From July 6 – 24, 412 children “spied” their way through I Spy Kids Camp first at the Langley Campus, then at the Abbotsford campus and finally at the Maple Ridge Campus! That’s 3 Weeks and 3 Campuses, so I want to celebrate my favorite 3 BIG WINS for the 2026 season of summer camp.
1. Abbotsford Campus hosts their first Kids Camp with 11 beautiful children. That’s a small percentage of the 412 total, so you may wonder if it was worth doing. And my answer is ABSOLUTELY. We had such a beautiful time making sure a camp designed for groups of 150 worked for a smaller group. Kids felt the “big-ness” of camp but were able to ask vital questions and get to know their campus building better. I have come to realise that camp gives kids’ confidence that they belong in this sacred space called church. And I think that’s a BIG WIN.
2. The volunteer team that supported the kids across 3 weeks totalled 180 adults and youth. This is a 50% increase in volunteer numbers from last year but does not include the many who helped in the months before camp with craft prep and other detailed tasks. This BIG WIN requires a GIANT thank you to all of you who served and sacrificed to make sure that camp happened.
3. CLA Kids deepened their walk with Jesus. They said ‘YES’ to Jesus’ invitation to follow him, questions about God and about life were asked and answered, friendships were made AND… I love this one so much… children worshipped in Spirit and truth AND with an enthusiasm that inspired us all to be ALL IN for Jesus. BIG BIG WIN.
Parents, we are partners together in the discipleship of the next generation. So, here’s my pastoral request to all of you: continue the conversations from camp with your children. Ask them about what they learned – about the Right Words, Right Actions, Right Mission, Right Teamwork, and Right Victory. Ask if they said yes to Jesus and tell them about how you said yes to Jesus too. That would be another BIG WIN.
Finally – Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers, generosity and support for CLA Kids. 101 children received partial to full support to attend camp. We can’t do that without you responding to requests for financial assistance. We couldn’t do camp at all if you all didn’t make the next generation a missional priority.
You CLA Family, are a BIG WIN too.
Have a fantastic summer!
