The Story of Harmattan
History
Camp Harmattan was established in 1955 with a primary focus on a Christian camping ministry. We have a strong and direct affiliation with the Canada West District Church of the Nazarene. Camp Harmattan is led by a competent executive team involving an Executive Director and a governing board that consists of individuals that are passionate about the ministry of the camp. Camp Harmattan is a not-for-profit charitable organization that relies on the generous financial support of donors.
Camp Harmattan is an active member of Christian Camping International/Canada. Camp Harmattan’s values their presence in the community that God has entrusted them with.
Why We Exist
To holistically rejuvenate, recalibrate, and refocus an individual’s relationship with God inside of an authentic and growing community.
We Value…
Harmattan is a diverse community committed to creating holistic, and missional environments for Christian formation.
Community – We know that God is a communal God who loves relationship with one another and Himself. We want individuals to find community with a God who loves them unconditionally as well as a community of like-minded people who want to journey with them in their spiritual walk.
Creativity – We know that when God created the world, he did so with a great deal of creativity. We want to be able to explore the uniqueness of an individual and design a focus that will enable us to celebrate their own contribution to the kingdom. We want to represent the body of Christ within the context of Harmattan.
Holistic – We can not separate our spiritual lives from our physical lives. Our view is that a healthy condition of the spiritual, physical, mental and social aspects of our lives is critical to a strong and developing relationship with Jesus Christ. Our desire is that an individual leaves knowing how to translate their camp experience into their daily life.
Missional – As the Church seeks to find ways to cooperate with God’s mission to restore the world, Harmattan is passionately committed to assisting in this endeavor. We want to serve students, children, parents, youth workers and their churches as we strive to be missional in our own contexts.
Environments – Harmattan is committed to nurturing environments for youth workers, students and children to encounter God in a transformational way. The environments that Harmattan creates are intended to help individuals discover, explore and experience God.
Christian Formation – We believe that evangelism and discipleship are a process of one’s life-long spiritual journey. We are devoted to the calling, inspiring and equipping of youth workers, students and children toward the pursuit of becoming like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, the Church community, prayer and other spiritual practices.
Stewardship – Throughout Scripture there is a strong focus on stewardship. We want to be diligent in our efforts to do more with less and protect what we currently have. This will be in all areas including ministry projects, facilities, staff and partnerships that are built with others.
At the end of the day, we want individuals to learn to live, love and lead in the way of Jesus.
If we are successful in these efforts, we will see:
1. A group of individuals who are working together to be a part of a movement of God where it is not about the individual but rather what God is doing with a collection of individuals.
2. A training portal that authentically models what we teach in a realistic and tangible way.
3. A resourcing agent that cares less about what it receives and focuses more on the needs around them.
4. A developing culture that focuses on the individual needs of a person and works toward developing their God given ability and contribution to the kingdom
5. A group of individuals that is known for their hospitality and strives to make everyone feel included and valued while on the grounds of the facility.
How will we do this?
1. Innovative Ministry Created
2. Sustainable Practices Stewarded
3. Balanced Development Growth Plan for the Facility
4. Holistic Relationships Developed
5. Cooperative and Generous Position
6. Leadership Development Culture