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BCH Fall 2023 Newsletter

November 15, 2023


Annual Fund

We are in the midst of our Annual Fund drive here at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center. This year, our 20th year of operations, our goal is $60,000 in order to continue to ensure generations to come have an opportunity to enter into the New England woods and waters in order to rejuvenate their spirit, return to who they are, and discover new ways to love and serve. We rely on the support of our wider BCH community in order to continue our ministry of hospitality and service.

Your gift to the 2023 Annual Fund goes directly into our operating budget, enabling us to continue to create space for campers from all over the New England Region, to grow our camp youth and young adult mental health resources, to welcome church organizations and non-profits into a space of rest and reflection, and to tend to the physical campus that's so critical to all activity here on-site and that is aging and in need of care.

As we hit our twenty year mark, we need new roofs on St. Marks, St. Johns, Shaw, and the Dining Hall. We need to begin the process of replacing outdated boilers and updating generators that keep guests warm and food safe throughout the winter season when we lose power, and we need to continue to respond to the changing needs of guest groups in our physical plant, which includes the increased need for accessible buildings, and single-occupancy housing.


We believe the future of the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center is full of possibility and we need you in order to live into that possibility, in order to ensure the mission of BCH as a space of welcome to all, especially the vulnerable, as a community oriented around care for creation, and walking the way of love can continue to thrive for the next 20 years.


Thank you for your support. Whether you are giving for the first time or you have been a long-time supporter of BCH, we are so grateful.


You can give by clicking the button below to securely give online or by mailing checks payable to Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center to P.O. Box 204, Greenfield NH 03047

Give to the BCH Annual Fund Fund Today!

BCH in the Community

As we've mentioned in other publications, this has been a season of continuing to rebuild, reconnect, and reimagine here at BCH. One of the questions at the forefront of that work has been, "how can we be better neighbors?" While this question remains ongoing, one way we're seeking to answer it is by responding to the housing crisis in our local community (and in the wider geographical area) by serving as emergency housing for families experiencing homelessness and housing instability this Fall and Winter.


Unfortunately, this crisis is growing, and while we're able to offer the resources of space for the late-fall and winter season, the lack of affordable housing in our region will continue to create challenges for folks in our community and will continue to be something we hope to partner with others to address.

Alongside emergency housing, we are partnering with our local community in creating space and opportunity for recreation and play. Throughout the winter months, we partner with local baseball teams to provide indoor practice space, with the town of Greenfield to offer space for youth pick-up basketball leagues, and throughout the year for a local men's pick-up league that plays old school gym games weekly.


Our hope is to continue to grow deep roots of connection with our neighbors; to be a part of wider community conversations; to be a place of play and rest and connection in the midst of a time when so much feels disorienting and disconnected, and when so many people feel alone.


If you're curious how you might participate in this ongoing community work with us, please reach out to Executive Director, The Rev. Spencer Hatcher.

Mark your Calendars- Spring & Summer 2024

Spring Program:


Wild Tea with Jesus: A Day Long Retreat at BCH: 16 March, 2024 from 9 am-3:30 pm


Join Linden Rayton of Living Water Nature Programs on a day retreat at BCH where we will enter into Jesus’ Lenten journey by engaging in an ancient human tradition- making tea. Our tea will be created from wild ingredients on the BCH property. Through the ritual of foraging, brewing and drinking our tea, we will create an atmosphere where we can dig deep into two separate stories of Jesus staying close with God in his last days.

The day will start with a morning session, break for an included lunch, continue with an afternoon session, and finish with a closing prayer. Each session will include brewing a different kind of tea, and explore a different story of Jesus. All participants should bring outdoor-appropriate clothing as we will be outside for two portions of the day, except in case of extreme weather. Registration is limited to 20 participants. $40 per person.


Linden Rayton is an environmental educator and Episcopal Christian from Hopkinton, New Hampshire. She has been active in the Episcopal Church in New England for years alongside a career as a naturalist with many different organizations. As owner of Living Water Nature Programs, she hopes to inspire a deeper relationship between people and the outdoors through exploration, education and reflection, especially at the intersection of faith and nature.

Register Here!

Summer Camp

Registration for Summer Camp 2024 will open January 1st! The program dates are:


Family Camp:

June 29-July 2, 2024


Family Camp is a family-oriented, Episcopal camp experience for folks of all family configurations from around New England. You can expect a long weekend of play, worship, community and rejuvenation.


Whether your family is looking for time to get away, a space to be silly and joyful together, or a deep renewal of faith- find it with the BCH family camp community this summer!

Youth Overnight Camp:

Session 1: July 7-12, 2024

Session 2: July 14-19, 2024

Session 3: July 21-26, 2024

Session 4: July 28-Aug. 2, 2024


Explorers: Campers completing 3rd-5th grade Challenge: Campers completing 6th-8th grade Base: Campers completing 9th-11th grade


All Sessions are for all ages!


Whether climbing high on the ropes course or paddle boarding on Otter Lake, there's something for everyone here at BCH; from swimming to games, to campfires and dancing and classic skits, campers are sure to create new friendships and renew old ones year after year.


Whether BCH is your camp home or you’re looking at coming for the first time, we’re excited to meet you at camp this summer!


Summer Camps at BCH are inclusive Christian formation ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in partnership with the dioceses New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts.


You and your family are welcome here! As an Episcopal camp, we are passionate about being a safe space for all campers and families and we strive for a rich diversity of campers and staff. Each week chaplains participate in all camp activities and lead space for chapel and reflection.


Summer Staffing:


Applications for all levels of summer camp staffing also go live January 1st! If you're interested in being a junior counselor, summer-long core counselor, or an adult volunteer, reach out to BCH Camp Director, Kate Howton.

A picture's worth a thousand words: Fall groups at BCH

This Fall, we've hosted church and non-profit groups from all around the New England region- if you want to host your own event at BCH, give us a call or e-mail info@bchcenter.org to get started planning your time away today and tag us in your group's social media posts! We love to see all the ways guest groups build community in this space.

From Parish of the Epiphany's 2023 Weekend Away

View of Pack Monadnock from Otter Lake taken by a guest in Cederholm Cottage

From New Hampshire Camps 2023 Fall Conference

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www.bchcenter.org

Barbara C. Harris Episcopal Camp & Conference Center
(603) 547-3400