Dear Family,
The responsibility of owning a camp is profound, and one camp leadership takes seriously.
You, the campers and supporters, are the reason we remain diligent in our duties. Collectively, we create the camp family, which is made up of generations of campers. You are the reason we remain vigilant, ever seeking ways to take care of your sacred space.
Our camp memories and shared experiences create the core of Camp–it’s ever-present heartbeat.
Thank you for all your words of support and encouragement during the Line Fire evacuation.
We feel so fortunate to be sharing this positive message with you today. Please enjoy this beautiful camp prayer created by Andy Kissner and Steve McCord of the UU Men’s Fellowship. Photos have been taken over the years by many campers.
The Board of Directors
A Prayer for de Benneville Pines
By Andrew Kissner & Steve McCord
I worship at a cathedral in the majestic pines
My pew is a granite boulder or a weathered tree stump
The Steller’s Jay and Mountain Chickadee sing in the choir
I worship at de Benneville Pines
I kneel at the foot of the mountain
A woven bed of pine needles and Morning Glories is my prayer mat
My shrine is the flowing mountain stream
I pray at de Benneville Pines
I attend the preacher-less pulpit on the mountain
I am a disciple of the winter storms
Each springtime I renew again
I am one with all seasons
I grow in spirit at de Benneville Pines
Under every leaf and rock there is a lesson
Curled up in each moment is a teaching
The only collection plate is the human heart
Where gratitude and love are donated freely
In the wilds of de Benneville Pines
In my church, all are welcome, none are excluded
The force that flows within and throughout all beings
The two legged, the winged, the furred, the feathered, and the scaled
All join me in prayer at de Benneville Pines
With the energy expressed from Mother Earth and Father Sky
Nourishing the body and filling the soul
In my open-air sanctuary, the seasons, the elements
Connect with me and my essential nature
The nature of de Benneville Pines
And when I leave the Mountain
I take with me a little part of this place
The essential part that sustains me in my journeys
Until I return to de Benneville Pines
