A cross at the end of a dock is nearly all that remains of an Anglican camp in British Columbia ravaged by wildfire.
Camp OAC (Oakanagan Anglican Camp), like New Brunswick's Camp Medley and Camp Brookwood, offers faith-based summer camping opportunities for children and teens, as well as religious retreats and rentals for secular functions and celebrations.
Campers and staff were safely evacuated on Thursday, August 17, but by that evening fire had destroyed almost the entire camp.
ABOVE: the dock at Camp OAC, as shown in the 2023 Anglican Churches calendar. BELOW: Fire burned 90% of Camp OAC, including the dock. The cross remains.
If you own a copy of the Anglican Church Calendar, you may recognize Camp OAC as the photo featured for the month of August. It shows a cross on a deck stretched out over the Oakanagan Lake, with beautiful forested mountains in the background.
In her pastoral letter, The Most Rev. Dr. Lynne E. McNaughton, Bishop of Kootenay, writes,
"Although most of the dock burned, the large white Cross at the end of the dock remains standing. As always the cross is the sign for us that God brings new life out of death. God will sustain us through this loss and rebuilding, that OAC will once again be a place of life-giving Christian community where children, youth, and adults can experience living in right relationship with nature and God."
The destruction of Camp OAC has triggered an outpouring of sadness from the generations of people who have attended the camp since 1950, and donations towards rebuilding are encouraged. Click here to read the update from Camp Director Ian Dixon and find out how you can help.
Please pray for all affected by wildfires and other natural disasters during this year of increased climate change, and pray for those ministering to serve those in need.