The first time Ann Rader-Hayes and her husband, Edgar Hayes, visited Camp Deerpark was for a church retreat in the year 2000. They were living at Menno House in Manhattan and attended Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship. In 2004, Ann and Edgar, along with Ann’s brother and sister-in-law, Benand Elka Rader, and parents, Bill and Clara Rader,…

In the fall of 1970 the first auction—a small affair—was held in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, to raise funds for Camp Deerpark. Dale remembers driving to Gid and Betty Miller’s house in New Jersey to pick up a crank phonograph to sell at the sale, one you had to wind up for it to play. Alvin Horning,…

“I was born in Jamaica and moved to New York as a child,” Natica said. “My parents sent us to church, but they were too busy with work and life to go with us. Although I participated in church activities, I never surrendered to Jesus as Lord. As I moved into adulthood I experienced strong…

Banquets have long been associated with Camp Deerpark, from special evening banquets during summer camps to fundraising banquets in New York City and Pennsylvania. Many people connected to Camp Deerpark have a banquet memory, including some combination of tasty food, good friends, special music and sharing of the latest camp news. A tradition during the…

The first time I went to Camp Deerpark was for a church retreat in the winter of 1969. I attended Fox Street Mennonite Church in the Bronx. I had never been to a camp before. I fell in love with Deerpark when I first laid eyes on it. To me it was a little bit…

What can I say about my beloved Camp Deerpark? Well, how about I begin by saying that this is where my walk with Jesus began. I will never forget that one day in the wooden-floored chapel down the hill from the main house, where I first invited Jesus into my life at the tender age…