In this issue:
• Getting Behind The Start
• 2009 – Big Four in Review
• Summer is Coming – Spread the Word
• A Change to our Summer Skills
• Are We There Yet? Campaign Update
• Countdown to the 90th
• Share your story and photos from the past 90 years
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 Getting Behind The Start
Author: Jeff Dyer
I want to be clear: this is the season to invest: indeed in your own portfolio, and absolutely in Gull Lake. This coming year is a tipping point of sorts, a season of remarkable change that we will either see flourish under the ultra violet lights of generosity or be hampered by the darkening weight of scarcity. In the coming year, we are poised to pass the torch of leadership from myself to Steve Roadhouse. Steve and the team here have made excellent plans that are bold, creative and deeply intentional. They are set to expand the camping ministry, high school discipleship programs and guest services. There will be more people welcomed to belong, invited to believe and challenged to become a follower of Christ in this our 90th year than at any year previous.
As I survey the landscape of Gull Lake as an organization, I can assure you that the leadership is strong, the vision determined to participate in the Kingdom of God and the hopes humbly offered. I am convinced that God has only begun His work at Gull Lake and that we are seeing the realities of His touch in the lives of campers, guests, leaders and full time staff. It’s a really a remarkable time.
My hope is that you get behind Steve, Blair, Nancy, Donna and Shawn as they take Gull Lake into the next season of ministry. I pray that God would move you to invest your time, your prayers and your finances and that you do so in an exhorbitant way in 2010. I pray that God would be the wind at their backs, the sun on their face and that they would know that God’s hand is on them as they lead. I ask you to join me in that prayer and many others as we participate in the next generation of Gull Lake.
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 2009 – Big Four in Review
Author: Jeff Dyer
Here is a brief look back at 2009 through the lens of our four key measures. We use these four metrics to gauge the health of our organization but are keenly aware that at Gull Lake we are most interested in the differences made in the lives of real people. As a result, these four reflect only a small part of the much wider story. To best understand Gull Lake, ask a camper, young leader or guest to share their story of the difference made in their lives from their time here.
>> 2009 Review
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 Summer is Coming – Spread the Word
Author: Steve Roadhouse
For years Gull Lake operated with 72 beds available for campers. When we did the building project and added the pods we expanded to 150 beds for campers. Our plan is that we would slowly increase each year by about 2 cabins (10-15 campers) per week until we were at the 150 camper per week capacity. We believe that 150 campers per week is the optimum number for Gull Lake. This number allows up to keep the rustic camp feel where everybody does things together and knows pretty much everybody else each week, while allowing us to bring in enough revenue to pay our summer staff and be sustainable.
Last year most of our camps had between 90 and 100 campers, this year we hope to go up to about 105 campers per week. This is a total increase of 115 campers for the summer. This increase in campers allows up to keep our prices down while increasing staff wages and program budgets.
But here is where we need your help, we need you to spread the word for us. If you love camp and think it is a great place to be and a great way to spend a week of your summer make sure you sign up right away if you haven’t already. Once you are signed up then see if you can get two other people to sign up as well. Maybe you know a friend, neighbour, cousin, niece, or classmate that would love to come to camp with you.
Camp is one of my favourite places on earth, please spread the word with the people you know so that they can experience it too!
>> Register Today
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 A Change to our Summer Skills
Author: Steve Roadhouse
This summer will be our 90th year of running camp and I guarantee that it will be fantastic! We have a few new things that we are doing this year and all of the favourites from last year.
One of the changes that we are making is to our skills section of the day. Skills is the 2.5 hour chunk of time before lunch where campers get to sign up for an activity to practice all week long. In the past the choices were waterfront, outdoor or arts. This year we have increased the choices and made the skills more specific so that campers have a chance to really focus on an area of interest.
The skills that campers can sign up for this year are: boating, arts, wall climbing, photography, mad science, music and worship, sports, drama, great outdoors and skateboarding.
I am really excited about our new mad science and skateboarding skills. For skateboarding we are bringing in a semi-pro skateboarder to lead for both Jr. Teen weeks and possibly Sr. Teens as well if there is enough interest. For mad science, I am hiring a mad scientist who has some crazy experiments up his lab coat sleeve that sound like a heap of fun.
Spread the word to your friends and sign up today!
>> Register Today
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 Are We There Yet? Campaign Update
Author: Jeff Dyer
As you are likely well aware, we invested over $4 Million into our campus, which tripled the size of our main lodge, doubled our sleeping capacity and improved the campus through a renovated retreat centre and enormous landscaping initiatives. As a result, we have doubled our camping program and quadrupled our guest services ministry. The obvious question is have we paid off the entirety of the $4 Million? The answer is no: we have a debt of $1.436 Million.
Over the past year, we decreased our debt by $700,000 and with the pledges that we have from those who committed through our capital project, we will have a debt of $469,000 by the end of 2011. So, essentially we have $469,000 of debt that has yet to be taken care of. We have taken care of almost 88% of our $4Million project and are looking to people like you to consider generously giving to take us right to the finish line. If you want to participate in the final 12% of our goal, please contact Blair Woodrow right away!
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 Countdown to the 90th
On August 13 at 2pm we will begin our celebration of 90 years of camping at Gull Lake! Each month in the enews we will be featuring a Gull Laker who will tell part of how their experience at Gull Lake has made them who they are today.
This month our featured Gull Laker is Rachelle Kuhl.
>> Click Here
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 Share your story and photos from the past 90 years
I want to hear your stories from Gull Lake. Please email me your favourite Gull Lake memories and I will put them on our website for everyone to read and reminisce over. If you have some great pictures of Gull Lake please send them to us and we will put them in a special slideshow for the 90th celebration. I have some stories on the website right now but I would like a whole bunch more. Please email me your favorite Gull Lake memory. My email address is steve@gulllakecentre.ca
>> Click here to read the stories
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creating space to connect
Summer Camp Schedule:
Register Today
Scamper Camp
June 25-27
LTD*
July 3-9
Jr. Teens 1
July 11-16
Intermediate 1
July 18-23
Intermediate 2
July 25-30
Jr. Boys and Girls
Aug 3-6
Family Camp
Aug 8-13
Jr. Teens 2
Aug 15-20
Sr. Teens
Aug 22-28
90th Year Celebration
August 13
Register Today
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