Blog https://www.manitoqua.org Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:40:42 -0400 https://www.churchplantmedia.com/ Volunteer Highlight - April 2026 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2026 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2026#comments Fri, 08 May 2026 13:42:44 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2026 Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of many volunteers who attended our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 25th.   In the course of 3 hours, 149 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our continuing Retreat and Outdoor Ed seasons and the upcoming Summer Camp season.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves & weeds and were mulched,  the grounds were cleared of sticks and branches and were mowed and trimmed, the firewood pits were restocked, sports equipment was set up, shelters and shelter roofs were cleared of leaves and sticks and the picnic tables were unstacked and set up, the Archery, both Playgrounds,  Nature’s Playground and the Biathalon Paint Ball areas were groomed, as well as the sand volleyball court and baseball field, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized, painting/staining projects were done, the pool area was cleared of leaves & weeds and was mulched, the areas under the pond bridge were reinforced with large rocks, the cross at Vesper Hill was straightened and secured as well as the map signage in front of the Office,  downed trees were chain sawed, some trees and brush in the Strike Zone were cleared and the areas around the obstacles were groomed, a welding project was accomplished and a large mailer was assembled.   We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning and are continually amazed at how much gets accomplished when we join forces with others and serve the Lord together.   For all who attended our Spring Work Day, THANK YOU!

]]> Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of many volunteers who attended our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 25th.   In the course of 3 hours, 149 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our continuing Retreat and Outdoor Ed seasons and the upcoming Summer Camp season.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves & weeds and were mulched,  the grounds were cleared of sticks and branches and were mowed and trimmed, the firewood pits were restocked, sports equipment was set up, shelters and shelter roofs were cleared of leaves and sticks and the picnic tables were unstacked and set up, the Archery, both Playgrounds,  Nature’s Playground and the Biathalon Paint Ball areas were groomed, as well as the sand volleyball court and baseball field, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized, painting/staining projects were done, the pool area was cleared of leaves & weeds and was mulched, the areas under the pond bridge were reinforced with large rocks, the cross at Vesper Hill was straightened and secured as well as the map signage in front of the Office,  downed trees were chain sawed, some trees and brush in the Strike Zone were cleared and the areas around the obstacles were groomed, a welding project was accomplished and a large mailer was assembled.   We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning and are continually amazed at how much gets accomplished when we join forces with others and serve the Lord together.   For all who attended our Spring Work Day, THANK YOU!

]]> Why Camp Manitoqua? https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/why-camp-manitoqua https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/why-camp-manitoqua#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:32:00 -0500 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/why-camp-manitoqua We know how important it is to know you are sending your child to a place where they will be safe and well cared for. At Camp Manitoqua, we deeply value the partnership we have with parents in discipling the next generation to grow in their relationship with Christ. When you are looking for camp opportunities for your family, there are a ton of details to consider and it might be difficult to find a clear answer. You might be wondering:

"Is my child's counselor background checked?"

"Will my child be well supervised?"

"How will my child be safe overnight away from home?"

At Camp Manitoqua, we aim to alleviate as much anxiety as possible for parents to drop their children off at camp. Over the last year, we have compiled the answers to many of your questions so that when you are considering what camp is right for your family, you have transparency and comfort knowing Camp Manitoqua is the best place to be. Whether you're wondering who is CPR certified at camp, how the pool is supervised while your child is swimming, etc. we have the answer! 

You can find all of the answers to your questions HERE and if you have another question that isn't answered on that page, feel free to reach out to us at office@manitoqua.org or call us 815-469-2319

We can't wait to see your family at camp and explore how God's Spirit Changes Lives at Camp Manitoqua. 

]]> We know how important it is to know you are sending your child to a place where they will be safe and well cared for. At Camp Manitoqua, we deeply value the partnership we have with parents in discipling the next generation to grow in their relationship with Christ. When you are looking for camp opportunities for your family, there are a ton of details to consider and it might be difficult to find a clear answer. You might be wondering:

"Is my child's counselor background checked?"

"Will my child be well supervised?"

"How will my child be safe overnight away from home?"

