The summer camp season is winding down. Right now, we are in our last week of hosting young campers. Currently there are seventy-five 5th and 6th graders on site. This is really a great age to work with because they are so open to learning about Jesus and what it means to give their life over to Him. I’m sure by the end of the week our swimming pool will once again become a baptistery, and we will all rejoice with the angels in heaven as another camper is born into God’s family. Thank you for your gift that changes lives!

The summer has been challenging in some ways and rewarding in others, but then, that could be said of every summer camp season. This year we struggled with equipment breakdowns and not so good weather. Even so, we came through okay and the campers probably didn’t mind the wet or even notice the behind the scenes equipment failures. Of course, the rewards are about 950 excited and joyful campers, money raised for worthy missions, tons of spiritual growth, and several life-time commitments made to loving and serving Jesus Christ.

It is now that I begin to miss the summer staff even though they are here for a few more days. These kids have been my closest friends over the past few summers and most all will be moving on to other commitments. I am confident though, that the experiences we shared together at LaMoine Christian Service Camp will serve to keep us strong in our faith until we all “Escape to Paradise”.

Even though the summer camp season ends soon, our ministry work here does not. On August 10th and 11th, we will host 160 Resident Assistants from Western Illinois University. Then over the weekend, we will host a youth retreat from Clover Road Christian Church in Hannibal, MO. I thank you again for your gift and ask that you pray for us year round as we serve God in the same way.  

Thank you for your financial gift to the camp. Because of your support, we are able to continue reaching out to kids in need of Jesus year after year.

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through this summer camp season. We have already witnessed many blessings: excellent worship music, challenging messages, great Missions offerings, and several life-changing decisions made for the Lord. Baptisms in our pool are the greatest blessing of all. Nothing can compare to the blessings of summer camp at LaMoine.
 
Recently a past camper stopped by for a visit. Here is part of the email he sent to me soon after his visit.

 “Doug, my visit back to LaMoine was very fulfilling for me. It turned out to be emotional as
well. I saw the chapel where I gave my life to Christ when I was 12 years old; I visited the
campfire area where I kissed my first girl; and I stood on the pitchers mound where I used to
pitch as a camper. I cried in all 3 places. I am 56 now and have not been back since my last
time at Senior High Camp in 1969. I am so grateful that the saints in the area have continued
to support Camp LaMoine all these years and continue to have a positive effect on our young
people today.” (Me Too!)
 
I thank you for helping to make the blessings of this camp possible not only for this season but for all the seasons before as well. I know God produces the growth of His Kingdom, but you are one of many who, through your gifts and prayers, help to keep this ministry alive and well. I ask that you continue to pray for our campers, staff, and faculty as we all work together to glorify God this summer at LaMoine Christian Service Camp.

Today is June 1st and the 8th Annual Open House & Auction is just days away. There is still a lot to get done to make the camp look its best for the big day. The summer staff start today so they will be a big help. All of this year’s summer staff are returning staff, which is a huge blessing.

I can’t thank our Member Churches enough for their help with collecting camp barrel items and completing their spring cleaning projects. We simply could not accomplish all that we do for Christ without our generous camp partners.

Soon our first campers will arrive. We are so looking forward to providing a Christian camping environment for all the children that God sends our way this summer. What a privilege and joy it is to see them introduced to Jesus; the One who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. In this day and age, I just don’t know how they can make it without Him.

I thank you for your financial gift to this ministry. Your faithful giving is instrumental in allowing the LaMoine Christian Service Camp staff and volunteers the opportunity to serve God at this special place every summer. Right now we ask for your prayers more than ever; pray for camper safety, pray for wisdom for our Deans and their faculty as they share Jesus with the campers, pray for the staff to have good attitudes, energy, patience, and a servant’s heart, and pray that Satan will stay far away as the Spirit of God reigns here all summer long. God bless you and I hope to see you at the camp this summer!

Can you believe how quickly the spring is flying by? It is hard to believe that May is already here. The camp is full of activity as we are all busy getting ready for the fast approaching summer camp season. At the first of the month, we held our S.A.H. Training Retreat for this summer’s junior high and high school age helpers. Over the next few weeks, there will be grass to cut, buildings to clean, the swimming pool to start-up, registrations to enter, and several special projects to be done. And then of course, we have our Senior Saint’s Day Musical Lollapalooza on May 21st. Yes, the busy season has arrived!

