Little Eden Retreat Center (Onekama, Michigan, USA)
Little Eden -- A Christian Retreat Center (formerly Little Eden Camp), a Mennonite (Mennonite Church USA) facility of 10 acres, is located on the north shore of Portage Lake 1.5 miles (two km) west of Onekama, Michigan, and 1.5 miles (two km) east of Lake Michigan, 240 miles (390 km) almost due north of Goshen, Indiana. Some 30 years earlier a lumber camp had been established on the plot, which was later sold to the Church of the Brethren for a recreation camp site, who in turn sold it to a group of Mennonites from Archbold, Ohio, in 1944.
The Mennonite group in 1945 organized a non‑profit corporation known as "Little Eden Camp Ground Association Inc.," with 53 charter members. Association membership in 1955 totaled 84, made up of members of the Mennonite Church (MC) from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The association was governed by a board of directors elected annually. Its assets totalled $37,100 in 1955.
Little Eden initially operated on a summer schedule beginning the last week in June and closing the first week in September, usually set up for nine groups of one week each. The 1955 season included five weeks for children including high-school age. The four weeks for adults included: Church Music and Young People, Christian Business and Professional, Christian Fellowship—Family, Farmers, and the Goshen College faculty retreat of two days. Facilities include a hotel building housing the administrative office, kitchen and dining room, social room, auditorium, second-floor sleeping rooms, and a third-floor dormitory, 17 cabins, a number of which house more than one family. The total capacity of the camp in 1955 was approximately 125, although at times children's camps enrolled as many as 200.
Little Eden became a year-round retreat center in 1992. At that time, Little Eden began to host various church and family groups from September through June as well.
Additional Information
Address:
3721 Portage Point Drive
Onekama, Michigan 49675-9751
Phone:
231-889-4294
Website:
Little Eden - A Christian Retreat Center
| Author(s) | Leland A Bachman |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bachman, Leland A. "Little Eden Retreat Center (Onekama, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Little_Eden_Retreat_Center_(Onekama,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=113835.
APA style
Bachman, Leland A. (1956). Little Eden Retreat Center (Onekama, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Little_Eden_Retreat_Center_(Onekama,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=113835.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 377. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.