An update to summer 2020

Dear Newfound and Owatonna Camp Family,

We are sad to let you know that we will not be running Newfound, Owatonna, Family Camp, nor Creative Arts this summer. Please know that we did not make this decision lightly; we have prayed for an answer and worked for weeks to try to figure out a way to enable Camp to run. From the day that Camp ends one summer, we all begin to anticipate the next summer when we can be back on Long Lake for more friendship, spiritual growth, and fun. Together, we can support our camp community throughout this year; we can lean on our friends, our cabinmates, our counselors, and our teammates to continue to grow and take everything that we learn at Camp and share it with our communities. Love, joy, freedom, and growth will continue to be expressed this summer.

To give you some background, and as indicated in previous communications, we’ve been hoping we could both run Camp and meet the requirements of the state and Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC). The Maine CDC has put in substantial requirements we would have to meet, and we feel we are not able to do that and maintain the integrity of Camp. These include considerable pre-screening requirements of campers and staff prior to coming to Camp, ongoing monitoring of campers and staff during the summer, and required isolating and testing of any campers or staff who show any covid-like symptoms. These, along with daily requirements for social distancing and wearing masks, made it clear we are not set up to run Camp in this way; it would not be the Camp we all know and love.

We will offer a full refund of your tuition payment or deposit, or you can roll over your tuition payment or deposit to summer 2021, or you can allocate any portion of it as a contribution to Camp. Additionally, we will help with any flight expenses incurred should you not be able to change or roll them over for future use. We have already started our enrollment for 2021. Please be in touch with us at info@newfound-owatonna.com.

We want to share our deep love and appreciation for all our Camp Family – children, parents, alumni, and friends. The last few months have been a challenge for all of us, but we will join together at Newfound and Owatonna on the shores of Long Lake before we know it. We will all protect, preserve, and enhance the great tradition of our Christian Science camps, which have flourished for over 100 years and will continue to flourish. As one of our favorite hymns to sing at Camp reminds us, “The joy that none can take away is mine; I walk with Love today” (Hymn 139).

Please join me, Sara Osborn, Mary Rankin, Reid Charlston, Jenny Green, Dan Gray, and our Board of Trustees in continuing to pray for our world. We know that Camp's mission of living and loving Christian Science will continue to be expressed in our communities.

We are already, more than ever, very much looking forward to seeing you all next summer. Camp will be ready for you. In the meantime, we are looking into ways to continue to connect with our campers and counselors this summer and will be in touch.

Warm Regards,

Seth

Seth Johnson
Executive Director
seth@newfound-owatonna.com

Metaphysical Theme for summer 2020

“What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love and good deeds." (S&H 4:3)