About
Our Purpose
A Part of Our Heritage
In 1943, Southern Alberta Bible Camp (SABC) was founded near Aden with the help of families such as the Fosmarks, Axines, Wichershams, Griffiths, Stroms and the Hansons. In the years that followed, summer camps were held in various locations including Grassy Lake, Taber and Kipp. A suitable site was finally decided upon near Vauxhall and flourished on the Skretting family location for 25 years. The impact on lives during this time is still evident today.
The sod was turned in 1979 at our present, thriving site on Travers Reservoir, land donated by the Ross Ruggles family. The summer of 1981 welcomed the first eager campers on our fresh new campus and between 1985 and 1996 attendance exploded from 300 campers to 1400!
In 1993, through the vision and finances of supporters, a new dream was realized for SABC with the development of the Frontier Village and the following year welcomed the first teepee dwellers.
Financially SABC has seen some tough times. At one point it was in so much debt that it was paying over $20,000 per year in interest payments alone! The Lord was faithful however and the original mortgage was paid off. Other significant projects were the purchase of land to the east, the construction of an addition to the lodge, and the construction of a water cistern and pumping system.
Presently, the camp has over 1700 campers each summer and is booked most weekends during the winter with rental groups. There are six full time and five part-time workers year round and over 100 volunteer staff each summer.
It is exciting to see what the Lord has done through the ministry of SABC. There are so many opportunities to share Jesus Christ with children. In fact, attendance is such that kids are being turned away each year because of lack of room. If the camp were to expand, it would be a costly endeavor. However, the Lord has it in His hands. He has used it for His glory and purpose and we will look expectantly to see where He directs in the coming years. It is a good thing to be in His hands!
Staff
Jon is married to Melissa and they’ve been actively involved with SABC since 1990. They have two children and are adopting a third from Haiti.
Stephen and Leigh-Anne came to SABC sight-unseen and they haven’t left. He worked with Circle Square Ranch camps in Ontario prior to coming to SABC in 1998. They have three children and big dog.
Jon and Abby have three children and are expecting twins in January, 2010. Jon was a home builder in Calgary before moving out to SABC. He loves to hunt and play!
Nicole and Jay have 3 girls all school age. Nicole is super organized and keeps everything running here at Southern Alberta Bible Camp. She worked in an optometrist office for years prior to coming to SABC.
Governance
An independent Board of Directors governs SABC. There is an elected executive board and a general board consisting of representatives from seventeen member churches. All Board members are church and/or marketplace leaders who voluntarily serve without compensation.
Executive Committee
Chairman – Dave Coutts
Vice Chairman – George Budd
Secretary – Jeff Marshall
Treasurer – Doug Munton
Trustees – Rod Kornelson, Arnie Reimer, Cam VanRoon and Curtis Kurtzweg
Member Churches
Bassano EFC
Bethel EFC (Vauxhall)
Champion EFC
Champion Congregational Church
Christian Community Church (Burdett)
Foremost EFC
Monterey Park EFC (Calgary)
Picture Butte EFC
Vulcan EMC
Our Doctrine
We believe that all mankind have sinned (Romans 3:23) and are separated from God (Romans 5:12). Even though we deserve punishment, we can have eternal life in Jesus (Romans 6:23), since He loved us and died for us (Romans 5:8). All we must do is believe in Him and accept His forgiveness to be saved (Romans 10:9-13). Then we can truly know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
Associations
Southern Alberta Bible Camp is a member of Christian
Camping International and the Alberta
Camping Association.