At Camp Manitoqua, we aim to alleviate as much anxiety as possible for parents to drop their children off at camp. Over the last year, we have compiled the answers to many of your questions so that when you are considering what camp is right for your family, you have transparency and comfort knowing Camp Manitoqua is the best place to be. Whether you're wondering who is CPR certified at camp, how the pool is supervised while your child is swimming, etc. we have the answer! 

You can find all of the answers to your questions HERE and if you have another question that isn't answered on that page, feel free to reach out to us at office@manitoqua.org or call us 815-469-2319

We can't wait to see your family at camp and explore how God's Spirit Changes Lives at Camp Manitoqua. 

]]> Volunteer Highlight - April 2025 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2025 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2025#comments Fri, 02 May 2025 14:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-april-2025 Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of volunteers attending our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 26th.   In the course of 3 hours, 114 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our continuing Retreat and upcoming Summer Camp seasons.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves and weeds and were mulched,  picnic tables were unstacked and set up in the shelters,  mulch was spread under the playground equipment as well as spread on our Adventure Zone trails, our grounds were cleared of sticks and branches, the firewood pits were restocked,  sports equipment was set up and sport fields were raked,  growth around the pond was cleared as well as the Archery and Nature’s Playground areas, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized,  some painting projects were completed, deck boards were replaced, new ropes were hung on the cabins for drying bathing suits and towels, the pool area was cleared of leaves/weeds and mulched and the pool and splash pad were power washed,  and a large mailer was assembled.  In addition other volunteers offered their expertise in dropping and cutting up trees and grinding stumps.  We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning and are continually amazed at how much gets accomplished when we join forces with others and serve the Lord together.   For all who attended our Spring Work Day, THANK YOU!

 

Enjoy some of our photos from the day! 

 

Special Thank you to the following groups that organized a team to come volunteer:

]]> Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of volunteers attending our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 26th.   In the course of 3 hours, 114 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our continuing Retreat and upcoming Summer Camp seasons.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves and weeds and were mulched,  picnic tables were unstacked and set up in the shelters,  mulch was spread under the playground equipment as well as spread on our Adventure Zone trails, our grounds were cleared of sticks and branches, the firewood pits were restocked,  sports equipment was set up and sport fields were raked,  growth around the pond was cleared as well as the Archery and Nature’s Playground areas, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized,  some painting projects were completed, deck boards were replaced, new ropes were hung on the cabins for drying bathing suits and towels, the pool area was cleared of leaves/weeds and mulched and the pool and splash pad were power washed,  and a large mailer was assembled.  In addition other volunteers offered their expertise in dropping and cutting up trees and grinding stumps.  We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning and are continually amazed at how much gets accomplished when we join forces with others and serve the Lord together.   For all who attended our Spring Work Day, THANK YOU!

 

Enjoy some of our photos from the day! 

 

Special Thank you to the following groups that organized a team to come volunteer:

]]> Volunteer Highlight - March 2025 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---march-2025 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---march-2025#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---march-2025 Each year, each month and each week, we are blessed with both regular volunteers and groups that choose to come out to bless this ministry and the work the Lord is doing.  For March 2025, we want to highlight one of each.

Keith Baar has been coming in regularly to help with as needed light construction! He loves helping us repair things and this time, we are so thankful! Our front sign needed to be replaced but before we could hang the sign, the support for the sign needed to be replaced due to age and rotting wood! Below are a few photos of that process and Keith assisting our staff with this project!

In addition, we hosted a small group from Parkview as a part of a church wide initiative to send out their small groups to support local ministries! They were all smiles coming to help us with a mailer and cleaning our office windows!

If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, read about opportunities here!

 

 

]]> Each year, each month and each week, we are blessed with both regular volunteers and groups that choose to come out to bless this ministry and the work the Lord is doing.  For March 2025, we want to highlight one of each.

Keith Baar has been coming in regularly to help with as needed light construction! He loves helping us repair things and this time, we are so thankful! Our front sign needed to be replaced but before we could hang the sign, the support for the sign needed to be replaced due to age and rotting wood! Below are a few photos of that process and Keith assisting our staff with this project!

