Home > Summer@MBC 2020 COVID-19 Updates

We are open and excited to welcome your family to MBC as the perfect place to vacation in Ontario this summer!

As you might expect, things will be a bit different this year here at our Christian Conference Centre. Our mission at Muskoka Bible Centre, to help create resilient, biblically rooted families hasn't changed, but how we go about our mission has been adjusted to focus on the safety of our guests and our MBC team while complying with the latest federal and provincial COVID-19 guidelines. We are committed to still being one of the best places to vacation with your family in Ontario, while keeping our guests and staff safe. 

Safety is priority one at our conference centre:

  • You will notice that all of the standard COVID safety measures have been implemented on our grounds – Plexiglas shields, physical distance indicators on the floors, staff wearing masks when physical distancing cannot be maintained, hand sanitizer at building entrances, etc. We want everyone looking for a great place to stay with their families in the Huntsville area to feel comfortable and safe when booking a stay here at MBC.

You have a role to play in the safety of your family, other guests and staff at MBC this summer:

  • Follow all of the general safety protocols while on the grounds – physical distancing, wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained, cover your cough.

  • Specific guidelines are posted around the conference centre, office, dining hall and campground.  Please read and follow what has been posted.   Please help your kids comply with the guidelines at all times.

  • An online waiver will be sent to you to confirm that you are not symptomatic, have not been exposed to COVID 19 to your knowledge, and that you will report any symptoms immediately.

Our programming, meals and accommodations have all changed.  The details can be found on the Summer@MBC page of our website.   Here are a few highlights.  

  • Our bible teaching and family programming will look quite different this summer.  COVID-19 has thrown ‘normal’ out the window, but that will not stop us from our mission to help grow resilient, biblically rooted families!  We will offer online and self-directed programming this summer, and we will gather together only as we can do so safely, and as regulations allow.   Be sure to register your family for our Summer@MBC in a Box program.

  • If you are looking for a top-quality place to book your family vacation we will be offering “Extra Long Weekend” stays in accommodations this summer, with check-in Tuesday at 3 PM and check-out Sunday at 2 PM.   This allows 2 full days to clean and sanitize rooms between stays.

  • Meals will be take-out only.  Our foodservice team looks forward to serving you 3 delicious meals per day, from Tuesday dinner through to Sunday lunch.   You can find a quiet place on the grounds to enjoy your meal outdoors, or you can bring your meal back to your room, cottage or trailer.

  • Our family-friendly campground is open 7 days a week (seasonal and nightly sites, washrooms, showers, laundry).  At this time our playground structures in the campground and around the grounds of MBC remain closed due to provincial COVID-19 restrictions.   

  • The beach is open and ready for your family to take a dip in while staying here at our conference centre!  Physical distancing is required. If distancing on the beach becomes a challenge, we have plans ready to go to mark out spots for physical distancing and to assign specific times for guests to enjoy the beach each day.

 

For more details see our Summer@MBC page.

If you are looking for one of the best family-friendly places to book your vacation this summer, rest assured that you can book your summer stay at MBC with confidence.  We will be offering full refunds on nightly reservations prior to check-in if you need to cancel your summer reservation for any reason.    Call us starting June 10, 2020 to book.  705-789-0123.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is happening at MBC right now?

Effective Saturday, May 16th we have opened the campground for access to seasonal sites only. Details can be found here.

Boat slips are also open and available at this time. You can reserve your seasonal boat slip online.

The other areas of our facility remain in ‘shutdown’ mode. This means that the buildings are closed for public access and a skeleton crew of team members is working onsite to keep the base essentials of the facility and administration going.

Please be aware that the beach area is closed at this time, consistent with provincial directives.

Can I call or email with my questions?

The phones and email inquiries are being answered.   We’d love to hear from you and answer your questions, as we are able.

Have any MBC or Camp Widjiitiwin events been cancelled?

