Year Round Staff..
Camp Director
Gary PryznerFull time Director since Jan '97
Office Manager
Audrey PryznerPlus advisory role in Food Services
Asst Director
Ruthie JutzelerHired April 2013
Program Facilitator
We are accepting applications
Beliefs & Goals..
Our faith based objective is… “To promote co-operative Christian fellowship and to provide a program that is designed for evangelism and the development of Christian character in a recreative setting.” We teach our staff that spiritual decisions must be voluntary because one value of an individual is in their freedom to choose. Faith is by its very nature a personal matter, and outside pressure will only confuse. Our teaching is also interdenominational in perspective, and there is no faith requirement to attend.Formal Documents..
Two of the documents by which we are incorporated as a Society in British Columbia include the Objectives and our Constitution and Bylaws. Part of the Constitution contains our Statement of Faith. The Philosophy of Ministry is not part of this group, but is here because it helps to describe how we accomplish our objectives.Our History..
Mr. Walter McNaughton, a graduate of Prairie Bible Institute, responded to a letter from Mrs E Monge. She had asked Prairie to send someone to start a Bible School in the north. Mr McNaughton travelled on his bicycle with 23 cents in his pocket. In 1933/34, Peace River Bible Institute was established. From its early days, PRBI set an example of outreach by starting many Bible Camps in the area, and encouraging their support. In 1947, Emmitt Miller and Arvid Anderson helped Walter start a camp at the Taylor Flats army base. They used the quonset huts for cabins and much of the army kitchen and utensils. When the Peace River flooded the area in 1948 the camp was moved to the Kiskatinaw River and was called Alaska Highway Bible Camp. Staff and students from PRBI, helped the Rolla Alliance and other local churches operate the camp for many years. The camp had to cancel operations one summer because of polio in the area. Changes included the addition of horse riding and a pool (dug-out lined with plastic). Farm grain sheds were moved to the property to be used as cabins. Beds were made of straw. Emmitt was active with the camp for 24 years. Arvid kept in touch and prayed for the ministry for over 40 years. The name was later changed to "Rock of Ages Bible Camp," until it merged with the Camp Sagitawa in 1971. Doug & Janet Spinney visited Moberly Lake during a vacation in 1956. This visit prompted them to meet with Rev Bill Ryans (Calvary Baptist, FSJ), Rev Don Miller (First Baptist, D Ck), and Bob Neufelt (McLaurin Baptist, GP). In 1960 they brought several car loads of teenage boys to a rented site at Sunny Acres (private property on the delta of the Upper Moberly). The camp soon became known as Sagitawa. In 1966 a girls camp was added. But in 1967 Sagitawa became too large for Sunny Acres. God directed them to buy half of the Garbitt Estate (67 acres) for $15,000. As a result, Camp Sagitawa held its first summer sessions at the present site in 1968. The first buildings to go up were three 2-bedroom houses (no longer standing). Alden Spinney surveyed the property and drew up the plot plan with a development sketch of where future buildings would be located. In 1970, under the direction of Mr. Art Whitford, a 40' x 60' multi-purpose building, with kitchen and showers was erected (our present chapel). By this time, the camp acquired three horses, two canoes and a sailboat. Then in 1971, it was felt by those involved that God was making the way clear for Rock of Ages Bible Camp, and Camp Sagitawa to come together. In August representatives from both ministries met to negotiate a merger. The name Sagitawa is a Cree word which was given to the place where the Peace River joins the Smokey River. It was used symbolically by the camp's founders to refer to a place where the spiritual and physical parts of a person come together under the Spirit of God. When the two camps joined, the name Sagitawa was retained.The founding officers of the original society:
Rev Doug Spinney, Mr. Vic Wilk, Mr. Warren Ralston, Mr. Erwin Martens, Rev Don Miller, Mr. Clyde Spinney.
The first Executive after the merger:
President - Fred Walton, Vice President - Bernard Little,
Treasurer - Frank Luella, Secretary - Ken Harris.