In addition, we hosted a small group from Parkview as a part of a church wide initiative to send out their small groups to support local ministries! They were all smiles coming to help us with a mailer and cleaning our office windows!

If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, read about opportunities here!

 

 

]]> Volunteer Highlight - October 2024 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---october-2024 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---october-2024#comments Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---october-2024 Many thanks to the 100 volunteers who attended Saturday’s Fall Work Day at Camp Manitoqua on October 19th.   Our Lord provided beautiful weather to work in and much was accomplished in a short period of time.  Work day projects included the clearing of leaves, sticks and litter from around buildings, clearing off shelter roofs, removing overgrowth from around the pond, on trails, drives and paths, and at our Adventure Zone, Strike Zone and Outdoor Education areas, cutting up fallen trees and splitting wood, hauling large branches downed from previous storms, staining outdoor furniture, sealing an epic ball court, replacing boards on the office deck, cleaning and organizing the Activity Center,  and working on a large mailer.  With almost 100 acres of campgrounds, Manitoqua staff could not accomplish all of this without the help of volunteers.  We appreciate the individuals, students, families, churches and businesses that attended and blessed our ministry with their time, energy and skills. 

 

 

]]> Many thanks to the 100 volunteers who attended Saturday’s Fall Work Day at Camp Manitoqua on October 19th.   Our Lord provided beautiful weather to work in and much was accomplished in a short period of time.  Work day projects included the clearing of leaves, sticks and litter from around buildings, clearing off shelter roofs, removing overgrowth from around the pond, on trails, drives and paths, and at our Adventure Zone, Strike Zone and Outdoor Education areas, cutting up fallen trees and splitting wood, hauling large branches downed from previous storms, staining outdoor furniture, sealing an epic ball court, replacing boards on the office deck, cleaning and organizing the Activity Center,  and working on a large mailer.  With almost 100 acres of campgrounds, Manitoqua staff could not accomplish all of this without the help of volunteers.  We appreciate the individuals, students, families, churches and businesses that attended and blessed our ministry with their time, energy and skills. 

 

 

]]> Volunteer Highlight - April 2024 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---april-2024 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---april-2024#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight---april-2024 Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of volunteers attending our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 20th.   In the course of 3 hours, 90 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our Retreat and Summer Camp seasons.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves and weeds and mulched, new trim on the bathhouse was painted, picnic tables were unstacked and set up in the shelters, the radiators & poles in our Board Room received fresh paint, the privacy wall at Shelter AA was repaired and reinforced, mulch was spread on our Adventure Zone trails, our grounds were cleared of sticks and branches, firewood was split and stacked,  the sports fields were set up, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized, the pool was cleared of leaves and a large mailer was assembled.  We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning;  we would not be as ready as we are without the help of volunteers.  May God bless you for your service!

 

]]> Camp Manitoqua was once again blessed through the time and effort of volunteers attending our annual Spring Work Day on Saturday, April 20th.   In the course of 3 hours, 90 individuals from families, schools, organizations and churches worked hard on various projects that helped us ready the grounds for our Retreat and Summer Camp seasons.  Landscaped beds were cleared of leaves and weeds and mulched, new trim on the bathhouse was painted, picnic tables were unstacked and set up in the shelters, the radiators & poles in our Board Room received fresh paint, the privacy wall at Shelter AA was repaired and reinforced, mulch was spread on our Adventure Zone trails, our grounds were cleared of sticks and branches, firewood was split and stacked,  the sports fields were set up, the Activity Center was cleaned and organized, the pool was cleared of leaves and a large mailer was assembled.  We are so appreciative of all those who joined us Saturday morning;  we would not be as ready as we are without the help of volunteers.  May God bless you for your service!

 

]]> Volunteer Highlight - February 2024 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-feb https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-feb#comments Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:00:00 -0500 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteer-highlight-feb On Thursday, Februrary 15, twenty-one Juniors from Unity Christian Academy blessed Camp Manitoqua through their service with two projects we needed assistance with.  Half the group worked in our Chapel, polishing door knobs and wiping down walls, while the other half worked outdoors clearing brush, weeds and fallen sticks at our Strike Zone.  We enjoyed having the students here and appreciate the 3 hours of service they provided!

