We had a great time with Kids Fun Camp this year.  Cranston was the host community for this event, with children coming from many neighbourhoods within Calgary and even Okotoks. 

Our partnering churches for Kids Fun Camp were Oak Grove Baptist Church from Texas and Fallston Baptist Church from North Carolina.  Kinsey led our children in Bible lessons each day, after a great storytime with our favourite puppets:  Lisa, Sandra, Chris and Edna.  I think the children really enjoyed the puppets who told them stories and helped them learn about these topics:

John 13: 1-17   Loving Others   “Sharing & Caring” 

Luke 5: 1-11   Serving Others      “The Big Catch”

John 21: 1-17   Appreciation       “Saying Thank You”

John 3:16 & 1 John 1:9     Forgiving Others      “Forgiveness”

 The children enjoyed games with Hula Hoops, Cards, “What Time is it, Mr. Wolf?”, and many cool relays.  Crafts were always important, so the children could take home cool things to remember their camp, and be creative at the same time!  Refreshments were a hit, with cotton candy, icy pops, cheezies, and fruit gems as a treat for coming to camp.

Moms enjoyed craft time this week with Deanne, bringing Stampin’ Up cards and crafts to make everyone feel talented!

There was a family BBQ on the last evening, and despite the rainy weather, many families came out to enjoy hot dogs, chips, pop, and the fun of just getting to know each other a little better.  One family even brought Tim Hortons doughnuts to share!  Yum!

We are not sure who had more fun this week – the children, the parents, or the volunteers!

Southwinds Church hosted Upward Basketball Camp in Lake Chaparral this year with a total of 50 children participating this year.  Southwinds Church volunteers were assisted by summer teams from First Baptist Church of Kings Mountain, NC and Mountain View Baptist Church of Hickory, NC.  We also had extra help from Current Team, South Calgary.   There were 6 teams of children in the camp with excellent coaches and drill leaders.  Each Upward Basketball camper received an Upward Basketball in their size, a water bottle, and a tee shirt.

Our head coach for Upward Basketball was Duane Armstrong.  Ladies enjoyed crafts with Dani & Deanne while younger children enjoyed “playground camp” while their older siblings played basketball.  Jordan led in devotions daily at camp.

At the end of Upward Basketball week, a family BBQ was held at Lake Chaparral, including hot dogs, pop, and chips, and the most favourite bouncy house!  After dinner and fellowship, the children participated in a “race down the falls” with their basketballs.  Each team placed their ball in the streambed at the top of the hill, and the winning team ball cheered as their ball crossed the finish line first! 

Upward Stars are awarded after each camp day. 
Blue represents Effort.
Gold represents Sportsmanship.
Gray represents Offense.
Red represents Defense.
White represents Christlikeness.

www.upward.org

Despite the rain, we had a great time with our Tweens at Tween Scene.  The group met at Lake Chaparral.  We had all girls tonight, but that didn’t stop the fun.  Pizza, games, and a photo scavenger hunt were highlight of the event.  The kids enjoyed climbing the big hill at Lake Chaparral Park where we had some cool pictures, and them many of them wanted to “roll” down the hill.  Even leader Bo joined in the fun!  (He is so brave!) Dani led us in a devotion “Why I am special” and opened the door for dialogue between the youth attendees and the leaders.  We love hanging out with these amazing kids.  Kids just need a place to belong.