Even as the camp is a virtual hub of activity, I know that all of you are busy with camp things as well; collecting camp barrel items, coming out to do spring cleaning assignments, and bringing out donations for the auctions and garage sale area of our 8th Annual Open House which will be held on Saturday, June 5th. I sure do thank all of you for faithfully, year after year, helping with these big and very important tasks. Most importantly, I pray that you are doing everything you can within your churches to encourage your youth to attend camp this summer. I can’t thank the leadership of our churches enough for ensuring that financial help is available for families to send their kids to camp.

Thank you for your financial gift and for your prayers on behalf of LaMoine Christian Service Camp and our campers. At this time of year, as we all do our best to support our youth through Christian camping, we know that God will bless our joint efforts and once again change lives this summer at LaMoine. May God bless you and LaMoine Christian Service Camp this summer as we all look forward to another season of Kingdom growth; one camper at a time.

Thank you for giving to the camp. Your gift is so very much needed and appreciated. Your financial gift to the camp also encourages us to know that you believe in our work and want to join us in it. After all, it is God’s blessing and our camp partners that give in so many ways that keep our camp alive and growing.

April is an exciting month. First of all we start it off with Easter weekend. Not only is Easter a time for Wendy and I to spend time with our families but it is also a time for the huge family of believers to celebrate God’s plan of salvation. What we were powerless to do on our own, God has done for us through Jesus Christ. And now the power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. What an amazing miracle! God no longer dwells in temples made by human hands; He lives in me and you and everyone that desires to know Him, reach out to Him, find Him, and live for Him. What a message the camp has to share with the youth of today. The God of the universe offers to live in them through His Spirit; to guide them, to empower them, to comfort them, to be with them 24/7, and to go with them wherever they go.

April is also exciting for us this year because two past campers will return to the camp to marry. The camp has such special memories for them that it is here where they want to start their new and special relationship with one another and with God. I thank God that the camp was here and able to have such a positive influence in their lives.

LaMoine Christian Service Camp has touched the lives of these two and countless others over the years and thanks to your gift, we will strive to do the same in the future.

Thank you so very much for your financial gift to the camp ministry. Your gift will be used to support our efforts in providing a Christian camping environment that challenges youth and adults to love and serve Christ. There is no doubt that this camp is a better place and a more effective tool for God’s work because you have chosen to partner with us.

During the months of spring is when it is most evident how much we count on our camp partners. In just a few days, we will have our Summer Camp Kick-Off Meeting at the camp. This is when our Member Churches will receive everything they need to promote summer camp in their churches and learn where we are counting on them to help us prepare for campers. Yes, summer camp is closer than we think. We already have our 8th Annual Open House & Auction planned and promotional flyers are ready for distribution. This week our water bottles and T-shirts will arrive. This years’ T-shirt is really colorful and a lot of fun. Before you know it, church groups will be cleaning buildings, making improvements to the grounds, and delivering camp barrel items. Some anxious kids even send in their summer camp registrations during the month of March. Please pray that God’s people will come along side the camp during these next few months so that we might accomplish all that needs to be done to have another awesome summer camp season. Please also pray for our Summer Staff, Deans, and Faculty as they prepare to serve God and our campers at LaMoine this summer.

I thank you again for all you do as supporters of our ministry. We can’t do it without you! May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless LaMoine Christian Service Camp!

I must start this letter by thanking you for your financial gift.  Each month I am humbled by how many people love this camp and by how much they give to ensure our continued success in God’s work. We appreciate your gift so much and I hope that it brings you great joy to support a ministry that is so very effective in reaching youth and adults for Christ. Christian camping and retreat experiences provide opportunities for youth and adults to cultivate a love for God like nothing else can.

Jon and I just recently returned from the Christian Camp Leader’s Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, where we both were challenged and inspired to continue working to make LaMoine Christian Service Camp & Retreat Center the absolute best place that it can be. The main thought that I took away from this year’s conference is that there is so much more that we can do here at LaMoine to be an even better camp. My eyes were really opened to many areas of this ministry that we can improve upon. I know that at times daunting tasks can be discouraging, but for Jon and me, we are just committed and excited about what the future holds, for we know that as the camp makes positive changes, God will have even more opportunities to draw His children to Him.

