September 2026 Update
I love reading through testimonies of how the Lord has moved in the lives of His kids through the ministry of Riverside. Each testimony reminds us of God’s greatness and faithfulness and the importance of this ministry. Here’s a glimpse of one of many testimonies:
“Riverside has been an important part of my life since childhood. I attended camp there every year growing up, and later had the opportunity to serve on summer staff for several summers. Riverside played a significant role in strengthening my spiritual foundation, and I’m grateful for the impact it has had on my life. I hope to help create that same experience for future campers and continue giving back to a ministry that meant so much to me.”
So grateful for the many ways the Lord has touched lives here at His camp year after year, and for the many people who continue to make a Kingdom impact for years to come!
Here are a few other updates from around camp:
Summer 2026
What an incredible summer of ministry it was here at Riverside! We’re so grateful for our incredible year-round staff, our 68 summer staff, our great hospitality staff, and many volunteers who served and led so faithfully this summer. We were blessed with a front-row seat to see the Lord move in such great and personal ways in the lives of His kids this summer. So many continue to say that this physical ground is ‘holy ground’, where they tangibly feel the presence of God in personal and profound ways. And many campers said ‘yes’ to God’s yes in Jesus for the first time, and for the hundredth time. That’s what it’s all about-to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known to all–it’s the main thing. While summer is over, we rest and are encouraged to know that trajectories of lives were changed this summer, and that our campers and staff have been released to communities all over to share the extravagant love of Jesus. May more and more people come to faith in Jesus all over the world because of what He did in the lives of His kids at camp this summer!
Staff Transition
We are blessed with an outstanding full-time, year-round team here at Riverside. It is an incredible joy to serve alongside these gifted and passionate followers of Jesus each day. I’m sad to share that Ranae Lynch, our Office Coordinator, will be leaving our team at the end of September. Ranae’s first day on staff was the 2020 Derecho Day (what a way to start!), and she has been faithfully and selflessly serving in this capacity since then (over 6 years). We’re grateful for Ranae’s love for Jesus, passion for this ministry, and love for God’s people, which so many of you have experienced. We are currently seeking out who the Lord has in mind for this next season in this position—someone who loves the Lord, loves people, loves serving and caring for others (in person, on the phone, through email), and is someone who enjoys details! Please join us in prayer for this next person in this important role, and if someone comes to mind, send them our way!
What do you need?
I often get asked this question, particularly around in-kind donations, and thought I’d share a few things we’re looking for that would be helpful as we continue to steward the Lord’s camp well:
- Pick-up trucks: we are in need of some new trucks around camp for hauling trailers and day-to-day use.
- Minivans: we are in need of a newer minivan to specifically transport staff for Day Camps in the summertime
- Gator (or similar ATV): we are in need of a newer gator for use around camp and trail work
- Golf Carts: we are hoping to retire some aging golf carts and replace them with new ones for transport of staff/campers/guests throughout the year
- Volunteers for Tree House renovations: looking for some small groups of folks to help us do some renovations on our tree house cabins this year.
These are just a few that come to mind right now. Any of these in-kind donations are such a blessing to the ministry and help us steward our cash resources well for other purposes around camp.
Thank you!
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel: your prayers, your attendance at events, your sending campers (or yourself) to camp, and your financial support. We’re grateful for the thousands of people across the world who call Riverside ‘home’ and are passionate about all people knowing their eternal home through faith in our risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
God bless you,
Chris
