Camp Mission Meadows, 5201 East Lake Road, Ellery, will mark its milestone anniversary with a fun-filled gala to be held at the camp on June 28, commencing at 5 p.m. and concluding when the festivities have ended, according to Camp Director Jackie Haines.

“Our gala will begin at five p.m.,” she said. “At 6:30 p.m., we will have an auction and a silent auction. We have lots of classic camp memorabilia, hard-to-find retro camp photos, signs, and several specialty gift baskets.”

Haines announced that tickets for the event are available for purchase either on the camp’s website or at the main office located on campus..

Several former staff members and campers from Mission Meadow are enthusiastic about the camp’s more than seventy-plus years of providing faith-based camping experiences. Their ongoing support highlights the camp’s commitment to its mission and the impact it has had on generations of participants.

Mission Meadows camp staff and administration pose for a picture in 2021 at the end of the campaign season. The camp is adding additional facilities which will make it able to offer additional programing and camping experience off-season. This expansion comes when the camp is set to turn 75-years old at the end of June. Submitted photo

“I was a staff member at Mission Meadows on and off from 1994 to 1997,” said the Rev. Jay Baehr, the administrative pastor of Zion Covenant Church in Jamestown. “I then became the assistant camp director from 2003 until 2007.”

The Baehr family has a long-standing tradition with Mission Meadows, initiated by Bruce Baehr, Jay’s father, during a family camping trip, which instilled a lasting love for the camp that continues through future generations of the familyline.

“We took our family to Mission Meadows for a family camp,” said the elder Baehr. “I believe they call it All Ages Camp now. It was a nice respite for us. My wife and I knew the kids were safe and enjoying the great outdoors while we relaxed, socialized, prayed, had bible study times; then, we all came together for meals, campfires, and sleeping in the cabins at night. It was a nice mix of family time and personal growth.”

For 75 years, the primary objective of Mission Meadows has been to cultivate the next generation of followers of Christ within a natural, holistic, and secure environment. According to missionmeadows.org, the camp accomplishes its mission by being relational, accepting, intentional, safe, and encouraging.

“Mission Meadows is very much a faith-based, Christ-centered camp, but all are welcome,” said Jay Baehr.

Baehr said that not only do his kids go to camp there, but he also gets asked to be a guest speaker pretty often. He ends up giving a bunch of presentations, sermons, and other talks as a presenter.

The camp’s history extends before its first summer program in 1948, when it used World War II surplus tents and folding cots. In 1938, Covenant Churches in the Middle East Conference began holding summer camps by renting Camp Fitch, Camp Findlay, and Camp Caledon on Lake Erie. Campers experienced the outdoors in tents, a practice quite different from today. After several years, the need for a camp specific to the denomination became clear.

In 1946, a committee was established, composed of three representatives from each of the three regions involved in the Conference at that time. These nine individuals, known affectionately as the “Nine Old Men,” a nod to the US Supreme Court during Truman’s presidency, were charged with the responsibility of locating a suitable site for a permanent camp. A thorough search was conducted across western Pennsylvania and Chautauqua County. Eventually, the current property was discovered via an advertisement in the Pittsburgh Press, which described 26 acres of “meadow” gently sloping toward the northeastern shore of Lake Chautauqua available for sale.- missionmeadows.org.

Upon discovering that the property owner was starting to sell off waterfront lots around the same time, it became clear that immediate action was required to secure the land. Four concerned citizens from the Jamestown area obtained a loan from the First National Bank of Jamestown and purchased the property. The foresight of the “Nine Old Men” was validated at the denominational annual meeting in 1947, where the site was officially approved for the new camp, leading the Conference to acquire the property from the four individuals.

The creativity and energy that helped start the camp are still alive today with the modern campers and staff at the lakefront location as the camp continues to ever expand its facilities and programming endeavors.

“They’re adding a new retreat center, which the camp should be able to offer programming year-round,” said Bruce Baehr. “The camp just continues to evolve with the times.”

For more information, visit missionmeadows.org or call 716-386-5932