Shekinah Western Ranch Camp

Shekinah Western Ranch Offers Young People God and Horses

By Beth Hope-Cushey
Sunday, July 20, 2003

Nearly every day, Caitlin Tanner, 11, asks her parents for a horse of her own. Each day, the question is the same and each day the answer is no.

The Uniontown girl still hasn't gotten a horse, but she may have found something almost as good: a Western-style camp where she can groom and ride horses.

Cradled in Twilight Hollow, the Shekinah Western Ranch for Boys and Girls offers a camp for young people to enjoy the outdoors, recreation, Christian values and horsemanship.

The camp has 10 horses that campers learn to ride in the outdoor riding arena. They also learn the aspects of grooming and care of horses.

The ranch, which opened last week, sits on 22 shaded acres with a bubbling brook, and it offers youths a weeklong stay in rustic cabins. An average day begins with chapel in the morning, breakfast, and then horsemanship, horseback riding, basketball, softball, volleyball and swimming. Before lights out at night, the group sits around a campfire.

Ranch coordinator the Rev. Tom Ravasio said the camp offers young people a place to experience things they may not necessarily encounter, such as riding and taking care of horses.

For Ravasio, the opening of the camp has brought him full circle.

More than eight years ago, he and his family stayed for six weeks at the site, which at the time was the Bethany Bible Fellowship Camp. During that time, Ravasio said, he prayed a great deal, and God told him to start a Christian-style riding camp for boys and girls.

Once he began his quest to open the camp, Ravasio said everything began to fall into place almost miraculously. The land was donated by the elders of the Bethany Bible Fellowship Church, and state Sen. Barry Stout, D-Bentleyville, donated the excavating work for the outdoor riding arena in honor of Bethany Bible Fellowship elder Jim Foor.

Each cabin was built by donations, and legal work was done pro bono. The finished camp would not have been possible without the help of goodwill of many people, Ravasio said.

The name of the camp, "Shekinah" was inspired by God, Ravasio said. On a prayer walk through Mingo Creek County Park, Ravasio said he was given the name.

"I wasn't familiar with the word. I went home and looked it up. It means 'the place in which God's glory dwells.' The name seems to fit," he said.

Benches in the shade, a red covered walking bridge over the brook and cabins placed among the trees bring a sense of peacefulness to the delighted squeals of the youngsters swimming in the pool or riding the playground merry-go-round.

Alexandra Irey, 9, of Carroll, enjoyed playing basketball and getting dizzy on the merry-go-round, but said her favorite thing about the camp was being with the horses. "My dad won't buy me one, so this is really fun," she said.

Katie Haines, girls' counselor, said she also enjoys being with the horses, but as an education major at Bethany College, she loves being with the youngsters and getting the opportunity to teach them.

Wayne Hite, camp director, said for many years he was a construction supervisor. He traveled all over the country building things that could be torn down after many years. Now he is in a position to build character and values in young people.

"What I am doing now will last a lifetime," he said. "We live in a day and age where good memories are hard to come by. I have an opportunity to give some good and healthy memories to some young people that will hopefully last a lifetime."

Ravasio said he hopes the camp will impact the community and youth positively. "I want to have the chance to give every child a great encounter with God, a great experience with horses and I want them to know God loves them and has a plan for their lives."

The camp offers weeklong stays for youths 8 to 18. Future plans call for a day camp and other activities, including fishing in the stocked pond on the property. Anyone interested in attending the camp may call 724-483-4343.