Pitch and Praise
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Pitch&Praise is a Christian, non-denominational, event aimed at reaching out to high school students across Ontario. It draws crowds of over 2000 youth from all over Ontario, Canada. It started in 1974 and was held annually on the May long weekend at Stayner Camp. In 2006, due to the ever growing attendance and limits of the existing facilities, Pitch&Praise was held in Paris, Ontario at Braeside Camp.
Youth camp out in tents, trailers, or cabins spend the weekend engaged in various activities. The central program of the weekend are the general sessions. Highlighted by a featured band and a speaker these sessions provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel is communicated in relevant and contemporary ways. Over the years the message of Pitch has not changed but the medium sure has. Highlights of past weekends were: Servant, a Christian rock band that did away with Christian stereotypes and yet clearly demonstrated true servant hearts as they intermingled with the teens.
There are also sports tournaments, seminars (on such things as the DaVinci Code, dinosaurs and the Bible and scientific analyses of creation and evolution), video game tournaments, and an annual battle of the bands.
In 1994 Junior Pitch&Praise was established to reach out to JR High students (grades 6-8) and is currently attended by over 1000 pre-teens from across Ontario. JR Pitch takes place annually during September and is currently held in Stayner, Ontario at the Stayner Bible Conference Grounds (until it, too, outgrows the facilities).
