Registration is now open for Camp Zion 2021.
June 14, 2021 – July 29, 2021.
Monday – Thursday each day.
9am-12pm each day.
Camp Zion is open to Grandville and Jenison students entering 1st-6th grade in the fall of 2021. Spaces are limited and filled on a first come first serve basis.
Click the link below to complete our online registration form for your children.
Hello Camp Zion families,
It has truly been a pleasure to spend the last 7 weeks with your children. They are smart, kind & funny people who managed to wiggle their way into all of our hearts. Thank you for gifting us the opportunity to spend time with each of them this summer. What fun we have had playing games, dancing, going on trips, journaling, doing service projects, and learning about God together.
Sunday August 11th is Camp Zion Sunday. As part of our morning worship service we will be sharing a bit about our summer together and showing a couple of video clips of our summer adventures. We would love to have all of you join us. Service begins at 9:30am. Most everyone parks in the back of church and enters at door C or D. The child check in station will be near Door D. Nursery is available for kids 0-2yrs. Children & Worship class is available during service for kids 3yrs-3rd grade.
I’ve been asked a questions repeatedly this week.
“Ms. Rachel, can I be a volunteer at Camp Zion?”
It is exciting that your kids love camp so much that they want to come back and volunteer. We hope that they will. Currently we do have a couple of requirements for kids wanting to volunteer at Camp Zion
Although Camp Zion has wrapped up for this summer there are plenty of other opportunities throughout the year to get your families connected into Zion. More details about all of these can be found on the Zion website www.zionreformed.org
Sunday Morning Worship. 9:30am each week. Nursery is available for children age 0-2.
Children & Worship. These classes are available during the Sunday morning worship service. Summer classes for children 3yrs old – 3rd grade are being held now. Fall classes for children 3yrs-5th grade begin Sept 8th.
Middle School Youth Group (6th-8th grade) Sunday evenings 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm. Classes begin Sept 22nd.
High School Youth Group (9th-12th grade) Sunday evenings 4pm – 5:45pm. Classes begin Sept 22nd.
Camp Zion 2020. I will be emailing you all with details next spring. 🙂
Park Play Date. Aug 8th, 2019. 9:30am-11:30am. Everyone is welcome! Bring your kids and hang out at the Zion playground with other parents from the neighborhood and church. There will be a bounce house and light refreshments to enjoy as well.
If you haven’t done so already check out the Camp Zion Facebook page or Instagram (camp.zion) to see all of the photos we’ve taken this year. I’ve been scrolling through them all day – so many fun memories.
Thanks again for sending your kids to Camp Zion this year. We had a wonderful time together. I hope to see you all again before next summer.
Blessings,
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
This past week was a great one. It’s really hard to pick a favorite moment, but the days I watched all of your kids work on their service projects was definitely at the top of my list. There will be a lot of happy dogs and cats and families this fall because of your children’s willingness to do something good for someone else.
I can’t believe our last week of camp has already arrived. Week 7 is a little bit different because we will be eating lunch at Zion every day. We have our very own crew of lunch ladies coming in to prepare and serve food for us. There are no substitutions to what is on our menu, so if your child will not eat what is being served then send along a sack lunch for them to eat that day.
Week 7: Critter Week
Monday: Learning Lab
Tuesday: Visser YMCA. Bring Swimsuits and towels
Wednesday: Spartan-Nash YMCA. Bring Swimsuits and towels.
Thursday: Slip-n-slide. Bring swimsuits and towels.
Lunch Menu (water is our beverage everyday)
Monday: Pasta with choice of red or white sauce, garlic bread, green beans & watermelon.
Tuesday: Hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, jell-o & chips.
Wednesday: Build your own nachos & fresh fruit.
Thursday: Hamburgers, chips, fruit & frozen yogurt.
Looking forward to a fabulous final week.
Have a great weekend,
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
This week we were intentional about creating time for simple fun and some down time at camp. Our whole staff commented on how they were able to connect with new groups of kids and share lots of funny moments together with them. The fieldtrips and activities are fun but it is these relational moments that we all love most about camp.
I need to give another shout out to our amazing CZ Teen Staff members Luke, Kim, Olivia & Julia and our full time volunteers Mackenzie, Josh & Tom for all the hard work they did to keep camp running smoothly at the beginning of this week. I took a couple of days off when my hubby was finally able to come home from the hospital. (Yay!)
Pastor Greg, Pastor Jeremy (JZ) and our Children’s Ministry Director Rachel all enjoyed coming in to offer some adult support but our teens were the ones in charge of our camp day. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I hope they all are able to get lots of R&R this weekend, they deserve it.
Here is what’s coming up next week.
Week 6: The Week with No Theme.
Monday: Bowling. Wear tennis shoes.
Tuesday: Camp Zion Serves
Wednesday: Learning Lab
Thursday: Roller Skating. Bring Socks.
Have a great weekend,
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
Bug week was a busy one around camp. Everyone seemed to have a good time with all of our activities especially on our trip to the museum. I love that place.