We are so blessed to have this camp. Sixty-three years of changing lives and counting. May we always be thankful for this blessing and may we all continue to give our best to this ministry. Together we will strive for excellence in everything the camp has to offer; buildings, grounds, programs, staff, etc. Our campers and other guests deserve that from us and our God expects our very best as well. I am so thankful that God has blessed this camp area with people like you who will support our goal of excellence here at LaMoine and who will help us in our pursuit of it. Thank you for joining us in this great and worthy adventure!

Happy New Year everyone!

Thank you for your financial gift to the camp. Our Christian camping partners were very generous in 2009 and your gift now shows that you plan to support our work once again this year; and for that I am very grateful.

I know it is only January, but I am already starting to get excited about what is planned for 2010. This year’s schedule of events is posted on our website www.lamoinecamp.org. Seniors, you won’t want to miss our Musical Lollapalooza on May 21st. The summer staff is also coming together nicely with, hopefully and prayerfully, all experienced staff returning for another year. The theme for this year is “Escaping to Paradise”. We want our campers to know that for a few days this coming summer they can escape the doldrums of the everyday to the paradise of LaMoine Christian Service Camp. And even more than that, they just might claim the promise of the everlasting paradise in heaven while they are here, read Luke 23:39-43.

As I share with you some of what we are working on here at the camp, it is because of God’s grace and your giving that we have this ministry to share in.  Please continue to give so that LaMoine might continue to impact youth and adults for Christ. I pray that 2010 will be the best of years for you, your family, your church, and your camp.

I hope this letter finds you enjoying all the good things that this time of year brings. During the Holiday Season, it is easy to be reminded of how much I love and appreciate my Christian camp family and all that we share together: a bond of love for the baby Jesus, who came to live, to die, and to live again, that we might share a peace with God and an eternal home in heaven; a heart felt love and appreciation for our families, churches, and country; and a commitment to providing a place where people of all ages can come and experience the love of Jesus in a Christian camping environment.

I want to update you on our “Seed Money for a Kingdom Harvest” program designed to raise money for new bathroom facilities at the camp. You may remember that this program goes through the end of the year and so there is just a few more weeks left to turn in packets. So far, those who have taken part in this fundraiser have brought in nearly $15,000.00. In total, we have almost $35,000.00 that has been given toward new bathrooms. You can see that some camp partners and churches have taken the initiative to give directly toward this need apart from the fundraising program. Early next year we will be meeting with our contractor to make final decisions about how to best meet our need and what the anticipated cost will be. In the meantime, we are very grateful for everything that our camp family is doing to help us prepare for this expense.

As always, I thank you for your financial gift to the ministry work of the camp. The camp staff also wishes you a Merry Christmas and a blessed Holiday Season with your family and friends, and may we all pray for God’s hand of grace and care to be continually over our children.   

Dear Friends of the Camp,

Wow, can you believe it’s already November? This year has really flown by. The majority of the leaves have already fallen around the camp and winter is just around the corner. I do love this time of year though; the cooler weather, seeing the deer on the property, hosting many retreats of various types, and of course Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The activity around the camp will keep right on going through the fall and winter months. We will host our annual Junior High Fall Retreat in November as well as 4 rental retreats. Do you realize that over the past 5 years the camp has hosted an average of 40 retreats per year? The income from these retreats totals more than $110,000.00. That’s compared with total rental income of less than $25,000.00 for the prior 5 year period. What a blessing it is to be a part of so many retreats. I really enjoy serving the needs of our rental groups and getting the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them. Your camp Board of Directors will also meet in November to, among other things, discuss our next step for replacing our bath domes.

There is much to do here at LaMoine that will help us draw even more youth and adults to this blessed place. I want you to know that we are committed to making plans that will maximize our ministry opportunities and then waiting on God’s people for the funds to continue our growing ways. This holiday season, please celebrate with me everything that God is allowing us to be a part of at LaMoine; the summer camps, the rental retreats, and the changed lives. While it is God that brings about the increase to His Kingdom, it is you who are faithful in your giving to this ministry. Your gifts of prayer, money, and volunteer help, are what allow the camp to continue to provide a place where people of all ages can come to experience God in a personal and meaningful way. May God be ever glorified by what we do together at LaMoine Christian Service Camp.