Pictured: A view from the Western boundary of camp where the welcome sign and pond greet you as you arrive at camp.
Labor Day Work & Play Retreat Weekend
An enthusiastic group of 22 participants responded to the call to join in our fall work & play retreat over Labor Day weekend. Projects included:
- Food Service – Help in the kitchen serving fellow work & play participants and Peace Mennonite Community Church who enjoyed their annual church retreat.
- Housekeeping – RMMC is safer and looks better when it comes to sanitizing frequently-touched door handles and light switches, sweeping floors, cleaning bathrooms, and removing the summer season collection of cobwebs inside and outside of facilities.
- Trail Maintenance – As part of our outfitter guide permit with the National Forest, camp is asked to document the effort (people & hours) put back into trails the camp has the privilege of using
- Spruce Beetle Survey – Each year, the Engelmann Spruce trees impactful to camp facilities and high-usage areas are looked at to see if they have been infested by the Spruce Beetle. This year, 9 infested trees, 5 “watch” trees, and one dead standing were identified.
- Tree work – The work of cutting trees impacted by the Spruce Beetle continues on as we want to keep everyone safe. With a tree cut down, the branches and unneeded parts of the tree are hauled away and chipped. Usable logs are loaded and delivered to a local lumber mill.
The phrase “many hands make light work” reflects well how helpful Work & Play retreats are for the Rocky Mountain ministry. It is a win-win opportunity for participants and RMMC alike. Volunteers enjoy an extended weekend get-away at camp, including meals, accommodations, and activities. In exchange, RMMC gets a day of volunteering and accomplishing necessary camp projects.
If you have never come to a Work & Play retreat or you haven’t come in a while, please come join us in 2021!
Pictured: Alfred and Joel Sawatzky making improvements (i.e. erosion control, water diversion, etc.) on the trail to Monkey Rock.
labor day work & play 2020 participants
- Cash Johnson
- Ivannah Johnson
- Julian Johnson
- Bob Maury
- Glenda Maury
- Kenneth McDowell
- Matthew McDowell
- Sarah McDowell
- Les Miller
- Dorothy Neff
- Jacob Neff
- Alfred Sawatzky
- Joel Sawatzky
- Adrienne Selzer
- Carmen Selzer
- Todd Selzer
- Bill Swartley
- Aaron Voth
- John Voth
- Marie Voth
- Nadine Voth
- Jill White
for the beauty of the earth
We’re hoping you are enjoying the beauty of the changing seasons in your part of God’s creation. The changing Aspen leaves are in full swing here at camp and it is always a sight to behold. We’ve been getting a different perspective with the help of a drone and have posted videos of the season from above here at main camp and from Solution Pools on the camp’s Facebook page.
Despite the abundance of challenges and unknowns of the coronavirus pandemic, let’s all be reminded to pause and be blessed by the beauty of creation from the Creator.
Pictured: A view of the fall colors from Chalet Emmental looking toward Old Baldy just above the tops of the trees. The angle of the photo, in which Sentinel Point is hiding behind Old Baldy illustrates an instruction often given to help hikers find their bearings: start at Sentinel and line up with Old Baldy. Camp is next in line to the Northwest.
Please join us for our “Paying the Legacy Forward” campaign to help Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp weather this coronavirus storm.
church retreats & weekend groups
For the month of September, Rocky Mountain is blessed to host a variety of church retreats and other guest groups including, but not limited to, the men’s and women’s cross country teams from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). This year continues to look different as any gatherings address the realities of the coronavirus pandemic guidelines.
Pictured: Glennon Heights enjoyed a day of retreat and worship together.
Pictured: Bryan Miller gets ready for the tee shot on hole #1 of the RMMC disc golf course as part of the Beth-El Mennonite Church Retreat. Bryan was instrumental in offering both brains and brawn in helping design and build the current course, which has seen at least three iterations. The first design in the 1990s or so was numbered metal pie pans posted on trees or electric poles. In the 2000s it was 6-foot, numbered PVC poles. Now, there are 18 holes with official disc golf baskets. Have a look at the Disc Golf Map here!
Pictured: It’s not hard to catch Marc Yoder helping with tree cutting as well as driving the logs to the local lumber mill. This contributes to mitigating the fire danger at camp and finding another revenue source for the RMMC ministry.
Pictured (left to right): Makenzie Shelman, Cindy Headings, and Elyse Burton well-represented the Colorado Springs Service Adventure Unit as helpful volunteers for a September weekend retreat.
who’s been helping
- Ray Beggs
- Elyse Burton
- Cindy Headings
- James Herald
- Bob King
- Makenzie Shelman
- Paul & Lois Unruh
- Marc Yoder
Come volunteer
RMMC relies on the help of volunteers to keep the ministry going. Your help with any camp tasks is greatly appreciated! If you have interest in volunteering, call (719-687-9506) or email ([email protected]) RMMC.
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- Long-term volunteer: help in Food Service, Maintenance, and Housekeeping. Service term can be for up to a year if so desired.
you’ve been spotted
We spotted Jake and Hannah Geyer right here at RMMC enjoying a week up at Solitude Center. Jake is a former summer staff member from 2008. We’re glad to have you join us once more!
Mark your calendars
- Unfinished Objects (UFO) Quilters Retreat – Session 1: October 4-7
- Unfinished Objects (UFO) Quilters Retreat – Session 2: October 7-11
- Unfinished Objects (UFO) Quilters Retreat – Session 3: October 20-25
- Fall Mennonite Quilters Retreat: October 29-November 1
- Pastors Retreat: November 13-15