During this weeks Bible lessons we focused on Psalm 23:4 which says, “He (God) renews my strength”. Just like when we do a lot of physical activity and become tired sometimes the burdens we carry make our hearts and minds tired. When we are feeling weary in spirit God encourages us to turn to him in prayer and He will give us rest from our worries. God is here and available to talk to anytime of day in any circumstance.
I want to give a shout out to Kim, Luke, Olivia, Julia and Mackenzie who in a moments notice took over running all aspects of camp for a couple of days this past week, when I had to leave for a family emergency. Their training and natural leadership skills shined through in bright new ways this week. I am so incredibly proud of them. They are all super heros!!!
Here is what’s happening next week:
Week 5 – Transportation Week
Monday – Soccer Zone.
Tuesday – Movie Day & Slip-n-slide. Bring swimsuits and towels.
Wednesday – Learning Lab.
Thursday – 1st-3rd Grade = Play World. Bring Socks. 4th-6th Grade = Grandville Middle School Pool. Bring swimsuits and towels.
Have a great weekend,
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend. Week 3 was a short one for Camp Zion but still packed full of fun activities, lessons and fieldtrips.
Donations: We are in need of Dixie cups, fast fill water balloons and empty peanut butter jars with lids. If you are able to donate any of these items, we would greatly appreciate it. I have a donation box in the lobby that you can place them in.
Here is what is coming up next week.
Week 4 – Bug Week.
Monday – Maplewood Park & Splashpad. Bring swimsuit and towels.
Tuesday – Kids Unlimited. Dress cool.
Wednesday – Learning Lab
Thursday – Grand Rapids Public Museum. Wear blue Camp Zion shirts.
See you all next week,
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
Week 2 was a lot of fun at Camp Zion. I was very impressed with everyone’s skating skills and perseverance when we went ice skating on Thursday. I saw many moments of friends helping and encouraging each other on the ice. It was beautiful to see.
Our lessons on Psalm 23 began this week. We started with Psalm 23:1a which says “The Lord is my shepherd.” A really good shepherd knows all of the sheep in his flock. He would recognize right away if one went missing. One missing sheep is a huge loss to a shepherd and there is much celebrating when a lost sheep is found.
Just as a shepherd recognizes his sheep, God recognizes each one of us as his own. He comes searching for us and there is a great celebration in heaven when one of us reconnects with God and makes the decision to believe in Him. No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter your circumstances or worries, God is always with you. He is ready and waiting to have a relationship with you.
Donations:
Several families have asked if we have any needs at camp. I will have a bin available in the lobby if you would like to donate any of the following items.
Dixie cups.
Fast fill water balloons
Empty peanut butter jars and lids (any size)
Week 3 – The 5-senses Week.
Monday: Putt-Putt Golf.
Tuesday: Learning Lab
Wednesday: Visser YMCA Pool. Bring swimsuit and towel. If your child uses and owns a life vest send that along as well.
Thursday: CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY
See you all on Monday.
Rachel
Hello Camp Zion Families,
We had a great time together this past week. You and your children have been so kind and gracious as we are getting back into the rhythm of our camp routine and as we are trying to remember everyones names (kids and adults). We appreciate your patience so much.
Our staff members have commented multiple times on how well the entire group is doing at listening during lessons, correcting behaviors as they learn the rules, participating in our activities and just overall being great kids. We are so thankful for their hard work and good attitudes.
A few reminders:
Here is what’s coming up next week. Remember, all of our outdoor activities are weather permitting.
Week 2 – Weather Week
Monday: Field Day. Bring swimsuits and towels.
Tuesday: Learning Lab
Wednesday: Movie Day & Slip-n-slide. Bring swimsuit & towel.
Thursday: Georgetown Ice Center. Bring sweatshirt, long pants & socks.
Have a great weekend.
Hello Camp Zion Families,
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Camp Zion open house this week. All of our staff members are excited to spend the next 7 weeks with your kids. I can tell we are going to have an amazing summer together.
Camp Zion begins next week Monday, June 17th. Door A will open at 9:30am. Parents please come in with your child to sign them in. Place their name tag on their back and collect your parent ticket before you leave.
Each week I’ll be sending you a parent email just like this one. The email will include some announcements, a bit of what we talked about during our lesson time, and a schedule of what is to come the following week. There may also be some notes if your child needs to bring anything special along with them on a certain day. Obviously some of our fieldtrips are weather permitting and we may have to rearrange our plans in the case of rain. I will do my best to let you know in advance if I have to make a change.
Here is what’s coming up next week…
Week 1 (June 17-20) Dino Week
I also recommend that your child bring along a water bottle each day. This will cut down on our paper cup usage and also gives your child water to bring along on our fieldtrips. Please label the bottle clearly with their name. We’ll send bottles home on Thursdays to be washed.
If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and “like” our Camp Zion Facebook page and follow our Camp Zion Instagram. I will be posting loads of photos each day so you can see what your kids are up to at camp.
Is it Monday yet? I can’t wait for the fun to begin.
~Rachel
Space at Camp Zion filled at record speed this year. Registration for CZ2019 is now closed.
If spaces do become available they will be filled first come first serve from our waitlist. If you would like to add your child to our wait list please send your child’s registration form to our camp director at campzion@zionreformed.org .
