What we mean whe we say ‘spiritually positive’
As a community, we hold the shared values of:
Seeking peace and justice in an unjust world
The welcome and inclusion of all people
Care for the earth and each other
We acknowledge that many of us were taught these values through Christian traditions; quite a few of us influenced specifically by the Catholic and Mennonite and United Church traditions. We also acknowledge the violent, racist, colonial history of Christian institutions in Canada and around the world, including residential schools, sexual abuse and the exclusion of women and LGBTQ folks. We live in the place of tension between the history of our institutional churches and our belief that the values at the core of our faith tradition (as well as many other faith traditions) can build a better world. Each one of us has a unique relationship with our faith tradition; some of us are employed by Christian institutions, some of us are on the margins of our traditions. What we all share is faith in the words of the prophet Micah “ ...What does God require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 . Our faith and spirituality help us be unafraid to challenge the parts of Christianity that have been used to hurt others and continue to be misused.
Our camp began over ten years ago as an ecumenical Christian program with a focus on peace and justice. Through our work, we have built and fostered relationships with people from other faith traditions; traditions which also hold at their core the values of peace and justice, welcome and inclusion and care for the earth.
At Camp Micah, there is an openness to the wisdom, knowledge and teachings of diverse spiritual and faith traditions. We strive to create a space which is “spirituality positive” and welcoming to all people regardless of belief, practice or tradition. We invite people to come with the whole of themselves - body, mind and spirit - including their spiritual longings, understandings, doubts and questions. We have much to learn with and from each other!
