Can you imagine pumping $5M
worth of upgrades into an 88 year old? W would liken them to the bionic
man/woman and marvel at the things that they now were able to do. In many ways,
this is what has happened at Gull Lake Centre: we’ve redeveloped our campus,
investing $5M into a complete transformation and now, we are marveling at the
things we are able to do that in the past, were simply dreams out of
reach.
Raising $5M is no easy task
for Gull Lake Centre. Our first step in this challenge was a campaign that we called,
‘every drop counts’ and it raised over $1.3M. Then as we began 2008, some
exceptionally committed friends, or initiators came forward and said that they
would match all donations up to $1.5M by the end of the calendar year. This
kicked off our second campaign, known as ‘the ripple effect’. In essence, this
$1.5M gift is going to have a $3M ripple effect into the campus of Gull Lake
Centre which will in turn connect thirsty people to God and lonely people to
one another. These Life sized connection will have ultimately participate in
the Kingdom of God, having a ripple effect into homes,
communities and around the world.
Currently, we have matched
$600,000, leaving us with $900,000 to raise by the end of 2008. We have begun
sharing this vision with our churches and are going to be sending out updates
via email, snail mail and on line at our website: www.startaripple.ca. If the ripple
effect captures your imagination, please visit the site and make a donation or
email me for more information.
We are nearing
completion of our Two Cabin Pods – the addition of 120 new sleeping spaces. These
will double our summer and retreat capacity and triple our ‘adult friendly’
accommodations. Each Pod has 5 separate sleeping spaces (or cabins) with a main
floor, loft and 3 piece bathroom. This has been really exciting to see coming
to life. By the time you read this we
will have heat and water in the first one, which is about 90% complete. Both
should be done this fall and with the current level of rental demand will be
put to good use.
Photography Program
By April Wilcocks - Arts Team Member
In the spring of this year, the GullLake
received a grant from the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada to start a
photography program – a brand new addition to the arts program.
We are looking to break the 200 Trekker mark for this
year’sTimothy Trek (our running/walking fundraising event on Saturday,
September 27th).This is an ideal day for: runners who want a
personal best; grandparents who want to take their grandkids for a walk; Dad’s
who want to stroller their infants and volunteers of all ages! Please consider
joining us this year for your 5th or 1st time, raising
money towards the vision of investing in youth. Special thanks to Lacombe
Refrigeration who have invested significantly and become title sponsors for the
event. Register today at www.timothytrek.com and then get running
and fundraising.
Investing in the Vision
At
this stage, our private donations are well behind schedule and we are
predicting a year end shortfall of $43,000. This will be a major challenge to
overcome. We are looking for $105,000 more this year from individuals and
families who will invest into the general operations of the Centre. These
regular contributions fuel the ministry by allowing us to build sustainability
and excellence into all that we do. To make an investment, visit www.gulllakecentre.ca
and click ‘Donate’ no the right hand side of the page. Or, mail a cheque to
Gull Lake Centre, Site 1, Box
6, RR 3, LacombeABT4L 2N3.
Thank you for partnering in the vision of connecting people to Christ.
GullLake Centre is happy to announce the hiring of Nancy
Wilcocks as our new Food Services Manager. She brings with her a special heart
for the guests and campers who will come through our doors, offering maturity,
life experience and hospitality to our team. Please drop by the kitchen and say
a big "Hello!"
This fall, we will be
spending significant time intentionally transforming our staff into a team.
Adding great people like Blair and Nancy (both within the past year) allow us
the opportunity to begin a fresh ministry while at the same time challenges us
to form a culture that enables the vision for that ministry. Please pray for us
that we would be unified and well connected.
ADVENTure
On
November 28-30 we will be having a family oriented Advent Retreat that
intentionally prepares the adults and children to participate in the Advent
season. This is an intergenerational program that includes: (1) a full kids
camp for those in grades 3-6; (2) an adult only speaker that helps guide
participants to intentionally journey through the Advent Season; and (3) family
events for all generations. We are really excited about taking the best of what
we do at family camp in the summer and uniting it with our best winter camping
retreat for kids. If you would like to receive information on registration,
please email Colleen today.
On
November 14-16 we will be holding the first ever Youth Camp for students in
grades 7-12. This will be an incredibly meaningful weekend where students
encounter Life in the full through a connection with Christ. We are bringing in Manifest (the Toronto based musician) and are building an intentional program. For more
information, email Steve today.
