Dear Supporting Churches & Friends of Camp Northfield,
As we prepare to dive head first into the 2021 camping season we have already had a whirlwind of adventure. In preparation for the camping season we have been going from building to building doing all the necessary clean up. Some of these buildings have not been opened since the fall of 2019, so you can only imagine what that brought. It has also opened our eyes to the amount of attention these buildings need. Many men and women have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into these buildings over the years and we can't even begin to express our gratitude towards them. God has blessed us with this wonderful campground, and we are to be good stewards of this ministry. With all that being said, I'm hopeful that this past demolition project will be our last, and we can focus one the upkeep of these historical, beautiful buildings God has given us. How do we do that? With YOUR support.
Many have asked that we put together a "wish list" of items that Camp is in need of. In light of Covid, this list is a bit longer than usual. We have put together an Amazon Charity List on AmazonSmile. The link can be found on our website under "Support" and "Shop for Camp," it is also linked below. This list operates much like a registry - as soon as an item is purchased, it is removed from the list. This will greatly reduce the amount of "over buying" that can sometimes happen. Items on this list vary in price, providing an easy, simple way many can support Camp. We thank you in advance for your generous support.
We were blessed to host a wonderful Ladies Retreat last weekend. We had nearly 40 ladies in attendance. As we cleaned and prepared for them the weekend prior, we were thanking the Lord for the warm, sunny weather - we never could have imagined there would be 5 inches of snow on the ground as the ladies began arriving on Friday evening! But all were gracious, kind, and understanding and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time regardless! It has been many years since the Hilltop Lodge was open and being used while snow was flying - it was an exciting time! Over the course of the weekend the ladies collected an offering to be designated towards the purchase of new, reusable staff shirts. In years past, every year we have purchased new, cheap t-shirts with the years theme on them. We have made the decision to purchase nicer, longer lasting shirts that will be used year after year. They will be on loan to the staff members throughout the summer, and turned in at the end of the season. The ladies raised over $900 for this purchase!
In just a couple weeks we will be hosting the "Hilltop Challenge." Test your endurance as you run (or walk) Camp's perimeter and soak in the beauty of God's creation! This is a new event so if you and your friends or family plan to attend please register online. There is no cost for this event, rather we will take donations of any amount to be put into Camp's general fund.
In celebration of Camp's 60th anniversary we will be hosting an Anniversary Banquet on May 15. Registration for the Ladies Retreat filled up quickly (in fact we ran out of beds) so if you would like to attend, don't wait to sign up! Registration is online and is $40/ person. Join us for a night celebrating God's faithfulness over the past 60 years and pray with us as we look forward to the next 60! You won't want to miss the unveiling of Camp's very own museum! This is a project begun by Brother Losier several years ago and completed this year, just in time for Camp's 60th. We're so excited to share how God has had His hand of blessing on this property for over 100 years!
Praise the Lord staff applications have begun to come in. We are still in need of Girl's and Boy's Staff, Counselors, a Camp cook, and there are a couple weeks where we are still in need of a nurse. If you or anyone you know is interested in a summer fully dedicated to the Lord's work, fill out an application today! Applications can be found on our website under the "Volunteer" tab.
The Board of Directors is currently accepting applications as well. We are in need of an experienced treasurer to handle the balancing of our books and maintaining detailed, accurate logs. Please pray with us that the Lord sends the right man for the job. If you have questions regarding this position, please reach out to us at 413-498-0256 or office@campnorthfield.com.
We are in phase two of our demolition project. We successfully took down the brown house, leaving us with the garage. We were able to raise over $9000 for this project, leaving us just $2000 short of our goal. Thank you so much to those that contributed towards this project. This repurposed structure will now serve as a maintenance garage, as well as the office for our paintball activities. If all goes to plan, we'll be having one of our supporting churches coming in to help with finishing up phase two of this project later this year.
We will be putting together a statement in the next couple weeks detailing what Covid regulations campers, staff, and parents should expect this summer. As our neighboring states are beginning to promise to be opened fully by May, we are hopeful and prayerful this will all change before the camping season rolls around. Please be praying for us as we navigate these changes. But praise the Lord, we are anticipating a full camping season!
Yours for Christian Camping, Tom & Christi Jackson
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