Early Registration Deadline

The early bird might get the worm, but in this case it's the campers who register early who get a discount. The early registration deadline for the summer camps is next Friday, April 1st.

Those planning to attend Youth Camps, Family Camps, or the Mother/Daughter Retreat are encouraged to get their registrations in the mail (along with the deposit) in the next couple days.

VanderSchels' February/March 2011 Newsletter

Ohio Bible Mission / Peniel Bible Camp

February / March 2011

What we've been up to lately: 

We've finally thawed! This has been the snowiest winter that Washington Court House has seen in quite a few years. We maxed out our snow days at school and had to reschedule and make up all kinds of activities due to the weather. We're thankful for the Lord's protection on the roads this winter.

Izaac has finished officiating the 2010/2011 basketball season and now switches gears to fine arts. He coaches Reader's Theater and will be judging various speeches again this year for the high school BCSA competition. From March till May, he will be busy directing our high school spring play.
Kim is very thankful to have her husband home again in the evenings. She is coordinating the FCS Arts/Science Fair again this spring and has been busy helping 5th and 6th graders work through science fair projects.

Ashlyn, Brenna, and Carson have been real troopers with all of our weekend travels and groggy Monday mornings. The girls are involved with science fair projects this year and have done a great job. Carson has worked hard in art class to get his portfolio ready for Grandparent's Day at school. All three continue to take piano lessons and have enjoyed memorizing Psalms in family devotions.

How's the "camp thing" going?

"To God be the glory, great things He hath done!" We are amazed at God's provision and are so grateful to be at 50% of our support level! We've had some wonderful meetings this winter and look forward to continuing our presentations throughout the spring.

Work is in progress on the remodeling of the A-frame basement at camp. The kids are excited to have their own bedrooms in the cabin, and Kim is looking forward to setting up the schoolroom/office.
To schedule a meeting or contact us regarding this ministry, please feel free to do so at pdirector@obf.net. We'd love to hear from you!

Prayer Requests: 

- critical OBM meeting in April regarding time-line

- balancing school schedules and camp promotion

- safety traveling on the weekends to various churches

- vehicle dependability (We just have one!)

- continued financial and prayer support of local churches for our new ministry

- many family decisions to be made once we move: housing, schooling, etc.

- wisdom in purchasing a laptop to benefit the ministry

Presentation Schedule :

3/13- Orwell

3/20- Southwest Community

3/20- Kirtland Bethel

3/27- New Hope Baptist (Weirton, WV)

4/10- New Lexington

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Serving the Lord and Strengthening the church by:

-enhancing the current camping program

-establishing new opportunities

-encouraging continued involvement

A-frame at Peniel

Father/Son Retreat Early Registration Deadline

The early registration deadline for the 2011 Father/Son Retreat is Monday, March 1st. Save money and get your registration in before that date. 

Youth Camp Registrations being received

Five hundred youth camp brochures were mailed out to past campers earlier this month. Registrations are being received in the mail nearly every day.

The deadline for the early registration discount is April 1st. Save money and send your registration in early.

Quiet, Peaceful Get-away at Peniel

Kevin and Valerie Coffman rented an A-frame cabin for a couple days in January. As the snow fell outside, they enjoyed their warm cabin. Kevin says it's a great value and wonders why others don't take advantage of these cabins during the off-season. Could it be that others aren't aware of what Peniel Bible Camp has to offer?

Contact Jerry Edinger (superintendent@obf.net) for more information and for available dates for your quiet, peaceful get-away at Peniel Bible Camp.


Quiet all around - except for the squirrels, birds, rabbits, deer, etc.

This A-frame cabin includes a living room, complete kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a full bath.
View from the upstairs loft:

Thank you, Kevin and Valerie, for sharing your pictures of Peniel with us.

January snow at Peniel

Scenes around Peniel Bible Camp on January 22, 2011.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Peniel Bible Camp staff!

We are already planning for the 2011 camps and hope to see you at camp this spring, summer, or fall.

Camp for Christmas?

Still looking for that perfect gift for the young person on your list? Why not consider helping him go to camp this summer? Any amount given will be credited towards a camp fee at Peniel.

Send gift and camper information to the Camp Registrar (registrar@obf.net) and receive a printable gift acknowledgment suitable for giving.

See www.obf.net/peniel for camp dates and fee information.

Fall Tree Harvest at Peniel

This fall a local Amish man is harvesting trees from wooded areas around Peniel. After each tree is felled, two horses drag the log out to a path. Then the log is hooked onto the back of the "wagon" and dragged by three horses out to a field where they are laid side by side. Some wood is good for veneer, while other trees will be cut into boards.

Autumn at Camp

Things look a little different at camp during the fall season. The colors are vibrant, the fallen leaves are crisp, and sunshine comes through at a different angle than during the summer camping season. Here are a few scenes from around camp taken October 15th and 16th at Peniel.

Couples' Retreat 2010

Seventeen couples congregated at Peniel Bible Camp on October 15-16 for a relaxed weekend of time set aside to strengthen their marriages. They spent time together enjoying God's creation and listening to challenging messages from the Word of God.

Saturday morning there was frost outdoors and so a hot cup of coffee was not only an eye-opener, but was a warm treat.

Three chapel messages were enjoyed in the chapel.

Speaker Todd Sivnksty and his wife, Krista

Several enjoyed a game of Disc Golf on a beautiful fall afternoon at camp...

Ohio Bible Mission announces full-time Program Director

Members and friends of the OBF,

At the recent Ohio Bible Fellowship Conference, the Ohio Bible Mission announced the acceptance of Mr. Izaac VanderSchel as OBM Program Director for Peniel Bible Camp. We look forward to the opportunities Izaac's full-time efforts will afford.

Most people will recognize Izaac as the summer Program Director of the OBF camping program for the past nine years while serving on the faculty of Fayette Christian School. His new position will enhance the OBF camping program through year-round planning and support for our weekend retreats.

It will increase the options available for all churches and Christian schools that rent the camp, enabling them to have a program director. Along with program development, he will look to consistently present the opportunities of Peniel in our churches.

Our camp facilities have been constantly expanding, with only temporary increases in our maintenance personnel. Having a second family on site will be an aid and backup for the maintenance and operation functions of the Camp Superintendent, Jerry Edinger.

To fulfill this responsibility, Izaac will need support of $1500-$2000 per month from our camp churches. Over the next six months he will be contacting churches to schedule meetings where he can present his burden and vision for the work. The desire is to see support available by then, so they can begin fulltime by the end of next summer. If you are interested in contacting him directly to schedule a meeting you can do so at pdirector@obf.net.

We are thankful for the VanderSchels contributions to the ministry at Peniel and look forward to how the Lord will use them in the future. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

For His glory,

Donald Gallion

President, Ohio Bible Mission

Men's Retreat

On Friday, September 24, 2010, one hundred twenty-six men made their way to Peniel Bible Camp for the annual OBF Men's Retreat. The clouds cleared, temperatures dropped to more seasonable weather, and the men enjoyed a great weekend fellowshipping with others around God's Word.

Three chapel services with music and preaching were the highlight of the weekend!


Saturday morning activities included archery,

skeet,

boating,
fishing,

carpet ball,

zipline,
and plenty of time for fellowship!

Then, too, there were those delicious meals served in Ashbrook Hall!

All in all, it was a great weekend for the men!