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| Facility Rental |
| Outdoor Education |
| About us |
| Camp Friedenswald |
Introduction to
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| Camp Habitats | Facilities | Staff | History and Mission |
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Camp Friedenswald's property includes a wide variety of areas for study. These include an old-growth Red Oak/Hickory forest (rated among the top ten of its kind in the state by the Michigan Nature Conservancy), a meadow, a beech/maple climax woods, a tamarack fen, a marsh, two lakes (one completely undeveloped), and mixed hardwood forest at many different successional stages.
Deer, raccoons, fox squirrels and red squirrels are frequently seen on Friedenswald's property and the fen is home to at least one federally endangered species and an active muskrat colony. In addition, a wide variety of birds visit the Nature Center's feeding station.
Our Dining Hall has a dining area with seating for 240, a commercial style kitchen, game room, piano, lounge with fireplace, and restrooms.
Our Chapel/Activity Center is a large winterized, multi-use building ideal for indoor recreation and other programs. It has gym-size floor space, a basketball goal, volleyball net (available as needed), restrooms and a piano.
Each of our 12 Cabins has bunk space for 9 campers and 1 chaperone. Bathhouses are within close walking distance of the cabins. White Pine is our new handicap accessible cabin that has its own bathroon, and is located next to Sycamore lodge. Teachers and other adults that are not cabin chaperones for the children typically stay in Sycamore lodge or the Guesthouses. Our Guesthouse accommodations sleep 36 people; each room has two bunk beds (the lower bed of one is a double bed) and a private bathroom.
Our Nature Center contains displays on local and general topics including a bird feeding/observation station.
The full-time year-round Outdoor Learning Director is a trained naturalist who coordinates the details of a school's stay at camp and functions as camp contact. The Outdoor Learning Director instructs classes and/or supervises other instructors and prepares curriculum.
Other instructors lead classes and/or evening activities. They may be working on a volunteer basis, or may be paid hourly, or may be members of permanent staff from other departments. Some instructors may be interns from Goshen College. Due to staffing constraints Camp Friedenswald is only able to provide a maximum of three instructors. The school will be responsible for teaching the remainder of courses or activities.
Teachers from the visiting school may teach their own classes and lead their own activities. We strongly encourage schools to make use of the services of at least one Camp Friedenswald staff person. Our goal is to be as involved as possible in the program. However, we recognize that schools may want to lead some of their own activities for a variety of reasons.
Camp Friedenswald is a non-profit organization owned and operated by the Central District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church.
The Camp was begun in 1950 to provide a unique Christian outdoor experience for Mennonite youth. Serving families from Missouri to Ohio, Friedenswald continues today to offer eight weeks of distinctly Christian camping for the Central District Conference.
In the 1960's as Friedenswald expanded into a year-round facility, the Camp moved to become a more active member of the community by providing a variety of experiences for children of all ages. From Outdoor Education to Wilderness Trips Friedenswald has endeavored to provide quality and variety to the ever-changing needs of the community.