As an 11-year-old farm girl from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I was enthralled riding over the awesome and expansive George Washington Bridge into Harlem, in New York City, in 1956–58. That bridge has remained a landmark in my soul until this day. We visited our sister and her husband, Grace and Jacob Good, who lived in…

In all honesty, it has been a true challenge reflecting on what story I want to share about Camp Deerpark. Not because I am unable to think of a memory, but because I have had so many important, valuable and life-changing memories here. How can I sum up in a few words just how amazing…

My family was involved with camp from the beginning. Camp was purchased when I was 7 years old, and I remember my family helped to clean it out and prepare for the first summer camp. The chapel was originally a bar, and my family and the Torres family had to help clean out the bottles…

Camp is fun and you can make a lot of friends and at the same time you get to learn a lot about God, and when you go home you can share that with other people. —Ariel, 10 I like that we get to go to the pool every day and hang out with our friends.—Sanaa,…

One of the main reasons for purchasing Camp Deerpark was to offer a Christian camping experience to children and youth associated with the New York City Mennonite churches. In July of 1969, only two months after the purchase of camp, the first week of children’s summer camp was held. Two one-week camps were offered for…

Adopted By Board of Directors September 28, 2013 1. Express the Love of Jesus and Biblical Principles a. To every person that comes on to the camp grounds including summer camp children, weekend retreat guests, individuals on personal retreat, and the garbage truck driver. b. By having integrity in all business dealings with: Vendors Guest…

Maynard Shirk was born into a traditionally Mennonite family. For him, that meant he could trace his roots to Shirks in France and Germany almost10 generations back. He grew up learning Pennsylvania Dutch and English at the same time and he knew almost everyone who lived around him. When he went to college, he was…