]]> On Thursday, Februrary 15, twenty-one Juniors from Unity Christian Academy blessed Camp Manitoqua through their service with two projects we needed assistance with.  Half the group worked in our Chapel, polishing door knobs and wiping down walls, while the other half worked outdoors clearing brush, weeds and fallen sticks at our Strike Zone.  We enjoyed having the students here and appreciate the 3 hours of service they provided!

]]> 2023 Volunteers - A Year in Review https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/2023-volunteers---a-year-in-review https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/2023-volunteers---a-year-in-review#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/2023-volunteers---a-year-in-review It is hard to believe that we are already well into 2024! As we look back at 2023 and look forward to what 2024 has coming, we are so thankful for what God has done with our volunteer program! From completing office projects and summer camp related tasks to providing handyman skills for a myriad of maintenance and improvement projects, our volunteers provide significant value to this ministry.  We have grown in numbers and enjoyed the process.  We pray for even more volunteers to show their support at our work days in this coming year! This ministry started due to volunteer efforts and we are thankful that volunteering remains a critical piece of the ministry of Camp Manitoqua & Retreat Center.

 

 

]]> It is hard to believe that we are already well into 2024! As we look back at 2023 and look forward to what 2024 has coming, we are so thankful for what God has done with our volunteer program! From completing office projects and summer camp related tasks to providing handyman skills for a myriad of maintenance and improvement projects, our volunteers provide significant value to this ministry.  We have grown in numbers and enjoyed the process.  We pray for even more volunteers to show their support at our work days in this coming year! This ministry started due to volunteer efforts and we are thankful that volunteering remains a critical piece of the ministry of Camp Manitoqua & Retreat Center.

 

 

]]> Volunteer Highlight - September 2023 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteerseptember2023 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteerseptember2023#comments Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteerseptember2023 Mary and Art Bryant have blessed Camp Manitoqua with their servants’ hearts for the last 5 years.  Mary serves in the office helping out with various office and summer camp projects, while Art serves as a handyman tackling various projects and repairs that need attention.  We are grateful for this couple who give their time and energy to our ministry throughout the spring and summer. What a joy for them to see their grandchildren serve here on summer staff!  One final connection, their son-in-law, also served on summer staff.  3 Generations serving the Lord at Camp Manitoqua - what a legacy!

Mary

 Art

]]> Mary and Art Bryant have blessed Camp Manitoqua with their servants’ hearts for the last 5 years.  Mary serves in the office helping out with various office and summer camp projects, while Art serves as a handyman tackling various projects and repairs that need attention.  We are grateful for this couple who give their time and energy to our ministry throughout the spring and summer. What a joy for them to see their grandchildren serve here on summer staff!  One final connection, their son-in-law, also served on summer staff.  3 Generations serving the Lord at Camp Manitoqua - what a legacy!

Mary

 Art

]]> Volunteer Highlight - August 2023 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteeraugust2023 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteeraugust2023#comments Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.manitoqua.org/blog/post/volunteeraugust2023 We could not keep our grounds looking as trimmed and orderly without Tim, who volunteers weekly to trim bushes, cut branches and clear the grounds of the weeds our Garden Team pulls.    Thanks Tim!

Volunteer Spotlight - Tim

Many thanks to Keith who continually blesses Camp Manitoqua with his carpentry skills.  Keith has built & enhanced decks, built swings, and repaired playground equipment for the camp.  Thank you Keith!

Keith Baar

]]> We could not keep our grounds looking as trimmed and orderly without Tim, who volunteers weekly to trim bushes, cut branches and clear the grounds of the weeds our Garden Team pulls.    Thanks Tim!

Volunteer Spotlight - Tim

Many thanks to Keith who continually blesses Camp Manitoqua with his carpentry skills.  Keith has built & enhanced decks, built swings, and repaired playground equipment for the camp.  Thank you Keith!

Keith Baar

]]>