Local Community
As Anabaptists, we take seriously Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. One of our stated core values at Camp Deerpark is to express the love of Jesus by having integrity in all dealings with our vendors, our neighbors on Brandt Road, the larger community and the government authorities. Walter Mehr often related that, as director, Jim Baer would always plow the neighbors’ snowy driveways before he plowed the camp driveway.
In the late 1990s, a traveling Mennonite high school choir shared a concert at the Presbyterian Church in Port Jervis. The pastor said, “We know Mennonites; Jerry and Leonor Kennell were Mennonites.” Nearly 20 years after the Kennells left the Port Jervis community, the congregation broke into applause at the mention of their names.
The stories in this section are chosen to give the reader a window into the challenges, opportunities and joys of loving our neighbors.