A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

attending mission churches. 66 The Columbia Bible Camp presently offers year-round facilities and services to church and youth groups. The society has also employed a full-time camp director since 1970. The Ontario Conference began to give serious attention to the question of a suitable site for a youth and children's camp in 1952. This need, as well as the need of Eden Christian College (a Mennonite Brethren high school near Virgil) was met by landscaping the Eden campus and completing a large auditorium in 1955. The first children's camp was held in the summer of 1953, when more than 100 children attended. In the afternoons children are bused to nearby Lake Ontario for recreational activities. In 1971 the Camp Program Committee reported an enrollment of 169 campers for the four weeks in 1970, with approximately 75 percent coming from M.B. homes. A highly successful "teen camp" had also been organized with ninety-three young people in attendance. Both phases of work recorded decisions for Christ." In this cursory survey of the church agencies that are involved in teaching the children and training the young people of Mennonite Brethren in North America one cannot help but be impressed with the tremendous spiritual potential of the "church of tomorrow." One is equally impressed with the large number of dedicated teachers and workers who are faithfully responding to Christ's commission to teach them "to observe all that I have commanded you." Chapter 15 Singing the New Song Paul W. Wohlgemuth Expression in music played a vital part in the birth of the Mennonite Brethren Church. As is common to most renewal movements a new type of song accompanied the revival spirit of this group of believers. Many songs they had sung in the "old" church were good and continued to be used. Nevertheless, their new life experience gave rise to the use of a new type of song, namely the gospel song. Its subjective texts, lively rhythms, and faster tempos blended well into this newer style of religious worship. Furthermore, the use of musical instruments became a part of this jubilant manifestation. Music, both new and old, reflected the joyful liberating spirit which they felt as a result of their new-found Christian experience. In Origin of the Mennonite Brethren Church Jacob Becker relates several incidents regarding the use of music during these revival days. To many, these musical expressions were a part of the emotional excesses of "ferment" (cf. chapter five) which seemed to put a cloud over the movement. Becker quotes from the reports of visiting delegations from the "old" church, who came to assess the nature of Mennonite Brethren worship services, which included much music. Although the opening and closing hymns were from the repertoire of the "old" church, the many intervening songs "were sung to cheerful melodies accompanied by the clapping of hands by some. Some displayed ecstasy and made sounds