Generations of Faith: Family Legacies at Calvin Crest
Where sacred memories become living legacies
"It is amazing to think that the Christ-centered joy that my roots latched onto is the same joy my kids now experience."
In the twinkling lights, as campfire songs rise from amid Sherwood’s towering pines, something remarkable happens at Calvin Crest. Lives are changed, faith is deepened, and most beautifully, transformation ripples through generations creating a tapestry of shared experience that stretches across decades.
Several families shared with us how their Calvin Crest journeys bridge generations in their family. Parents who once walked these paths as young campers or staffers are now watching their children discover the same divine encounters that shaped their own hearts years ago.
The Friesen Family
Sarah Friesen still remembers the magic of being a Sherwood camper, how the forest felt like the most enchanted place on Earth. Her five summers on staff in the mid 1990s planted seeds that grew into lifelong friendships and a deep love for this sacred space.
“I always looked forward to being on staff,” Sarah shares. “I developed some of my closest friendships on summer staff and continue to stay close to many of them today.”
When Sarah and her husband Todd started a family, they knew they wanted their children to experience the transformative magic of Calvin Crest. What they could not have anticipated was how beautifully God would weave their story into the continuing legacy of this place.
For their son, Paul, Calvin Crest quickly became a second home. Through Family Camp and Sherwood, he began forming his own connections while discovering the deeper meaning behind treasured family traditions.
“Attending Sherwood put so many pieces of my childhood into their context,” Paul reflects. “It gave life and meaning to the Sherwood horn that lived in our closet, the Sherwood sign in our backyard, and the silly names of Sarahmony, Todd-da, and Adora-Paul. At campfire, we even sang the same songs that my mom had sung to me when tucking me into bed.”
Today, Paul serves on the Sherwood team, following in his mother’s footsteps and forming friendships he hopes will stand the test of time. His brother, Levi, will also join the Calvin Crest staff this summer before beginning college, continuing a legacy of faith and service. Even their younger brother Adam has found his own connection to this special place.
“I like being there and the calming environment and that people know me. I am not just a random stranger,” Adam shares. “Also, when I am there with my parents, they buy me milkshakes.”
The Hagen Family
For the Hagen family, the Calvin Crest story began with Eric Hagen. Eric’s time on staff as a young man shaped him profoundly, and when he and his wife, Michelle, brought their daughters to Sherwood and later AIM,, they witnessed the same spiritual growth begin to unfold in their children’s lives.
“Eric’s love for Calvin Crest, his time on staff, and all that he learned shaped him deeply,” Michelle shares. “Seeing how it also shaped my daughters, I could not help but say yes when Tiffany asked me to step in as bookkeeper in November 2020.”
Since then, ministry and family have intertwined in beautiful ways. Last summer, Eric and Michelle lived at camp and served alongside the staff, including their daughter, Olivia.
“Watching her use her God-given gifts to share His word with campers was such a joy,” Michelle reflects. “I never imagined I would have the chance to work with my daughters, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord together.”
For Olivia, walking the same paths her father once traveled carries a deep significance.
“When I was a kid, I thought Calvin Crest, especially Sherwood, was magical,” Olivia shares. “Growing up, I realized that magic was how you could see Christ at work here. Calvin Crest is such a generational camp, which speaks to how God has been working not only in our parents but also in us.”
Working alongside her mother has been an added blessing.
“[Working with my mom is] everything. I get to work with my mom. I recommend it if you have never had the chance to say that,” she continues. “You get a person to hug when you have had a long day, someone to track down to tell a funny moment to, someone who loves you, who is right there when you need her, and constant support.”
Eric, who first committed his life to Christ during an eighth-grade winter “Sno-Go” retreat at Calvin Crest, reflects on his daughters’ journeys.
“Some might say they are following in my footsteps, but I see their journeys as uniquely their own,” Eric shares. “God is using Calvin Crest in new ways in their lives, just as He did in mine.
The Wiebe Family
For Erik Wiebe, seeing his children experience Calvin Crest brings “pure joy.” His own transformation at camp shaped his life so profoundly that witnessing his children discover the same Christ-centered community feels like coming full-circle.
“I think of the trees at Calvin Crest, and how the image of a tree with thirsty roots fit who I was when God placed me at Calvin Crest and made such a transformative impact on my life,” Erik shares. “It is simply amazing to think that the Christ-centered joy that my roots latched onto is the same joy that my kids now experience.”
His daughter Dara finds deep meaning in cultivating the same community that so deeply shaped her father.
“It means a lot to get to participate and help cultivate a space and community that was so beneficial and impactful to my dad’s younger self,” she shares. “He was the one to introduce me to Calvin Crest, and I have loved it ever since.”
Now a staffer herself, Dara feels the profound responsibility of helping create experiences that will ripple through future generations.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have God working through me to impact lives and bring goodness to people who then bring that goodness home with them.”
The Vaccaro Family
Nearly forty years ago, Jeremy Vaccaro surrendered his life to Christ during a campfire at Calvin Crest. He led music as a summer staffer, witnessing hundreds of young people encounter that same transforming love. It was also at Calvin Crest that he met his future wife, Diane, their love story becoming another thread in the tapestry of God’s faithfulness.
“When I think of my years at Calvin Crest,” Diane shares, “I am grateful for a place where I grew in my faith, learned to participate in ministry, and established lifelong friendships.”
Today, their daughter, Kate, is experiencing those same blessings, “serving alongside friends she will have for a lifetime as she grows in her faith,” Diane reflects. “I love that camp is a special place for us to share.”
For Kate, continuing her parents’ tradition came naturally.
“I grew up hearing about the joys of summer staff, so continuing that tradition was one of the easiest decisions I have made,” Kate shares. “It is so fun to go to places like the Sherwood craft castle and see my mom’s Sherwood name sharpied on the wood, or meet a family at Family Camp who remembers when my parents were on Crestview staff.”
Moments like these remind her she is part of something much larger.
“I hope that someday the campers I work with now, or maybe even my own children, will join staff and remember me,” Kate says. “I love being part of something bigger, and I am always reminded of those deeper ties when I am at Calvin Crest.”
Legacy in Motion
As each of these stories weave together, they reveal something profound about the ministry of Calvin Crest. What happens here transcends a single week of summer or even a season of life. Like a stone skipped across the lake, the impact of a single transformed life ripples outward, touching families, communities, and generations to come.
Each counselor who guides a camper, each worship leader who lifts hearts toward heaven, and each staff member who creates a space of belonging becomes part of a story much larger than themselves. And when those kids grow up to return, bringing their own children to Calvin Crest or serving alongside them, we witness the breathtaking faithfulness of God unfolding.
These families represent just a few threads in a vast tapestry of lives transformed at Calvin Crest. Thousands of stories, interwoven by the hand of the Master Weaver, continue to create a picture of redemption that stretches far beyond these woods.
"I hope that someday the campers I currently work with or maybe even my own children will join staff and remember me… I love being part of something larger than myself, and I am always reminded of those deeper ties when I am at Calvin Crest."
Your Chapter in Our Story
As we look to the future, we invite you to consider how your own story might intertwine with the legacy of Calvin Crest. You can extend this sacred narrative in powerful ways:
- Service: Volunteer during a work weekend, family camp, or summer program.
- Prayer: Lift up current campers and staff as they experience God’s presence at camp.
- Giving: Support the Calvin Crest Annual Fund or campership program, making it possible for more young people to encounter Christ.
- Sharing: Tell your Calvin Crest story and invite others to experience the life-changing community found here.
