Construction of an additional camping area shifted into full swing this summer! Workers from “Laborers for Christ” arrived in May and have directed our staff and a slew of volunteers in building the new camp. The cabins for Villages #2 and #3 are complete, while the cabins for Village #1 and the bathhouse/shelterhouse buildings for Villages #2 and #3 are under construction and should be finished by October 1st.

The new “Lakeview Villages” camp will help us meet the overwhelming demand to attend Camp Lakeview, as well as provide numerous opportunities for future growth. It will be completely independent from the existing camp, with its own dining hall, recreational areas, and housing units. Campers will be housed in village “clusters”, each of which will contain four small cabins sleeping six each, a fire circle, and a bathhouse/shelterhouse building.

Construction of the Main Lodge, which will contain the dining hall, meeting areas, and retreat facilities is currently “on hold” until the “Let the Children Come” capital campaign progresses enough that we feel comfortable financially.

Our ultimate vision is to reach as many kids as possible with the Gospel message. We hate to have to turn kids away! And we pray that God will continue to bless our efforts as we try to touch more children with His love and the wonderful news of salvation through Christ!

The “Let the Children Come” Capital Campaign, designed to raise the funds necessary to complete the camp expansion project described on page 1, continues to make steady progress toward our overall goal of $2.5 million. As of August 8th , gifts and pledges to the campaign total over$1,608,000!

After our staff and Board of Directors made their commitments last fall, we began the challenging process of meeting personally with our most consistent supporters and asking for a “major” gift — a gift of $3,000 or more which can be spread out over a 3-5 year pledge. Our staff and volunteers have met with over 200 households since the campaign began, and we have enjoyed getting to know our friends better.

To help with these visits, the camp has hired Larry Green as our part-time Development Director. Larry spent many years in the fund-raising field, working for Johnson Bible College before spending the last 12 years as a consultant. Though he is now semi-officially retired, the part-time work at camp fits his lifestyle. We pray God’s blessings on his efforts.

It is our hope to continue seeking major gifts until we reach the $2 million mark. Then we widen our focus and seek smaller gifts from our entire constituency through direct mail, phonathons, and other methods. This will be one gigantic push toward the finish line.

We still have a long way to go, but with God’s blessing, and the help of a tremendous circle of supporters, we can do it! And soon, we’ll be able to provide a Christian camping experience to every child who wants to come to Camp Lakeview.

Camp Lakeview set a new summer attendance record in 2010, with 1,906 campers coming to camp to enjoy the fun and fellowship that has become a trademark of Camp Lakeview. This beat the old record of 1,856 set in 2008 and is more than triple the number of campers from 15 years ago!

The summer of 2010 was filled with swimming, horseback rides, campfire devotions, mud-pit tug-of-wars, cook-outs, sneaking behind enemy lines in “Steal the Bacon”, all-camp monopoly, leather crafts, Three Chartreuse Buzzards, garbage ball, flashlight wars, silly skits, heat waves, and the pranks of Abraham Lincoln. We had a great time!

Most importantly, though, campers were told about a God who loves them dearly! It is through this gracious God that we have been blessed this summer. To Him be all the glory and praise for another great summer season at Camp Lakeview!

Frequently, we are asked why we need to solicit donations for our general operating fund. After all, don’t the registration fees cover the cost of operating?

Well, not completely! The charts on the right reflect 2009 Operating Fund figures. (Total income and expenses were each about $662,000.) As you can see, Program Registration Fees account for just over half of our total income. Without the 27% from Contributions and our annual Dinner Auction, we would be forced to charge much more for each camper to attend. So in a very real way, your contributions to our ministry help us serve more children because it makes the experience more affordable for everyone.

On the expense side, notice that the expenses directly associated with the “program” account for just 58% of our total. Another 14% is spent unavoidably on Utilities and Insurance. And a surprising 27% goes directly to the facility (Maintenance, Depreciation, and Capital Improvements). Without the 27% of Income from Contributions and the Dinner Auction, our facility would be the first thing to suffer. And that would be devastating to our ministry!

That is why donations to our general operating fund are so greatly needed and so greatly appreciated. Please continue to support the Lord’s work here at Camp Lakeview.

Lakeview campers bring lots of spending money to camp to purchase snacks at the canteen. At the end of each week, they are given the option of donating some of their unspent money to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, who will, in turn, use it to help feed the hungry worldwide. Campers and staff donated a grand total of $4,347.95 this past summer! We give all the campers a huge pat on the back for their generosity on behalf of the needy. Thanks!

