Newsletter September 2024

What a joy filled summer we have had.
Thank you to everyone who made our events and camp a reality.
Families – there would be no reason for our activities or camp without you.
Generous donors, sponsors and fundraisers - Without your help many families could not afford activities or camp.
Volunteers – your dedication and tireless devotion to all the tasks that need to be done is greatly appreciated. We couldn’t do it without you.

Events and Activities for Families and Friends of VE

Following the Annual General Meeting in June, about 65 people (families, team members and volunteers) gathered outdoors for a worship and BBq event. Thank you to Arthur, Jenna and Rebecca for leading our worship. At VE, fellowship and food is common to many of our events. There were also games and arts and crafts. The BBq after the AGM was a great way for voting members of VE who might not be at that many events to connect with families.

In July, about 50 people gathered at Riverview Christian Camp to enjoy a meal, meet the interns, volunteers, and other families, (fellowship and food), take a tour of the camp and enjoy worship and some games.

On Sept 21, approximately 45 people (families and volunteers), met at Scarborough Chinese Baptist church for worship, games and snacks. (fellowship & food) We watched the videos created from the photos taken at Camp 2024, and reminisced about some of the great memories we made.

On Sat Oct 5th we are hosting Moveathon 2025 – our annual walk/run/roll fundraising event.  We will begin and end at St Andrews church in Markham. There is the option to “move” with us or to do your own “moving” at a place and time that works for you. We have suggested 5 or 10 km as possible distances to sponsor for. We are still seeking registrations and volunteers to assist with the event, as well as donors and sponsors. Funds raised at this event are used to cover the excess costs of our summer family camps, our cottage retreat program and our year-round family events and activities. We fundraise to keep the costs to our families and volunteers lower. Details regarding the fundraiser including links to register and/or to donate can be found on our website. CLICK HERE  If you aren’t able to join us in “moving”, please consider financially supporting someone who has registered for the event.

Thank you to Charis, Ephraim, Kristen and Raquelle for all their hard work in planning and running the programming at our 2 family camps. Our summer interns have now headed back to their studies and/or their jobs. We wish them a great future and hope they will remain connected to VE and maybe attend some of our future events. Thank to Canada Summer Jobs for the grant that allowed us to afford having summer interns. Thank you also to MP Scot Davidson, who has been part of VE’s CSJ process for a number of years. This year Scot was able to make an impromptu visit to our camp to meet and hear stories from the families and the interns. Keep an eye on our website and emails if you know someone who might be interested in applying as a summer intern for Camp Eulogia 2025.

Check out our Interns Facebook Reel

Our theme this summer was Waymaker, based on Isaiah 43 
Throughout our camp worships and our programming, we discussed different bible stories and how they illustrated God as our Waymaker. We also talked about the importance of knowing and remembering that God is our personal Waymaker and that although we are not guaranteed to always have an easy life, we are guaranteed that the Lord is always there with us. We can lean on him. He can be a light and a source of strength during particularly troubling times.

We had the opportunity to invite 2 art therapists to engage with our family groups and volunteers. Please let us know if you enjoyed it and whether we should try to plan for something like this again next year. Thank you Shirley and Amanda for being at camp with us.

Eulogia Camp 1  - Aug 11 to 14

11 families attended camp 1. The weather was very cooperative, and we enjoyed lots of outside time. Chef Anthony and his team with some help from VE volunteers, provided our meals including cooking, serving and dish cleaning. For a family going away to camp, not having to cook meals or do dishes is a nice break. In camp 1 we also had the opportunity to celebrate a couple of family member birthdays. In a touching moment, one family described how VE has surrounded them with support and love and has become like an extended family to them.

Eulogia Camp 2 – Aug 15 to 18

11 families attended camp 2. The slightly wetter weather did not dampen the spirits of our campers, although the tornado warning the night before camp ended was a bit stressful. In camp 2, VE volunteers provided all the hands needed to run the kitchen and dining room. Thank you to everyone who helped make our meals happen. Thank you also to Rosemary and Alex from Riverview who, during both camps, were readily available to assist us in anything we needed help with.

