Hope is something we all need in our lives at different times and for different reasons. Hope keeps our eyes looking up and away from some current difficulty or season of loss to some greater and brighter future. It’s where a season of challenge is met with something different, a reason to look up with a lighter heart and know that a better future is possible. Jesus offers us hope and life right in the middle of whatever challenges we face. He promises to provide when there is no way forward. He gives us strength to overcome and a reason to celebrate. Hope comforts us and gives light to the heart. Hope is also very practical. These past few months we at Camp Crossroads have seen and experienced the hope that comes from the living God as He engages community to help others in time of need!

When the Ontario Government cancelled all overnight camps for this summer we knew we needed to cancel our Day Camp and Family Camp programs as well.  We also knew that we needed to refund all our registered camper families as soon as possible. What we didn’t know was how God was going to stir people’s hearts to meet our financial needs in this process. 40 years ago, God brought together the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Church community and provided miraculously to purchase the Camp Crossroads property in Torrance. Today we are seeing God rally the camp community once again.

We praise God that despite not running any programs since the end of February, we were able to return all camper fees and preserve our capital campaign funds without going into debt. This was accomplished through a combination of generous donor support and implementing all possible cost-saving measures. These measures have included the very difficult decision to lay off 4 full-time staff in April along with simpler decisions around conserving energy, deferring costs where possible and working to sell items that camp no longer needs (e.g. old vehicles, 2 RV’s, older boats, etc.) We are also very grateful to everyone who has donated during this time! Thank-you to the families of registered campers who donated a portion or all of their fees (i.e. just over 50% of families gave for a total of about 26% of the fees we had received). Thank-you to those former staff who have joined the Summer Staff Challenge and have collectively given just over $17000. You have caught a vision of generosity which was unlooked-for and has been really inspiring. (For more on the Summer Staff Challenge see the Stories section of our website, June 19th post here). Thank-you to those who have been giving regularly for months or years and who continue to give. Thank-you to the rest who have given spontaneously as you have heard that we had a need.

 

We have been able to face these challenging circumstances with a hopeful outlook because we believe that God is able to provide for our needs through many generous hearts.

However, despite our best efforts, the reality is that we will need ongoing help to meet the fixed costs of running a property this large. While we are still hoping to run retreats at Camp this fall, we’ve already had groups postpone or cancel and we realize that might not be possible. Currently, our projected fixed costs to the end of this calendar year are approximately $175,000.00. We have been able to face these challenging circumstances with a hopeful outlook because we believe that God is able to provide for our needs through many generous hearts. Would you consider donating to our General Operating expenses so we can continue to pay our bills and plan for a great winter retreat season? Donations can be made by clicking the “Give” button at the top of this page and then clicking the “Donate Now” button.

You might be wondering what’s going on at Camp this summer without any campers. We are working to make camp better for you the next time you come! While it is disappointing and very sad to have a quiet camp (when we normally have 250+ campers and staff having fun and learning about God), we have a unique opportunity this summer to work on buildings and areas of camp that are normally in constant use. Some of the projects include:   re-shingling the chapel roof, making repairs to the cabins (specifically cabin 11/12), repairing the side entrance to the dining hall (shower-house side), repairing the playground train, ark, winter tube run and addressing safety concerns around camp. Other projects include cleaning cabins (outside and in) and a deep clean of the kitchen. Thankfully we are allowed by our local health department to have up to ten volunteers at a time to help us with this work. We have volunteers that have been coming on a regular basis to help with grass cutting and looking after our grounds. Starting next week we will be having volunteer families and others coming to camp to serve and work on the projects.

We are also working on setting up an on-line Tuck Shop so you can continue to purchase fun Camp merchandise right from home! We’ll be sure to send an update when that is ready for business.

Thank-you for your time in reading this update and considering what you might be able to contribute to help us cover fixed costs and to keep the light on so we can be ready for when restrictions are lifted!

We look forward to keeping you posted as to how God continues to provide for our needs.

If you have any questions about how you can support Camp email andrew@campcrossroads.com.

Andrew Hiebert is the Executive Director at Camp Crossroads. He and his wife, Christine, live and serve at Camp year round. When he’s not in the office, Andrew enjoys fishing, canoeing, and generally spending time outdoors!