The top 3 spots remained the same as last year, with St. Peter’s Columbus holding the #1 spot by sending a record 248 campers to camp. St. John (White Creek) jumped all the way from 17th place in 2009 into the top 10! And we welcome Faith (Bloomington) back to the list. Here’s a listing of the Top 20 congregations with the number of 2010 campers:

1. St. Peter, Columbus – 248
2. Immanuel, Seymour – 105
3. Calvary, Indianapolis – 82
4. Zion, New Palestine – 64
5. Our Savior, Louisville – 64
6. Holy Cross, Indianapolis – 59
7. St. John, Indianapolis – 59
8. Our Shepherd, Indianapolis – 53
9. Carmel, Carmel – 48
10. St. John, White Creek – 44
11. Trinity, Indianapolis – 41
12. Peace, Seymour – 40
13. St. Peter, Brownstown – 39
14. Redeemer, Seymour – 37
15. St. Paul, Brownstown – 37
16. St. John, Sauers – 31
17. Zion Seymour – 30
18. Our Redeemer, Evansville – 29
19. Faith, Bloomington – 27
20. Concordia, Greenwood – 23

If you’ve visited our website since the beginning of the year, you’ve found a cleaner look, more content, an easier way to navigate from page to page, and the ability to give or pay over the internet!

Now, you can use your home computer to pay registration deposits for any program, pay all or part of your registration balance, or to make contributions to Lakeview Ministries or  the Camp Lakeview Foundation.  Payments can be made using a credit/debit card or by making an electronic withdrawal from your savings/checking account.  You can even set up an automatic monthly, quarterly, an annual contribution with a definite ending date.  What a great way to set up a pledge for the capital campaign and never have to think about it again! 

Many thanks go out to Jeff Rothe (St. John, Indianapolis), who helped us give the website a much-needed facelift.

The Let the Children Come capital campaign for the new camp has begun!  Due to a demand to come to Camp Lakeview that greatly exceeds our existing capacity, we have been forced to turn away hundreds of children each summer.  We believe that God is calling us to expand, and we believe it is essential to continue to call upon God to bless this project.  That is why we have established a Prayer Committee for the capital campaign.

The prayer team needs your help!  And the best part is that it will only cost you some thought and time.  One of our goals is to have at least 100 prayer warriors, and we are about halfway there.  Prayer warriors will select at least one day of the week to pray for the camp and for the “Let the Children Come” capital campaign. 

If you are willing to be a member of the team, please e-mail our Prayer Committee Chair, Ed Tower, at towered@att.net.  Let him know which day(s) of the week would be best for you to pray, and include your e-mail address so that he can send you suggestions, special prayer requests, construction updates, and campaign updates to include in your prayer time.

If you know someone else who loves Camp Lakeview and would be a great prayer warrior, please inform them of the opportunity to serve God as a member of the prayer team.  If they are willing, have them contact Ed at the e-mail address above.

Camp Lakeview is no longer Camp Lakeview! Well, sort of. Due to the construction of the new camp site across the road, we can’t keep calling everything “Camp Lakeview” anymore. It gets confusing! So the organization which owns Camp Lakeview (the South Central Lutheran Camp Association of Indiana, Inc.) will now do business as “Lakeview Ministries”. Very soon, Lakeview Ministries will be operating two camp sites. The original one will continue to be known as “Camp Lakeview”, while the new camp across the road will go by a different name yet to be determined. (Although “Lakeview Villages” has been tossed around as a possibility.)

Along with a new name, our organization is also receiving a new corporate logo, shown on the left. The old logo (on right) was placed into service before the first summer camping season in 1965. It has served us well, but it was time to simplify and modernize the logo, using many of the key elements found in the original that will continue to identify us as a Christian camp. We hope you approve of the upgrade!

The new Children’s Prayer Garden was designed and built by the family and friends of Kelcey Sullivan and was dedicated in his memory. Kelcey died in his early 20’s, but cherished his days at Camp Lakeview, which gave his family the idea of providing this special tribute.
The Prayer Garden is located on both sides of the bridge providing the entrance for our northern woods. If features a brick walkway, a variety of statues, benches to rest, and many interesting plants and flowers.

Next time you’re at camp, stop by and see this beautiful addition. Maybe it will help you spend some quiet time with the Lord.