2026 camp registrations open!
Our 2026 summer camp registration are now OPEN for all day and overnight programs! Check out our camp pages below for more information on available programs, dates, fees, eligible ages and more!
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We Belong To Each Other
2026 Summer theme announcement! Every year at camp, we choose a theme that will inspire our thoughts, conversations, and time together. The theme comes up in Morning Watch, Campfire Devos, Quest, and in various other ways. It is one of our guides for exploring spirituality at camp – that is – the ways we seek to connect with something way beyond ourselves and also deep within. Our 2026 SLMC summer theme is:
We Belong to Each Other: Meeting Our Neighbours in the Community of Creation!
As we all find our way to Silver Lake this summer—immersing ourselves in the fun, joy, and connection of summer camp—we are invited to encounter the place and community of Silver Lake in a a particular way: As a beautiful, complex, interdependent tapestry made up of plants, soil, water, humans, microorganisms, non-human animals, air, (and beyond!) which together create the community of Silver Lake.
Acknowledging the intimate relationship between land and human community, we will grow into a deep knowing of our community of creation, as we dare to open ourselves to being known by it, too. We will learn to meet our neighbours in this community as we attend to, connect with, and care for these neighbours. We will practice retelling the story of our community’s presence on this land as we learn from and are shaped by the stories of our neighbours at Saugeen Ojibway Nation, and other Indigenous neighbours across Turtle Island. We will continue to grow into our callings to make peacemakers, build community, grow spiritually, and care for each other as we recognize and respond to the gifts of our particular community of creation at Silver Lake. Let’s be neighbours!
~ Theme developed by 5th year staff Thomas Beech
Now Booking Spring Outdoor Education Trips
Our Outdoor Education team are now booking spring trips. Select from extensive curriculum based programming or have Silver Lake create custom schedules and programs to meet the unique needs of your group. Day and overnight programs are available. For more information and a full list of programs visit Silver Lake Outdoor Education Centre’s official website:
Outdoored.ca
We’re Hiring a Head Cook
Delicious meals are a memorable Silver Lake experience! To carry that tradition forward, we are seeking to hire a Head Cook for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. If you have the skills and interest to work with our energetic staff and volunteers in the Silver Lake kitchen, find the job posting here, or share it with others!
New Year, New Dish Pit
Our kitchen is one of the most frequently used places at our property in Sauble Beach. In the summer alone, our staff and volunteers produce over 21,000 plates of food to feed everyone on site. Add in retreats, rentals, and school groups that visit throughout the year, and that’s a lot of food — and even more dishes!
At the beginning of December 2025, our dishwashing area received a much-needed update. We can’t wait to share this improved space with all of our winter and spring rental groups — and, of course, our summer programs!
Thank you to PL Lawrence Plumbing and Heating, Brubacher Builders Inc., and Uni-Fab from Leamington for their hard work creating this incredible space that so many people will benefit from.
Want to see the kitchen in person? We’re looking for hardworking and talented people to volunteer this summer to help in the kitchen and around camp. Click below for more information on how to apply to volunteer at camp this summer.
SLMC Biodiversity Project
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp is rich in biodiversity! This summer, one of our volunteers, Norm Kaethler, spent part of his week surveying the biodiversity of this land and recording his observations online for others to access. Norm, a former SLMC camper and staff, shares that his career as a science educator stems directly from camp – its people and its natural beauty.
During just one week of trail walks, he catalogued 700+ photos, sounds, feathers, scat, webs, or tracks of:
- 16 birds, including camp’s iconic loons
- 4 amphibians and reptiles
- 31 fungi
- 5 mammals
- 10 spiders
- 121 insects
- 242 plants, including 15 ferns, 3 orchids
Visit iNaturalist here to view the full list of observed species!
You can search for specific species or groups here.
As Norm wrote, “we can better appreciate and care for a place when we know who else lives here with us”. We look forward to exploring this SLMC Biodiversity Project in more depth, wondering what we can learn and how we can grow as a community connected to a place and all that lives within it. Many thanks to Norm for inspiring these new connections!
Summer 2025 begins!
Staff Orientation is done and our stellar staff team is trained, prepped, and energized for the summer!
We look forward to seeing all of our campers very soon. There’s still room to join us in August!
Seeking our next ADs
Join the SLMC Directors team this Fall, and be part of offering leadership to all 4 seasons of our active camp community! We are looking to hire 2 full-time Assistant Directors with responsibilities for Outdoor Education and 2026 Summer Camp. Read the job description here and apply by July 15. Spread the word to those with the right skills and interests!
A Successful Grand Paddle & Hike!
Thank You for an Incredible 16th Annual Grand Paddle and Hike!
We are beyond excited to share the success of the 16th Annual Grand Paddle and Hike, an event that brought together an amazing community of supporters and outdoor enthusiasts! This year, we raised an incredible $70,000, surpassing our fundraising goals and supporting the mission of Silver Lake Mennonite Camp.
A heartfelt thank you to the 34 teams and 104 participants who took part in this unforgettable event. From paddling down the Grand River to hiking through beautiful landscapes, your efforts and enthusiasm made a huge impact. Each stroke and step brought us closer to our goal, and we couldn’t have done it without your dedication and generosity.
We’re thrilled to share some amazing moments from this year’s event in our photo gallery below. Relive the adventure, the smiles, and the memories we’ve created together.
Thank you again to everyone who made this event such a success. Together, we’re making a difference!
📸 Check out the photo gallery below!
2025 Grand Paddle & Hike
Join us or make a donation for the 16th Annual Grand Paddle & Hike Fundraiser in support of Silver Lake Mennonite Camp!