Group Time!!

One of the fun things about this blog is going to be showing how Camp has changed over the past 50 years. Even though things have changed, Camp is still the same place today that it was in the 1960's. Many of the people who read this blog have not been out to Camp in many years. I want to be able to show those people that if they showed up at Camp today, it would be the same place that they remember, but with a few changes. The first change that I want to share is the way the groups have changed.

For many, many years each Camp session was split into two groups, Cheukawakas, and Hoches. The Cheuks were the younger group while the Hoches were the oldest campers. These two groups were mainstays at Camp. As Camp started to grow and prosper, there started to be a few sessions with more campers than other sessions. This created a need for a third group, the Nashamies. The Cheuks were still the youngest group and the Hoches were the oldest group, so this new group became the middle aged group. There was not always a need for a third group, but the schedule was tweaked to allow a third group when necessary. During the late 1980's and early 1990's Camp went through a very rough period with few campers and small sessions. Several sessions during this time were so small that every camper at Camp was in the same group. They were all Nashamies. The last time this happened was 2nd Session 1994. Starting in the middle 1990's Camp Deer Run began to see unprecedented growth. The last time there was a Camp session with only 2 groups was 3rd session 1998.

From that point on Camp needed three groups, and very soon after that was completely full for every session. God has always blessed Camp, but the past 10 years has seen Him fill each session of Camp to the max. There are 8 boys cabins and 8 girls cabins. A full session of Camp is 160 campers and about 45 staff members. When there were only three groups during full sessions, there would be two groups with 60 campers each, and another group with 40 campers. The split was done this way to keep an equal number of boys and girls cabins in each group. It became obvious that having 60 campers in a group created several logistical problems. It was very difficult to serve 60 campers +15 staff members a meal in 30 minutes. The canteen was always very crowded, and the lines long. It was also a challenge to the group leaders to be able to lead groups of this size. After lots of thought and prayer, a fourth group came to be during 5th session of 2001. This group is known as the Wenachees. These are the 4 groups that run around Camp today. For most sessions, there are 2 boys cabins and 2 girls cabins in each group. This allows for no group to be bigger than 40 campers and around 12 staff members.

The Cheuks are the youngest group at Camp. The ages of this group vary from each session, but are generally 9-11 years old. Its always fun to see the campers in this group because many times it is their first time at Camp. The whistle for the Cheuks is short-short-short-short. The night devo song is "At Night As I Lay On My Pillow" Here is a Cheukawaka group picture from 1986.
The Wenachees are the newest group at Deer Run. The typical age for this group is 11-12. This group also produces many campers who are experiencing Camp for the first time. The whistle for the Wenachees goes something like short-short-short-long-short-short-short-long. The night devo song is "Jesus Let Us Come To Know You". This is a group picture from 2003.

The Nashamies are the oldest middle group at Camp. They usually range in age from 13-14. These campers have usually been to Camp before and think they know how everything is supposed to go, and generally think they should be Hoches. The Nashamie whistle is short-long-short-long-short-long. Their night devo song is "Father God". This is a Nashamie group picture from this past year.

The oldest, and proudest group is the Hoches. The Hoches range in age from 14-17 years old and are the leaders of Camp. Most of these campers have been to Camp several years. Their whistle is one long whistle. The Hoche night devo song is "Savior Breathe an Evening Blessing". This is a Hoche group picture from 1986.

Some of you may find it hard to believe that there are now four groups at Camp. But if you were to come out to Deer Run you would see that it is for the most part the same place you remember. Hopefully as this blog continues to grow I will be able to introduce you to other new things at Camp. Although some things may be different than in years past, the goal is still the same...to show children the glory of God. All changes made at Camp are made to help that goal. Until next time, God Bless!!