April 2026 Update

Greetings from Riverside!

I was reading in a devotion recently about an author who lived in a boarding house.  With him lived a retired music professor on the first floor.  Each morning, he would ask the professor, “Well, what’s the good news?”  The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of the wheelchair and say, “That’s middle C!  It was middle C yesterday; it will be middle C tomorrow; it will be middle C a thousand years from now.  The tenor upstairs sings flat, and the piano across the hall is out of tune, but this is middle C.”  I feel like for many, camp is a ‘middle C’ place.  In a world full of distractions, disruptions, and plenty of places and situations that are ‘out of tune’, camp is a place to come back to our middle C–to fix our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds on Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Our prayer this summer, and throughout the year, is that the Gospel would be shared and experienced-and that this would be a place where all people are reminded of who they are and whose they are!

Summer Excitement and Challenge

We’re so excited for this coming summer!  As I write this, we currently have 1,427 people registered for summer camp-praise God!  We fully realize the investment of time and resources it takes for each individual to experience camp, and we’re so grateful for their ‘yes’ to following the Lord’s lead to Riverside this summer.  Would you join us in praying for these individuals, and also for those who haven’t registered yet to say ‘yes’?

With that excitement comes a challenge-we’re still seeking more staff to open more spaces for camp this summer.  Currently, we have 63 confirmed summer staff, and we’d love to be at 80 by mid-May.  Each cabin leader will make a direct, life-changing impact on 80 campers this summer.  I can’t think of a better investment than taking intentional time to invest in the spiritual lives of youth to know and experience the extravagant love of Jesus and grow in their own walk with the Lord.  Would you join us in praying to the Lord of the harvest for more summer staff?

Building a Bridge?

The people have spoken, and we’ve listened!  I’ve noticed that many staff and campers have said that having a bridge across the oxbow by the zipline would be a dream.  Why?  It would allow for more trips on the zipline because of less walking; connect the trails inside the oxbow to be used more, and a neat spot for discussions on the water and fishing with a friend.  There used to be at least one bridge across the oxbow where the canoes are now; maybe you remember it!  We’re currently looking at a dock-type walking bridge, which would be high enough in the middle to allow canoeing/kayaking to still go underneath, and we hope to have it in place by the beginning of the summer.  If you have any thoughts or would like to contribute to this special project, let me know!

Safety at Camp

You don’t have to look far or think too much about all the safety concerns in today’s world.  As a dad and also the Director of Riverside, I want you to know it’s always on my mind as well.  We talk about making camp as safe a place as possible for people of all ages: physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  As we head into another season of summer camps, here are some specific ways we are doing exactly that:

• Severe Weather: We receive weather alerts from multiple agencies to get as accurate a picture as possible of incoming severe weather.  Those alerts are monitored by leadership staff, and if the need arises to take shelter, that alert is communicated through a Public Alert System, staff cell devices, and two-way radios.  We have plenty of storm shelter locations around camp, including the basement of our dining hall.  
• Two Cabin Leaders are a must for our cabins.  Every cabin of campers has two cabin leaders with them who have completed training, background checks, and Ministry Safe Training.  This is not only for safety, but also investment in relationships, so that all campers would feel seen, known, and cared for well this summer.
• Medical Emergencies: Each week of camp, we have a volunteer medical professional who is either a nurse, MD, PA, NP, or an EMT/Paramedic.  This volunteer is on-site/on-call the entire week of camp and is also the primary person responsible for distributing camper medications throughout the day.  In addition to this volunteer, our Associate Director is also a nurse and I am an EMT with our local First Responder department out of Story City.  If there is a need for extra care, Mary Greeley Medical Center is 18 minutes away.
• Flooding Risk: The South Skunk River flows through Riverside and, for the most part, remains at a low or moderate level throughout the year.  While flooding is a risk when there are high amounts of sustained rain (many hours of heavy rain/days of rain), all cabin areas are located on higher ground up on the hill of our property, which is well out of flood range.  If flooding does occur in the main camp area, we would monitor levels very closely and remain in constant communication with our local sheriff, fire department, Emergency Management, our staff, campers, and their parents to make any necessary plans if an early pickup is needed.  

These are just a few highlights of the safety plans here at camp. If you ever have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out.

We’re so grateful for your partnership in the Gospel through the life-changing, Christ-centered ministry of Riverside!  Whether you’re a parent of a camper, past camper, past staffer, church leader, Pastor, financial supporter, or prayer warrior, we’re grateful for the ways in which you engage and partner with us in the important Kingdom work the Lord has called us to!  

God bless you!

Chris