Dear “Lakeside for Youth” friends,
We pray your youth ministry is going strong and teen lives are being transformed by the Gospel!!!! We are so thankful for you and the investment of your life into youth ministry!!!
After much prayer and discussion, the Lakeside Planning Team has decided that ‘Lakeside for Youth’ for Senior High will be offered only one week in 2019.
This decision affects the dates of Lakeside for Youth Junior High Youth camp as well. The 2019 camp dates will be:
Senior High Camp will be June 23-29 and Junior High Camp will be July 1-5.
Please understand this was not an easy or quick decision for the team to make. Our commitment to bring Christ to our youth and young adults has not changed, and our desire to go deeper and wider in reaching campers, CIT’s and adult counselors is still very real. When we can offer a second week of Senior High camp that is Christ-centered and cost effective, we will do just that. God has given us the responsibility to be good stewards of the funds made available through camp registration fees and district support. We believe the decision to return to a ‘’one-week only’’ camp for senior high youth will allow us to maximize that stewardship opportunity. We are convinced this is a God led decision.
With all of that being said, the price of camp for 2019 will be as follows:
Senior High with private housing. $315
Senior High with camp housing: $390
Junior High camp with housing. $280
We understand you may have questions about why we have not reduced the price of camp even though we are saying that expenses was a large part of our decision. The reasons are many.
First of all, no matter what we do, cutting one week of camp will not cut our costs in half. Please keep in mind that a large portion of the camp fee goes directly to Lakeside for meals and gate passes.
It is our desire to return to having an outside act again this year, which we haven’t been able to allocate funds to do in the past few years because of a very tight budget.
We also need to take care of maintaining and upgrading our equipment, which we have partially neglected in the past because of lack of funds. .
Finally, we want to have some funds in reserve because future district support is not guaranteed. Good stewardship also includes having an emergency fund, which we have never had in the past.
Once we get through the 2019 camp season, we will know the exact expenses for one week of camp. In 2020, we will adjust the price to reflect the actual cost of one senior high week vs two.
Please feel free to contact any one of us at the e-mails or phone numbers listed below if you have questions or concerns. We understand housing contracts are being sent by realtors now and are hoping this update will help you all plan accordingly for Lakeside for Youth 2019.
We remain His and your faithful servants,
Neal [email protected] 419-231-0226
Nichole [email protected] 419-302-8741
Debra [email protected] 419-306-9604