Trisha Shetty (Editor)

St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center

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Type
  
Retreat Center

Founded
  
1998

Phone
  
+1 603-746-2132

St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center

Location
  
329 Camp Merrimac Road Hopkinton, New Hampshire 03229

Operated by
  
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston

Website
  
www.saintmethodios.org www.metropolisofbostoncamp.org

Address
  
329 Camp Merrimac Rd, Contoocook, NH 03229, USA

Similar
  
Metropolis of Boston Camp, Barbara C Harris Camp, Episcopal Diocesan House, Bluewater Farm Lakeside

The St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center is a 191-acre (77 ha) camp run by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston and located in the town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

Contents

Programs and uses

The center is home to the Metropolis of Boston Camp, a coed program that holds six one–week summer sessions, two weekend winter sessions, and other programs throughout the year. The camp serves children from the ages of 8–18, and each year attracts approximately 120 campers and 50 staff members, with the capacity of up to 140 campers per week. Formerly known by the name Boston Diocese Camp, the program's name was changed with the diocese's elevation to a metropolis in late 2002.

Besides being the home of the Metropolis's summer and winter camps, the Camp and Retreat Center also allows Orthodox parishes to hold weekend retreats for youth and families and each September, the Metropolis sponsors an open house which coincides with the celebration of the Feast of the Cross when the blessing of the waters service takes place. During this service Metropolitan Methodios throws the cross into the lake and campers dive to retrieve it. Also holding programs at the camp are Hellenic College-Holy Cross, the Orthodox Church in America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese and the Armenian Apostolic Church, while the Roman Catholic Church, the United Church of Christ, and the New Hampshire Council of Churches have used the facility for retreats and gatherings in addition to many community organizations and schools.

History

After years of using other area camp grounds around New England to support the growing community, the Metropolis decided to buy its own campground. The former 191-acre (77 ha) Camp Merrimac property located on the shores of Clement Pond in the town of Hopkinton was purchased with the help of a $500,000 donation by former pharmaceutical company owner George D. Behrakis in the summer of 1998.

Regular camp sessions began at the site in 1999, along with an ambitious program to winterize, improve, and expand the campground. As part of this modernization program, new water and waste water systems were designed and installed, the cafeteria was renovated, adding a new kitchen, and the rec hall was remodeled. The former barn was extended and a bell tower added to create a 200-seat chapel and all of the cabins on the eastern side of the camp were rebuilt over a ten-year period.

In 2006, Metropolitan Methodios and the Camp and Retreat Center Committee drafted plans for a new lodge on the shore of Clement Pond which would consist of 30 rooms with private accommodations for families, couples, individuals, clergy and laity. The plan was met with criticism from area property owners who felt that the new building would bring "noise, traffic and lighting [that] will destroy the place they go to get away", but it was ultimately approved by the Hopkinton Zoning Board of Adjustment in 2007. After the New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Hopkinton Zoning Board, construction began in the summer of 2008.

References

St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center Wikipedia