Date 2014          Speaker          Band 

Feb. 21-23                             Sarah Henry                     TBA

Speaker Bio

Sarah Henry is the Associate Pastor of Faith Covenant Church in Wheaton, IL.  Before that, she and her husband taught English in South Korea where she fell in love with the country and culture.  God has blessed her with a husband, Brad, and a beautiful son, Liam.  God is not shy, and throughout her life has made Himself known in incredible ways.  Speaking to young people is one of the many ways God fills her with life.  If she were allowed one catch phrase in life, it would be this, “Created for Community!”

Open This Summer

1) Download a pre-registration form from our website if necessary (see below to download a pre-registration form). Fill out the necessary information and mail it in to our registrar, Jane, to reserve space. Space will be given based on your estimations for group attendance. Pre-registration will be handled on a first come first served basis. Confirmation letters will be sent to confirm details after you pre-register.

2) Hang posters, show DVD and hand out flyers and registration forms. Use the provided registration form or Covenant Harbor can make you a custom form. Covenant Harbor registration forms MUST be used; please contact us if you would like a customized form and we will make it for you. Do NOT black out parts of the Registration Form. See below to download promotional materials and forms.

3) Send in group registration form and cost calculation form (be sure to keep a copy for yourself) to confirm numbers with Covenant Harbor by January 22. A minimum $30 per-person non-refundable deposit is due at that time.

5) Individual registration forms and full payment are due February 8th.

Policies

Payment: A $30 non-refundable deposit is due by January 22 (must be included with the Group Registration Form). Full payment is due February 8th. Retreats fill on a first come, first served basis.

Housing: Groups will be housed based on availability and will likely share housing with other Church groups.

Leaders: Groups can bring one leader for each 6-8 students of each gender at the “counselor rate”. Any leaders above that ratio will be charged the “student rate”.

Cancellation: Groups are responsible to pay in full for each person they listed on the Group Registration Form (sent in by January 22). Groups can replace a non-attending camper with a new camper of the same gender at any time without penalty, so long as new registration information is given to Covenant Harbor. Groups can replace a non-attending camper with a new camper of another gender if space allows. If space is not available for the new camper of a different gender, the Group is still responsible to pay for the non-attending camper.

Please call or e-mail us with any further questions about Winter Fest or the registration process. 262-248-3600 ext. 327 or camp@covenantharbor.org.

Arrival and Departure

Winter Fest will officially start between 8 and 9 pm Friday night. Please arrive between 6:30 and 8:00 to allow time to check-in, move in and attend a leaders meeting. Winter Fest will wrap up around 11 am Sunday morning. Please schedule your return to Church to allow you to fully participate in Sunday morning events at Winter Fest.

Pre-Retreat Communication

After pre-registering, your group leader will receive a confirmation letter detailing the next steps. As the weekend draws near, specific details will be sent out via email or Facebook. Please pass on all information to all counselors/leaders.

What to Bring

The winter weather provides lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. Please be prepared for the weather. All winter housing units are heated and linens are not provided. Students may want to bring $10-$30 for snacks and camp merchandise at the camp store. 

Here’s a suggested packing list:

sleeping bag

pillow

towel

flashlight

Bible

toiletries

Boots

Winter Jacket

Gloves

Winter Hat 

What Not to Bring

Do not bring cell phones or any pets, electronic devices (including cd players, Game Boys, and iPods), firearms, weapons of any kind, fireworks, tobacco, alcohol or drugs.

The lake may be frozen but there is plenty to do here at Covenant Harbor this Winter!  Feel free to contact us with specific winter activity questions.

Outdoor Options

Broom Ball- Play this hockey-like game with a couple friends or enter your youth group into Covenant Harbor’s annual broomball tournament.

Camp Fire- Hang out and warm up around the fire with friends and roast marshmallows for s’mores.

Camp Games- Every year we provide fun and different camp games we’ve either invented or re-invented for your enjoyment.

Carpetball- This traditional camp game takes on a whole new set of challenges when snow and ice are introduced to it.

Cross Country Skiing- Grab a set of our x-country skis and try your hand at gliding through the woods and enjoying everything nature has to offer in the winter. 

Curling- This olympic classic is “tweaked” for our purposes down on the frozen Geneva Lake.  It plays a lot like shuffle board.

Ice Skating- We’ll clear some ice down on the lake and you can show us your best olympic gold medal moves.  Or take this opportunity to learn how.

Polar Bear Dip- After lunch (when it’s totally hot out) you can choose to jump in a hole cut into the ice of Geneva Lake. Of course this is a totally optional activity and minors must receive parental permission.

Sledding- Our summer mountain boarding hill makes for a great sledding hill in the winter time.  Yay snow!

Tubing- Hop on one of camp’s tubes and fly down hill, through the woods, on our tubing run.  It’s sure to get your hear racing.

Indoor Options

Arts and Crafts- A great way to bond with friends and create a token to remember your winter experience at camp.

Board/Card Games- A great opportunity to warm up, have fun and spend time with friends.

Bounce Castle- You’re never too old (or too young) to enjoy a bounce castle with a slide.

Camp Store- Buy a Covenant Harbor sweatshirt or just grab a quick snack, located in the lower level of the activity center.

Game Room- Hang out on the couch and chill, play some foosball, or challenge your friends to a pop-a-shot contest.  Also located in the lower level of the activity center.

Open Gym- Take advantage of our basketball hoops or volleyball nets to enjoy some indoor physical activities. 

Indoor Climbing Wall- Our newly finished indoor climbing wall can handle several harnessed climbers at a time and you don’t even need to wear a coat.

Mini golf- Get out of the cold and grab a putter.  With 9 holes and plenty of different obstacles this course should provide plenty of fun while you warm up.

Large Group Sessions

All sessions are held in the Jackson Family Activity Center.  A sweet stage sets the theme for the weekend and sets a backdrop for great worship, fun games and challenging speakers.  Each session includes:  Upbeat worship set, silly and/or messy game or skit, announcements, slower worship set and 15-25 minutes for the speaker.

Small Groups

Each large group session is followed by small group time.  This is your chance to breakdown what the speaker has presented and make it applicable to each of your students.  Speakers will provide questions or discussion starters, which can be used or ignored.  1 meeting space is provided and assigned for each Church group.  If your Church would like additional space to break into smaller groups, please let us know 2 weeks in advance and we will try to accommodate your request.  

Meals and Snacks

Meals are served buffet style in our camp lodge.  Our food service team serves a variety of options at each meal.  In addition to a main entree and sides, cold cereal is available at breakfast and a salad bar is available at lunch and dinner.  A full beverage bar, including coffee, hot chocolate, soda and juice is available at each meal (exception:  no soda at breakfast, sorry!)  Church groups will have assigned seating to assure adequate space and supervision.  Snacks are served Friday night and Saturday night and will provide options for a variety of taste buds.  Students and Leaders must list allergies and dietary restrictions on their registration form.  If there are severe restrictions or allergies, please contact our registrar 2 weeks in advance.

Morning Activity/Game

The purpose of our morning activity time is clear:  Group bonding.  Some years provide a camp-wide group game; other years will provide a more personalized choice for each group.

Free Time

Free time is the highlight of the weekend for most of our guests.  While our staff and volunteers will provide some guidance and leadership at certain activities, students must be supervised by their leaders at all times.