Campers and their volunteers enjoying bible messages, arts and crafts and games. Parents and caregivers networking and enjoying activities together without the responsibility of their loved ones. Families and volunteers playing field games, having spontaneous water fights and cheering on the rock wall climbers. A dining room full of happy hungry volunteers and families. Worships with messages and music and more. Guitars and campfires with snacks. A place where everyone belongs and no one needs to apologize for being different or needing a break. Nature and beauty and calm amidst the joyful busyness. Three days and nights away from everyday life, to reconnect with family and friends and the Lord.

To make camp happen takes our whole Village and many more hands. Each year brings us at least a couple of new volunteers and families. In 2025, will that be you? Very early in the new year, we will confirm camp dates and begin the registration for families and for volunteers. Watch our website and emails for more details.

This summer we had 8  rentals at our two cottages at Riverview. We had several new people and groups and received very positive feedback. Internet is minimal at the cottages, so you really are forced to turn off and focus on truly retreating, alone or with family and friends. We all need that quiet break to better listen to what the Lord is telling us. The new floor in cottage #86 looks awesome. We have been moving forward with creating meeting space in cottage #89, and should have that available in spring 2025. We are sad to announce that the cottages will close for this season on Oct 5th.

Stories and short testimonies of your experiences with VE and what makes VE special are important in order for us to help donors, volunteers and families understand why it is important to join our Village or support our Village or spread the word about our Village. Please consider sharing your story with us by emailing lleyland@villageeulogia.com

Thank you to Sin Sze for your wonderful way with words. The following is a poem that Sin Sze wrote about her experiences with Village Eulogia. Sin Sze has been a VE volunteer for nine years.

 A pillar of clouds and a pillar of fire 

At this village where the river was as glass 

A paradise on Earth 

There is a room prepared for all 

We walked through the dark of night 

Our path illuminated by His glory 

Under the moon and stars we prayed together 

As peace and joy flooded me in perfect harmony

The little ones marveled at the critters 

And asked who was their creator

I looked to the sky

And saw the One who calls each star by name 

Then to His children He whispered 

Fearfully and wonderfully you were made 

In the roaring thunder and the whirling winds 

Voices echoed in songs of praise 

As the angels shielded us from the storms 

We sang out His great name

Yahweh Yahweh Yahweh

The mourning burst into laughter 

The hurting moved into dance 

Even the quiet shouted El Shaddai, El Shaddai 

For who could comprehend 

How vast the love of the God Almighty 

Then in the gentle rain, came a gentle smile 

In response to the love of all

Words of gratitude, words of encouragement 

Words from a village

For the one with a tender heart

Singing by the fire, come by here 

Come by here, our waymaker

glanced at my new friends 

For you, praise the Lord 

How blessed am I

To have found this church 

That makes my heart smile and say 

This is what heaven looks like

Thank you to Cynthia Tam for sharing the following post about our Camp Eulogia. Click Here

In June we elected our 2024/2025 board of directors: Rita Cheng - president, Jenny Ho -treasurer, Lilian Man – secretary, Bill Johnston – general director

We still have room on the board and continue to seek recruits. Also, all the people elected are returning board members and will need to step down from the board for at least a year over the next few years, as stated in our new bylaws that passed in June as well. Please consider if you or someone you know would be willing to take a seat on our board of directors. Our working board has been evolving into a governance board, so the board commitment is usually only 5 to 7 hours a month. The approved year end financials from our AGM are available on our website.

CLICK HERE

From 2020 to 2022, we focused on providing as much virtual engagement as possible with our families. In 2022/2023 we focused on the celebration of our 15th anniversary, the return to in person activities and upgraded some of our internal processes and software.
However, in 2023 and 2024, we found volunteer recruitment to be difficult while interest in our year-round activities and camp continued to grow. Our first priority for 2024 is a review of all paid positions and volunteer roles so we can redistribute tasks and recruit more effectively. Our tentative calendar of events from Oct 2024 to Oct 2025 is in the works. Our next priority will be engaging with more charities involved in supporting families raising someone with a disability and seeing how we can collaborate more. If you are part of a charity or know of a charity that you think would match well with VE to share an event or activity – please email lleyland@villageeulogia.com