15 years ago, God has used Marcella to start a free clinic for uninsured people in her city of Colorado Springs, to start a medical outreach for the families of Liberia, and to minister his healing power wherever she goes. God blessed Marcella as she shared her testimony and inspired others to also say “yes” to God, even if it doesn’t fit in with their plans. Several persons were touched by God’s love as they received personal prayer ministry by a prayer team.

God's house of promise
God’s House of Promise, on Allentown Road in Souderton, Pa.

I also see God at Work in a new ministry beginning this week in the little stone building on Allentown Road just below Lower Road in Souderton, Pa.  God’s House of Promise is an ecumenical ministry with the purposes of uniting the body of Christ and transforming our community through the continuous reading of God’s Word aloud on a daily basis, offering a place to pray for personal, community, and worldwide needs, and uniting our community in monthly worship.

The kick-off event for God’s House of Promise was held on Saturday, Sept 22 at Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church. Seeing worshipers from many different denominations praying together is an example of God at Work answering the prayers of Jesus in John 17, “that they would all be one.”

It is encouraging to see God at work in so many different ways in our community, in the church and outside. As I have been prayer-walking with a close friend in my neighborhood, we have been drawn to stop in at a local bar and to connect with and bless the new friends we are making there. It requires faith that God is at work as we share stories and build connections on a personal level. Through God’s nudging we have prayed for healing, for provision of jobs, and for blessing on the families of the employees. It requires faith to believe that the kingdom of God is present as we enter in to an unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable environment, but we trust that God is at work because we believe, as it says in Ephesians 3:20, that “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

How have you seen God at work in your congregation, community, and conference?  Share your story (in a sentence or several paragraphs—up to you!) here.