Camping Internship Program participants selected;

Eight GC students to learn, seek at Mennonite camps and retreat centers

 

GOSHEN, Ind. – While enjoying the beauty of nature and the fellowship of Christian leaders, eight Goshen College students will spend their summer exploring vocational possibilities at Mennonite camps and retreat centers while seeking God’s will for their lives through the college’s Camping Inquiry Program (CIP).

This summer, students will serve at seven locations: Bethany Birches Camp, Plymouth, Vt.; Camp Hebron, Halifax, Pa.; Camp Friedenswald, Cassopolis, Mich.; Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mount Pleasant, Pa.; Menno Haven Camp and Retreat Center, Tiskilwa, Ill.; Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, Divide, Colo.; and Wilderness Wind Camp, Ely, Minn. Each student participated in an orientation session and will travel to the camps to begin their assignments in late May and early June.

 

Now in its third year, CIP involves a collaborative effort by Goshen College, the students’ home congregations and the host camps. With the support of the United Service Foundation of New Holland, Pa., CIP enables students to participate in a leadership internship and receive a $2,000 scholarship toward their return to college in the fall.

The goal of CIP is to expose students to the mission and programs of Mennonite camps and retreat centers, with an eye toward future outdoor ministry. The program is coordinated by Stuart Showalter, director of career services at Goshen College, and Anita Yoder, assistant director of career services, with the help from Mennonite camp and retreat center administrators.

 

The summer 2004 group of CIP participants includes:

Joe Fenton (Jr., Tremont, Ill.) will intern at Menno Haven Camp and Retreat Center with Doc Johnson, associate camp director. Fenton, a Bible and religion major, attends Hopedale Mennonite Church. He is the son of Curt and Sarah Fenton of Tremont and a 2001 graduate of Tremont High School.

Sol Fenton-Miller (Fr., Marcellus, Mich.) will intern at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, working with program coordinator Amanda Yoder and Joy Cotchen. Fenton-Miller is a collegiate studies major and attends Florence Church of the Brethren. He graduated from Marcellus High School in 2003; his parents are Willard and Kathy Fenton-Miller of Marcellus.

Kirsten Hartwig (So., Westfield, N.Y.) will spend her summer at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp working with Corbin Graber, executive director. Hartwig is a nursing major and attends First Methodist Church. She is the daughter of Kristopher and Rebecca Hartwig of Westfield and a 2003 graduate of Westfield Central High School.

Lauren Metcalf (Sr., Kidron, Ohio) will intern at Wilderness Wind Camp under the direction of Kathy Landis. Metcalf is an interdisciplinary major and attends Sonnenberg Mennonite Church. She is the daughter of Trent Metcalf of Dalton and Rebecca Metcalf of Millersburg and graduated from Central Christian High School in 2000.

Sam Moyer (Fr., Plymouth, Vt.) will intern at Bethany Birches Camp with Brad Moyer, camp director. Moyer is a physics and psychology major and attends Bethany Mennonite Church. He graduated from Proctor Junior-Senior High School in 2003 and his parents are Steve and Naomi Moyer of Plymouth.

Rebekah Schmell (So., Fort Wayne, Ind.) will intern at Camp Friedenswald with Todd Kirkton, executive director. Schmell is a communication major and attends Maplewood Mennonite Church. She is a 2002 graduate of R. Nelson Snider High School and her parents are Barry and Deb Schmell of Fort Wayne.

Josh Weaver (Jr., Bluffton, Ohio) will serve at Camp Friedenswald with Todd Kirkton, executive director. He is a mathematics major and a 2002 graduate of Bluffton High School. His parents are Jim and Jane Weaver of Bluffton and he attends First Mennonite Church of Bluffton.

Craig Welscott (Fr., Greenbush, Mich.) will spend the summer at Camp Hebron working with Mike Ford, program director. Welscott is a music major and attends Charlevoix United Methodist Church. He is the son of Tom and Mia Welscott and graduated from Northwest Academy in 2003.

CIP grew from a donor couple’s life-long interest in camping. Larry and Janet Newswanger, former residents of Goshen and friends of Goshen College, envisioned a camping internship program that would parallel existing programs in congregational ministry (Ministry Inquiry Program) and church-sponsored voluntary service (Service Inquiry Program). A grant from their family foundation made the Camping Inquiry Program possible.

 

– by Melanie Histand

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” Kaplan’s “Most Interesting Colleges” guide and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit https://www.goshen.edu/.

Editors: For more information, contact News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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