 Due to the government’s directives on physical distancing we have had to make the tough decision to cancel some of our programmed events.  This list will be updated as decisions are made.

  1. The Shepherd’s Leadership Retreat (May 11 – 13) – in partnership with the Association of Confessing Evangelicals has been postponed to another date to be determined in 2021.
  2. Women of Grace Retreats in May & June have been cancelled.  A ‘Virtual Retreat for Women’ is being planned for June 6.  More details will be announced.
  3. Creation Ministries International SUPER CONFERENCE scheduled for the end of June, 2020 has been rescheduled for the end of August 2021.  All existing registrations will be rolled over to 2021.  Please advise if you do not wish to transfer your registration.
  4. Camp Widjiitiwin – we have made the difficult decision to cancel our summer overnight and day camp programming for Camp Widjiitiwin.  We believe this is our best possible decision given the lack of clarity on where the government will be landing on decisions for summer camp as well as the expected safety protocol that will be required for implementation should camps be allowed to open.  We want to ensure that when we do run our children and youth camp again it can be done with excellence and safely.  We are holding off on a decision regarding the SALT leadership program, as there may yet be some options to run this given the current situation.
  5. Student Staffing (Stepping Stones) – at this point we are not in a position to make a confirmed decision on bringing any students in for work prior to June 5th.  We will notify any students that have been contracted with updates as soon as we can.

Groups renting our facilities are being advised of the status of their retreats in accordance with our shutdown status.

Can I walk around the grounds at MBC currently? 

While we are not restricting people from entering the MBC property, we do ask you to exercise discretion if you do come on site, ensuring to maintain all currently enforced physical distancing parameters. Please avoid congregating in groups or creating congestion in any one area.

We will monitor onsite traffic and make decisions on continued access to ensure safety for all concerned.

Will refunds be available for any cancelled events?

We are making decisions on refunds on an event-by-event basis.  In most instances, if the event is cancelled due to COVID-19 the guest will receive a full refund but also with options to rollover the deposit for another date or to give as a donation to furtherance of the Kingdom ministry of MBC.

Can I still give a donation to MBC?

We recognize that many of our MBC families will be experiencing significant financial stress during this time.   As expected, MBC will also be undergoing some significant financial challenges due to the COVID-19 shutdown. 

If you are able to contribute to our needs at this time you are certainly able to do so through our Muskoka Bible Foundation website, our Muskoka Bible Centre APP or by calling the office at 705.789.0123.  We thank you for any consideration you can give during these trying times.  We do trust that God will be our provider but are delighted when He uses people like you to provide!

Upcoming Opportunities

We do want to make you aware of some excellent opportunities to stay connected with us during this spring.  Please consider joining us for any or all of these online events. 

Annual General Meeting, May 16, 2020 starting at 4 PM.  You can register for this using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Brj_sMOzQnm-qKqyUGxCog

Resilient Family Webinar:  Parenting Teens.   This interactive webinar will present some basic principles to consider as you parent the teens in your family. It will be hosted by John Friesen and include 5 other panelists who form the MBC Ministry Team.  You will need to pre-register for this event using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9015892131040/WN_MnMGXSRHQnOKmi_YJSew7A

Women of Grace Virtual Retreat on June 6, 2020 starting at 9:45 am.  Our Virtual Women of Grace Spring Retreat will be available online at no cost to you. We have Linda Reed from Heritage College and Seminary teaching us on ‘Be Still and Know – to Know God in His Strengthening Power’. We will have an interactive teaching session with Sandra Loewen from Precept Ministries “How to Study the Bible for Yourself" and a zoom prayer meeting where you can meet with a group of up to 7 other women to pray.  Register using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2515887948353/WN_9vu9XLjaS5WxTCXUNt3eRQ

Latest MBC Updates re: Coronavirus Impact Plan

May 12, 2020 (PDF)

April 15, 2020 (PDF)

April 8, 2020 - Spring Crew Delayed (PDF)

March 24, 2020 (PDF)