Dear Family,

The responsibility of owning a camp is profound, and one camp leadership takes seriously.

You, the campers and supporters, are the reason we remain diligent in our duties. Collectively, we create the camp family, which is made up of generations of campers. You are the reason we remain vigilant, ever seeking ways to take care of your sacred space.

Our camp memories and shared experiences create the core of Camp–it’s ever-present heartbeat.

Thank you for all your words of support and encouragement during the Line Fire evacuation.

We feel so fortunate to be sharing this positive message with you today. Please enjoy this beautiful camp prayer created by Andy Kissner and Steve McCord of the UU Men’s Fellowship. Photos have been taken over the years by many campers.

The Board of Directors

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A Prayer for de Benneville Pines

By Andrew Kissner & Steve McCord

I worship at a cathedral in the majestic pines

My pew is a granite boulder or a weathered tree stump

The Steller’s Jay and Mountain Chickadee sing in the choir

I worship at de Benneville Pines

I kneel at the foot of the mountain

A woven bed of pine needles and Morning Glories is my prayer mat

My shrine is the flowing mountain stream

I pray at de Benneville Pines

I attend the preacher-less pulpit on the mountain

I am a disciple of the winter storms

Each springtime I renew again

I am one with all seasons

I grow in spirit at de Benneville Pines

Under every leaf and rock there is a lesson

Curled up in each moment is a teaching

The only collection plate is the human heart

Where gratitude and love are donated freely

In the wilds of de Benneville Pines

In my church, all are welcome, none are excluded

The force that flows within and throughout all beings

The two legged, the winged, the furred, the feathered, and the scaled

All join me in prayer at de Benneville Pines

With the energy expressed from Mother Earth and Father Sky

Nourishing the body and filling the soul

In my open-air sanctuary, the seasons, the elements

Connect with me and my essential nature

The nature of de Benneville Pines

And when I leave the Mountain

I take with me a little part of this place

The essential part that sustains me in my journeys

Until I return to de Benneville Pines