Sask. parents cancel summer camp plans after learning about anti-2SLGBTQ+ beliefs (original) (raw)
A Saskatchewan Christian camp has posted an anti-gay, anti-trans faith statement that has some parents cancelling their childrens' summer camp attendance. Camp Kadesh's executive director, board members declined to comment.
Petition launched against Camp Kadesh's non-inclusive statement of faith
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Camp Kadesh is a Christian summer camp located at Christopher Lake, Sask. (Camp Kadesh/Facebook)
A Saskatoon mother has cancelled her daughter's registration this summer at Camp Kadesh after learning the camp has taken an anti-inclusive position against 2SLGBTQ+ people.
"It's going to be a camp where some people just aren't welcome," said Ella Ophir. "The camp has attracted a wide circle of people from a range of backgrounds and ways of life — and this is a betrayal of a lot of them."
She's not the only parent who has cut ties with the camp. While it has always been religious, former attendees and staff said it previously felt inclusive to people regardless of their gender or sexuality.
The camp is described online as a place that "exists to help people experience the love of Jesus."
The statement of faith posted on its website includes a section on gender and sexuality which states "marriage is to only be between a man and woman" and that "We believe that one’s identity as male or female should be defined by biological sex rather than by personal feelings or perceptions."
The end of the statement includes a link to "The Nashville Statement," which was written by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood in Nashville, Tennessee and opposes 2SLGBTQ+ sexuality, same-sex marriage, polygamy, polyamory, adultery and fornication.
I think it's going to be a different camp.- Ella Ophir
The camp's website says this has been adopted by the camp "to provide clarity on our beliefs about gender and sexuality."
Internet archives show that the camp's statement of faith has been updated online within the last year, and the link to the Nashville statement was added within the last year. Statements about sexual orientation and against gender diversity were added to a summary of the camp's statement of faith.
The camp's executive director and board of directors declined CBC's request for an interview and did not respond to questions.
Parent says camp's position is intolerant
Camp Kadesh is a private Christian camp for children nine to 14 years old located at Christopher Lake, Sask. It has operated as a nondenominational, independent, year-round camp since 1982, according to its website. Dalmeny Bible Church, Hague Gospel Church, Langham Evangelical Bible Church, Salem Church and Sutherland Evangelical Church are listed as supporting churches.
The camp's website says "for most staff positions we ask staff to affirm the condensed Statement of Faith Summary" to be employed there.
Ophir said she spoke with one of the six staff members whose employment with the camp recently ceased; the woman told her she didn't work there anymore because she would not adhere to the camp's new belief statement.
Ophir said she then noticed the extended statement of faith and the new link to the Nashville Statement on Camp Kadesh's website.
"It seems clear that their position is intolerant and staff would not be permitted to handle questions or conversation in the way that they saw fit. There would be a party line, so to speak," she said.
She is stopping her association with the camp because of its adherence to anti-inclusive views and she fears that it will change the way staff interact with campers, she said.
"I think it's going to be a different camp. And just from a management perspective, the fact that they have driven away so many staff with so many collective years of experience, just on the level of basic functionality that's going to be hard."
Mid Prairie Scripture Mission Inc. is the legal non-profit corporation name for Camp Kadesh. (Camp Kadesh/Facebook)
Caitlin Erickson is a former Camp Kadesh camper and a mother who has sent her children there.
"It was such a positive experience for me as a teenager. And it's been a really positive experience for my kids," she said.
After learning of the camp's positions on gender and sexuality, she cancelled her four children's registrations.
"We are not going to support a board that does not have the authority, education or expertise to be rewriting someone else's identity," Erickson said. The camp's statements go against the Canadian Charter of Human Rights, she added.
The Canada Human Rights Act was amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in 1996.
Camp Kadesh runs a Christian summer camp for children and teens ages nine to 14. (Camp Kadesh/Facebook)
Former staffer questions impact on kids' mental health
Former camp counsellor Alison Hildebrandt, currently a psychology graduate student, said she worked at Camp Kadesh for 12 years, but left in 2020.
She has started an online petition on change.org against the changes. The Nashville Statement is homophobic and transphobic, she said.
"It talks about how being gay is a sin. It talks about how telling people that being gay isn't a sin [is wrong] … and then it goes into traditional gender roles and explicit heterosexual marriages," Hildebrandt said.
She expressed concerns over the potential harm an anti-inclusive environment could have on the mental health of children struggling with their sexual orientation and identity, citing a high rate of suicidal ideation among queer and trans youth.
"It's really taking advantage of that trust that parents have when they send their kid to camp to be taken care of both physically and psychologically," she said.
Alison Hildebrandt created a petition on change.org against a change in Camp Kadesh's statement of faith. (Camp Kadesh/Facebook)
Pushing a narrative at a camp like this is unnecessary, Hildebrandt said.
"Pushing this forward, where we just need to have one opinion and it's this opinion, is biased and coercive as well. That's just trying to indoctrinate kids into believing that religion is that one way and that's the only way it can be."
She started the petition to create awareness about the camp's views so parents can make informed decisions on whether to send their children there, she said.
A mother who did not want to be identified to protect the identities of her children said she feared what would happen to kids who did tell camp staff they were questioning their sexual orientation or gender.
"My idea of Christianity is one where God's entire creation is loved and celebrated and we don't just stop at the genitals and get hung up on that," the mom said.
The Nashville statement also condemns divorce and single parents, she said.
"It's judgmental and puts kids in a position that could really damage their mental health, in hearing that who they are is wrong, who their parents are is wrong, immoral."
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The statement on the camp's website "draws a very clear line in the sand," said Troy Parenteau, a teacher and member of Prince Albert city council.
"I think having information out there about the faith statement gives families a chance to weigh that to their own personal situation," he said.
"When staff do encounter children who are queer or have a different gender identity, that this faith statement stops them from supporting kids … in fact it's harmful."
Parenteau said there are other camps located at Candle Lake and Christopher Lake that offer inclusive environments and might be alternatives for parents concerned about the views expressed by Camp Kadesh.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Risom has two decades of multimedia journalism experience in northeast Saskatchewan. She joined CBC Prince Albert in 2025. She can be reached at lisa.risom@cbc.ca