Camp Arnes (Arnes, Manitoba, Canada)
Camp Arnes (formerly known as Lake Winnipeg Mission Camp), is located on Lake Winnipeg, 70 miles (112.5 km.) north of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is owned and operated by the Lake Winnipeg Mission Camp Society Inc.
In the late 1930s, instructors at Winkler Bible School organized summer camps and conducted these programs on grounds rented from the Canadian Sunday School Mission camp near Gimli, Manitoba. In 1939, a group of ten men, led by A. A. Kroeker, purchased 160 acres in Arnes for $1000, with each paying $100. A well was drilled that year, but World War II disrupted further development plans.
A. A. Kroeker, David E. Redekop and 13 others met on 29 March 1949 to form the Lake Winnipeg Mission Camp Society, which then organized a "camp where Mennonite young people could, during the summer months, study God's wonderful handiwork". A road was immediately built and the construction of facilities began, all carried out by volunteers. A. A. DeFehr, Walter Voth, Henry H. Voth, Abe Quiring, and others contributed much to the development and program of the camp.
Alfred H. Kroeker, son of A. A. Kroeker, directed the camp for the first few years. The ten-day encampments were Bible-centered. Attendance kept increasing and more programs were added. The camp had a profound impact, particularly on the Winnipeg Mennonite Brethren churches, and outreach was a very important part of the camp's ministry.
As early as the late 1950s the board experimented with a full-time director. The camping season was extended to June and September. The first winterized building (the Wigwam) was constructed in 1966. By the late 1960s Camp Arnes was a year-round operation. Programs were expanded to include families, senior citizens, church congregations and even public schools.
Bibliography
“Camp Arnes History.” Camp Arnes. http://www.camparnes.com/assets/history.htm (accessed 15 January 2009).
| Author(s) | Richard D Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2009 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. "Camp Arnes (Arnes, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2009. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Camp_Arnes_(Arnes,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=140907.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. (January 2009). Camp Arnes (Arnes, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Camp_Arnes_(Arnes,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=140907.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.