Sunday, March 30, 1969

Sunday Tribune & Star Courier, Bloomington, Ind. 

The article was written by Eileen Hatfield. 

"Worship service set at Camp Olivet"

Oddly enough, few people seem to know that Camp Olivet exists, although it has gleamed red since 1963. And those who realize its existence may put it down, wrongly, as another dull church camp.

Jim Bethune and his wife, Marie, serve as host and hostess for the church events, and are as proud of the sparkling clean camp as if they owned it.

Jim took C-T photographer Richard Barrett and me on a thrill a minute trip over the 178 acres in a gold cart, me in front and Richard clinging to the back like a monkey. It is quite a jostling tour, although the land has been mowed and landscaped, the bumps are still there and the inclines are steep.

He also showed us the red barn which has been converted into a dormitory and cafeteria, the four red cabins, the crimson house for the teachers and cooks, the bell that summons campers to services, and the circles of logs where the final day of camp, those who accepted Christ gather together.

There is a recreational building with a shuffleboard court and ping-pong tables, utility building complete with washers and dryers, shower rooms. And at the stairs in the red barn is the camp’s motto “Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

By using tents, in addition to the cabins, 100 persons can be accommodated for the night, and a new $45,000 building is being planned which will be self-contained and can be used by 48 people.

Campers must provide their own cooks, teachers, counselors and food, but there is no charge for the facilities, which include freezers, stoves, dishes and silverware. It is an international camp and is operated solely by donations.

Last year the camp hosted an intercity group from Indianapolis, children so poor that they had no clothing suitable for camping. So a man in the area contributed $500, the youngsters were outfitted and spent a week walking the trails of the unaccustomed forest, wading in Indian Creek and glorying in the running room of the 25-acre plateau.

The donor of the money for clothing is the same gentleman who started the camp, and unfortunately he wishes to remain anonymous

The thought of a place such as Olivet came to the founder after he had the pleasure of attending a retreat. He thought how wonderful it would be to have a quiet place where men and women could go to for Christian fellowship.

He and his family talked about it with their pastor, and then began to look for a secluded place which was not difficult to reach.

Quite by accident they discovered the property on highway 54 five miles out of Springville. It was run down, but so many possibilities were there - the hills, trees, streams, swinging bridge.

There were two fallen-down barns and two houses on the place, and as soon as the property was acquired in 1962, work began. One old house and barn were destroyed, the other house and barn remodeled.

While the remodeling was going on, a general clean-up of the premises was in progress. Old fences were removed, pastures mowed, brush cut, new wells drilled.

Then the thought came to everyone involved. Why not a Christian camp for children: Why not?

So, under the sponsorship of Southminster Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis and its minister, Rev. R. H. Duke, the program was put together and the first Children’s Camp was held in the summer of 1963, staffed and taught by volunteers from Southminster church.

Olivet is now being used by many churches for camps, Christian organizations for retreats or just an afternoon or evening of fellowship.

Each year the number of campers grows. Last year over 400 boys and girls attended camp between June 1 and Aug. 28, and many more are expected this year.

There is not, and has never been a charge for a child to attend camp. All help has been donated, and many families have given up their vacations year after year to give their services to Olivet.

An Olivet Foundation has now been set up, which owns the properties and attends to the care of them as well as increasing facilities as the camp grows.

Jim Bethune, a retired RCA executive, and his wife have built a home on the grounds so they can always be near to lend a hand, and Everett Weaver has beautifully landscaped the grounds as his labor of love.

Will there be enough money to fulfill all the plans for Olivet? “We will pray for it,” says Jim Bethune, “and it will come.”

(This article was reproduced exactly as it was written in 1969. All of us know the anonymous donors of Camp Olivet. George and Marcella Aikman. Camp Olivet---”Dedicated to the Glory of God and the Betterment of Mankind.”)