How We Operate
We are owned and operated by Sagitawa Christian Camping Society, a non-profit society and registered charity. The Society elects a Board of
Directors each year. Our Board and staff work towards integrity, excellence and safety in all our camping programs. We operate three main
camping programs from three different sites, all of which are open to the community at large.
More information on the Society and Board
Society and Board Information
Sagitawa Christian Camping Society consists of several member churches and many individuals.
Individuals may apply for membership in the Society by subscribing to the Statement of Faith and the constitution, and making a
minimum one time contribution. Applications are made to the Board of Directors who then bring a recommendation to the Society.
Local churches may apply for Society membership through the Board of Directors, who will make recommendation to the Society.
The church must ascribe to the purposes and doctrines as set forth in the Constitution. Churches are encouraged to give annually,
and to assist with representation on the Board.
Board involvement should not be taken lightly. Directors are responsible for policies that protect campers and staff, and for providing
excellence in the general direction provided for the full time staff.
The Officers are selected by the Society at the AGM to sit on the Executive and provide direction for the Board. Other Board members
are encouraged to sit on one of the working committees, such as: Program, Personnel & Publicity; Property; Finance; and Trail Rides.
The Camp Director is an ad hoc member of all committees.
Our Member Churches
- Calvary Baptist, FSJ
- Cecil Lake Community
- Charlie Lake Community
- Dawson Creek Alliance
- First Baptist, DCk
- Fort St John Alliance
- Goodlow Evangelical Free
- Hudson's Hope Bible Fellowship
- North Peace Mennonite Brethren, FSJ
- Northgate Mennonite Brethren, DCk
- Pouce Coupe Community
- Rolla Bible Baptist
- Fellowship Baptist, Chetwynd
Our Camp Programs
We aim to provide a multi-faceted ministry, as a benefit to a wide range of people groups. These programs are advertised and open to the
community at large. Many campers come from the area within the circle of Fort Nelson, Grande Prairie, Tumbler Ridge and Mackenzie. We operate
three main camping programs from three different sites.
| Camp Sagitawa | Sagitawa Trail Rides | SWAT (Sagitawa Wilderness Adventure Trips |
|---|---|---|
| Moberly Lake | Clayhurst | Off-site |
| Year Round | mainly July | July - August |
| Staff Training: May-Jun; Our camps: mainly Jul-Aug; Rental Groups: Yr-round with camp program as the priority. |
About 3 or 4 camp sessions in July. Staff training is provided prior to and between sessions. | About 8 or 9 trips involving either canoeing, hiking, canyoning or mountain biking. |
We believe in relationship!
We believe that God created us to have good relationship, and that good relationship is evidenced by how we live at home, school,
work and in our community. We mentor children and youth by modeling the principles of caring for one another and being honest
about ourselves.
Our values and relational tools
- Honesty
- Faithfulness
- Being trustworthy
- Trusting others
- Forgiving
- Accountability
- Responsibility
- Respect others’ values
- Positive outlook
- Anger management
- Conflict resolution
- Listening skills
- Encouragement
- Giving to others
- Teamwork
- Cooperation
- Flexibility
- Being considerate
- Confidence
- Learning to lead
- Personal choice
- Creativity
- Able to stand alone
- Love your neighbour
- Wisdom
- Be prayerful
- Live with purpose
- Appreciation and Respect for our Environment
We model whole life teaching.
“Sagitawa” is a Cree word, and its meaning changes from region to region. Local Cree interpret it as “the meeting place of two rivers.”
Our camp facilitates the kind of learning where we care for the whole individual – a place where the physical, emotional, mental, social
and spiritual come together.
We believe in excellence!
The value of our children and youth exceeds those values of our natural resources and technology. Yet our quality of life often depends
on those other values. We keep these in balance by reminding ourselves that excellence has more to do with how we treat people than with
what we own.
Camp Sagitawa is accredited with British Columbia Camping Association. Accreditation standards can be found on the
BCCA website.