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Church members and academy students fellowshiped and adventured together Sabbath afternoon on the mountain at Glacier View Ranch, the summer camp and retreat center operated by the Rocky Mountain Conference. Activities, including three intensities of hikes, and crafts in the Longhouse, were available for everyone.
"I didn't grow up going to camp, but I love coming here to be in nature. Being up here at the camp and in the mountains brings me closer to God," said lead pastor Rodlie Ortiz at the top of the Lions rock formation. On the medium intensity hike, adventurers created biblical dioramas of stories including a representation of the feeding of the five thousand with pinecones for people and five rolls of candy and two leaves as the loaves and fish. In the Longhouse, participants created small wood slice coaster art and used string and nails to create signs reminding them to "Be the Light” to those around them. After a fellowship meal and some time to make new friends and catch up with old friends, Brooke Malkin, sophomore, remarked, that “(Mountain Sabbath) is special to me because we get to worship God in His creation.” When asked why Mountain Sabbath is important, Bruno Lopez, senior, said, "Having the church and students come together is important because just being at church can sometimes make students feel as if they don’t belong (in the church community), but here everyone feels more equal and approachable.” Similarly, Pastor Ortiz said, "When Jesus comes back, He isn't going to ask other churches ‘What did you do for the students I gave you?’ We are the academy church and I feel a responsibility for stewardship. I think events like Mountain Sabbath should happen more often - the church body coming out to mingle with students in nature. It’s a win-win!" As the sun neared the mountains, Denison Sager, Campion Academy’s new director of recruitment and marketing, gave a short worship thought to close out the Sabbath. He reminded everyone of the importance of staying united as a church family, even in changing circumstances. Denali Sager, Student News Team
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RMNPAmerican lakesStudents geared up and trekked through the mountains for Campion’s annual backpacking trips this past weekend. Twenty-seven Campion students split into two groups, one hiking to Finch Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and the other to American Lakes in State Forest State Park (SFSP).
The group at RMNP was able to complete the weekend, however, the group at SFSP had to hike out Saturday night due to a major storm that soaked their equipment. On Friday afternoon both groups set out to their respective trailheads to begin hiking about 4 miles to their campsites. After setting up camp, cooking meals, and surviving the night, students continued further up the mountains on Saturday. The RMNP group hiked up to higher alpine lakes while the SFSP group climbed to the top of Lulu Mountain. Both groups hiked around 16-20 miles over the weekend. While the weather was favorable for most of the trip, for the students in the SFSP group, the weather took a turn on Saturday evening. At about 5 p.m. rain started pouring, flooding tents and forcing the group to pack up and hike down the mountain in the dark all while enduring the rain. They safely arrived back to campus at about 1 a.m. Teagan Phillips, senior, commented, “It was very tiring, but definitely an adventure.” Backpacking provided students with unique challenges and opportunities to bond together. Students had to pack light while also packing everything they needed, including food, clothes, a stove, and a tent, all carried in their backpacks up the mountain. Once at the campsites, students cooked meals on portable stoves and filtered water from the lakes for use. The trip offered many students a new opportunity to explore nature and experience the outdoors in a new way. Clayton Rodgers, a freshman in the SFSP group, said, “I’ve never been backpacking before, but it was really fun. At some point, we hiked up to this glacier lake in between two mountain peaks, which was epic.” Bernardo de Oliveira, sophomore, said, “It was really awesome because even though it was exhausting having to carry big heavy backpacks, the hikes were amazing and the views were even better. For me, it was one of the craziest experiences of my life, especially with so many great people around me.” Joshua Profir, Student News Team |
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