Friends and Family of Lakeside,
2020 has been quite the year for all of us. This spring, we made the heartbreaking decision to put the health of our campers and their families first, and suspended the 2020 traditional summer programming. Needless to say, it has been a much different summer than most of us envisioned, but we want to remind you of something: the Holy Spirit is moving in a powerful way here at Camp Lakeside.
Here are some updates about the happenings at Lakeside that bring us hope, as we are looking for positive news in our lives:
1. Over 300 campers were touched by our Camp in a Box initiative! The Lord is so good! Even without children and youth on-site, we were able to plant the seeds of Jesus Christ’s Love in many households. We are considering a Winter/Christmas themed Camp in a Box, too. Keep an eye on our social media channels and your email inboxes to see how you can get tastes of Camp Lakeside through the fall and winter seasons.
2. Bless our Mess! It has been a busy year for our maintenance team. Recently, we have started two bigger projects at Lakeside. We are adding four RV spots for public rental to our site! These sites will have 30 AMP hookups and water, and are near the chapel and campfire area. The sites are already usable, but we are making progress towards adding gravel for parking and signage to better advertise their location and purpose. Give Camp Lakeside a ring if you would like to spend some time with us!
3. Our second big project is upgrading the Reflection Pond in the back of the East Canyon. We intend to put in a water pump to bring water up to that area. When we look to the future, we plan on upgrading seating for personal or group reflection time.
4. We have also had our share of contractors on site this summer, as we addressed three major projects. We replaced the roofs on nearly all our buildings. This was from an insurance claim from a hail storm last year. Needless to say, the roofs look tremendously better and water is no longer leaking in. The second project was a mandatory upgrade to our water system. We have experienced a tremendous improvement in our water pressure. In addition, our water is safer to drink. The third project is still underway, but we are upgrading our pool. We have already started upgrading equipment in the pump house, and we installed a VGB Act compliant main drain cover. The next stage for upgrading our pool is to get the gutters operational again. This will be a larger project financially, and we are working on matching grants that can help support our cause.
The Holy Spirit is moving indeed here at Camp Lakeside! May the Lord pour out His Love on you, keeping you and your loved ones healthy and happy as we all navigate these strange times.
God Bless!
Ross Janovec, Camp Lakeside Director