We invite you to share this newsletter with your friends and family who may not yet be on our mailing list; we want to extend our Mechuwana family as widely as possible. Encourage them to email campmechuwana@gmail.com or sign up on our website to join our community today!

It takes a huge team to make Mechuwana's summer program happen. We are blessed to have so many people who are so dedicated to Mechuwana. Without this tremendous outpouring of support we could not do what we do for so many campers. From collecting snack food, providing scholarships, giving rides to campers who need rides to camp, volunteering as a counselor or dean, or helping to clean cabins in the spring every job is vital—and we are so thankful!

We had some great attendance numbers for 2026:

Day camp broke its all time record with almost 300 campers!

Overnight campers were nearly 500!

And our retreat numbers for year-round groups continue to be strong. We are now expanding into mid-week programming.

For two weeks this summer, we had more than 200 campers and volunteers during the week — the first time since COVID! God is good!

As many of you know, our friend Jane Ives passed away late month. Jane and her husband, Bishop Cliff Ives, and their family have been a part of Mechuwana for decades. Norman shares some of his favorite memories of Jane, which you can read here.

We wanted to share information about the Celebration of Life for Jane, which will happen this coming Saturday, August 29 at the Cape Elizabeth United Methodist Church. There will also be a prayer service at Cox Memorial UMC in Hallowell later that day. Learn more here.

Each year, on the first Sunday in November, Mechuwana hosts our harvest meal. We now offer a drive-thru pick-up option as well as the opportunity to stay and eat your meal in the dining hall if you prefer. Cost is just $5 per meal, with donations welcome.

More information is coming soon — and as the event gets closer, we will ask you to RSVP so we know how many meals to prepare. If you would like to volunteer to help prepare and hand out meals as well as greet guests, please contact the camp office.

In each newsletter we will share a throwback photo to help us all "remember the times" we've had here at Camp Mechuwana.