2012 Camp Project
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Camp Project 2012 Making Improvements to the Covenant Camp in Ecuador Covenant World Mission 8303 W Higgins Ave Chicago, IL 60631 CovChurch.org/mission under “Projects” [email protected] 773/907-3321 IPEE (pronounced “ ee-pay -ay”) stands for “Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico del Ecuador” which literally translates as the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ecuador. IPEE is a well established national church with 82 churches nationwide. It has one campground located in Santo Domingo, which serves as a vital part of the “glue” that holds the church together because of everything that takes place there throughout the year. In one year, the campground serves the national church by hosting the Annual Meeting, the annual retreats for pastors, women, young adults, and adolescents, as well as, a variety of other training seminars and smaller gatherings. In addition to these events, the campground functions as a meeting place for many other retreats, seminars and groups from other Christian churches. The camp is also serving as a light to the growing city of Santo Domingo, which is nearby. IPEE strongly desires to improve the camp. The current structures and facilities are outdated and insufficient. To improve the camp, the national church has created an in-depth, well thought out plan. Though IPEE is large and well-structured, financial resources are limited for developing the camp. This year’s camp project comes alongside of IPEE to help provide some needed upgrades and renovations to the camp. By providing a pool for the children to swim in, renovating the kitchen and beginning to construct family cabins, this project will help the camp make huge strides in what it is seeking to become. Thank you so much for your willingness to partner with IPEE in making the camp and even better place to meet. Packet Contents Page Project Overview 3 Project Goals 5 Information on Ecuador 7 History of IPEE & the IPEE Camp 9 Customs, Verses, Activities/Games, Songs, and Recipes 11 Page 2 Project Overview Camps in Ecuador are not that different from those in the United States and Canada except that they are much fewer and farther in between and maybe do not have quite as many accommodations. That is why when a national church is fortunate enough to have its very own campground it is considered a very precious commodity. Could you imagine if there were only one campground for the entire church to use in all of the U.S. or Canada? And that campground was so important that every major meeting, seminar, workshop, and retreat was held there every year? Well, that is what occurs in Ecuador and that is why, as the facilities are getting outdated and rundown, it is so important to have upgrades and additions made to it. Camp Location The location of the campgrounds is shown on the picture on the left (delineated with a yellow heart). It is located just southwest of the city of Santo Domingo. The camp is located west and about a three-hour drive from the capital of Ecuador, Quito (delineated with a red star). Quito is also where the headquarters for IPEE can be found. Santo Domingo, which is near the camp, is a centrally located city which is found at a much lower altitude than much of mountainous Ecuador. For this reason, its climate is usually very hot and muggy. During the country’s rainy season, it rains almost every day. This causes the vegetation to be full, very lush and green, much like that of a rain forest. As a result, even though the camp is not located in the rainforest it has conditions very much like that of a rainforest. Page 3 Santo Domingo is a city full of history with its culture closely linked to the indigenous people from the area, who are called the Tsachilas. The Tsachilas’ men (pictured on the right) traditionally dye their hair red. Today, the city is usually called Santo Domingo of the Tsachilas. Importance of the Camp in Santo Domingo As has already been mentioned, the camp has an importance to the national church that may be unimaginable to those in the U.S. and Canada. The camp is central to the life and ministry of IPEE as well as many individual Covenant churches which utilize the facilities. In addition to the services that the camp provides to IPEE, it is also open to other Christian denominations and churches that utilize the facilities. Many local churches from the Santo Domingo area come to the campgrounds for retreats, special services (including baptismal services and weddings), seminars and other events. Some come for a weekend but others also come for one-day special events. In fact, groups come from all over Ecuador, including the coast (west), the central Andes region (where Quito is located), and the jungle area in the east. Though the city of Santo Domingo has a rich history and culture associated with the Tsachilas, there is another side. It is a bustling city with a population of over 300,000 which makes it the fourth largest city in all of Ecuador. Santo Domingo is one of the fastest growing urban populations because of its location in the center of the country and the fact that it serves as a crossroads between central Quito, the coastal cities and the cities of the south. Because it is growing so quickly, the social services and ministries in Santo Domingo have not been able to keep up with the quick growth. This has led to an increase in the problems of prostitution, human trafficking, domestic violence and abuse, alcoholism and drug abuse. Considering all of this, the IPEE camp, located just outside the city limits, is also able to serve as a light to the darkness that is found in the city and give witness to the hope in Jesus Christ. Finally, one of the reasons IPEE has put together a significant plan to make improvements to the campgrounds is because of its long-range plans. Because of the changing role of foreign support for IPEE, it can be foreseen that the national church will soon be facing difficulties in funding national ministries. By improving the campgrounds and making an investment now, the leaders of IPEE see the camp as a resource that can potentially provide additional financial support for national ministries. In other words by developing the camp in Santo Domingo, funds from this ministry can serve to support the other ministries at a national level. More information and resources can be found on the Covenant World Mission website at CovChurch.org/mission under “Projects.” or on the camp’s Facebook page by using this email address: [email protected] . Page 4 Project Goals This year’s project to assist the Camp in Ecuador is seeking to provide three specific upgrades which will meet four goals. Camp Upgrades 1. Renovate the kitchen $12,500 2. Construct a swimming pool $30,000 3. Construct two family cabins $12,000* Total Cost $54,500* *One or more family cabins can be constructed depending on the amount that is donated, so the number of cabins can be increased or lessened based on the amount raised. Goals 1. Increase the Level of Safety – This project will provide a safe alternative to swimming in a very dangerous nearby river. The funds from this project will allow a pool to be built so that folks do not have to swim in the river. In the hot climate of Santo Domingo, swimming is a very popular activity to cool down while at the camp. During the rainy season, the very large river by the camp has an extremely fast current which makes for exceptionally dangerous swimming conditions. 2. Provide a safe and sanitary food preparation area and improve service standards in the kitchen. The kitchen is extremely basic and very outdated. It is very difficult to keep it clean because all the surfaces are concrete and are not very smooth. In addition, the kitchen does not have hot water for washing dishes properly. 3. Make the Camp More Family Friendly – Currently when there is a large group staying at the camp, there is no place for families to stay together. The sleeping arrangements consist of large dormitories with bunk beds which are fine for people who come by themselves. The challenges occur with large church groups. Can you imagine a family retreat under these conditions? In these cases, the families have to split up by gender because that is the only way the camp can accommodate them. The funds from this project will allow the camp to begin the Page 5 process of adding family cabins so that there is a place for families to stay. 4. Provide More Opportunities for Enjoyment –Ecuadorians really enjoy going somewhere for a dip to cool off. Ecuador has many types of vacation spots, but pretty much all of them include a place to go swimming. The beach is of course the most visited location, but there are also hot springs, large community pools, small water parks, and rivers that are very popular swimming spots. By adding a pool to the campgrounds, the camp will be an even more enjoyable place to visit. Also, as previously mentioned, it will provide a safer option than the river, which can be dangerous. Also, during the rainy season, the river often does not allow swimming to take place. 5. Increase Revenue for IPEE which will support National Ministries – IPEE has developed and approved a plan to make over 30 changes and improvements to the campgrounds which they call the “Super Camp” plan (see page 10).