January 24, 2012
To: Congregations, LLLs, LWMLs, Youth Groups, and Sunday Schools of the Minnesota North District
From: The board and staff of Lutheran Island Camp
Subject: 2010 and the I Love a Camper Appeal
Greetings in Christ!
2011 was a year of great blessing to Lutheran Island Camp. Those blessings came from God through you. As we look into 2012, God is already showering us with blessings, opportunities, and challenges. Let me share with you some of the highlights of 2011 and what we look forward to in 2012.
- The Friends of Creation-Science Limited Liability Company purchased Christ Serve Ranch and the camp will be leasing the property.
- God blessed us with about $750,000 in charitable giving including several grants, two estate gifts, and an increase in congregation giving.
- The Thrivent Choice program really took off and was a big success.
- We completed the Chapel by adding heating and air conditioning.
- We finished off most of the Recreation Hall remodeling and will be adding heating and air conditioning this spring.
- The planning for the renovation of the Education and Retreat Center is well under way.
- We were able to start our new Equine College that provides excellent training and leadership opportunities.
- The Make A World For Christ Appeal continues and has moved past the $500,000 figure with more congregations making their plans.
We don’t want to lose sight of what is most important to Lutheran Island Camp. That is to provide as many opportunities as we can for God to work through creation and His word to touch the lives of young people. To that end, we have set a goal of raising as much as possible to help more children come to camp who otherwise might not be able to afford it or even consider camp as an option in their lives. This appeal is called:
Who will this help?
It will help every child who comes to camp by keeping our rates as low as possible. It will help us improve our facilities to make them safer and able to meet new requirements. It will help us increase the number of people who can be at camp by increasing the number of beds we have available. It will help us expand our programs to children through Day Camp and VBS programs. And, it will help us expand our offerings to children from families who are not active in Lutheran congregations.
You can participate in this effort by joining in our special I love a camper appeal on February 12th or 19th. Congregations are asked to have a special door offering that day. Families and individuals will be encouraged to donate on-line at our website or to send their contributions directly to camp. You can go to the website to download bulletin inserts, information for your newsletter, and information on how people can provide a campership for a child or simply make a donation that will be joined with others to help with the overall effort.
2012 is turning into a wonderful year already. We encourage you to be a big part of that by supporting this appeal, sending your children to camp, and scheduling your own time at camp.
May God bless your ministry!
In Christ,
Kenneth W. Erlandson
Executive Director
Kenneth W. Erlandson
Executive Director
