Executive Director's Update
Hello Riverside family!
Greetings in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! We’re so thankful for your continued prayers and support of the ministry of Riverside. So many of you have reached out over the past several months with notes of encouragement for our team and with generous gifts to help us continue the Christ-Centered camping ministry of Riverside-thank you! A video will be coming soon with updates from around camp, but I wanted to give you a few highlights of how God is at work here this summer.
Camp-Food Carry Out. We had a blast sharing some good-ol’ camp food favorites with hundreds of people during our four camp food carry out events. We had people from all over central Iowa come to camp to take home Riverside pizzas, cookies, baked oatmeal, oreo fluff, and more to enjoy dinner together as a family courtesy of Riverside. It was a blessing for our team to serve and see people here!
Retreats. We believe that Jesus changes lives and that God meets with us in powerful ways when we retreat here at camp. In a normal summer, every building is in use for summer youth camp and family camp. We usually are not able to host any outside groups/rentals with the exception of Saturday weddings. With no youth camp this summer, means that all of our buildings are open and ready for families/church groups to come for smaller retreats. It has been a blessing for our team to serve several families here for their own family getaways at camp this summer! Join us for a fun time away here at Riverside and be prepared for God to meet you in powerful ways.
Camp from Home Resources. Our program team has been busy putting together great resources for you to be doing camp-from-home. We fully realize nothing can be a substitute to the actual camp experience, but we would love for you to worship and grow at home this summer with these great resources. Check out our exclusive summer 2020 opportunities on our website for all the videos and materials!
Ranch and River Trips. Our great team is providing opportunities to experience Christ-centered programs and riding lessons down at the Riverside Ranch all summer. They’ve been busy since the beginning of May! We’re also leading trips for small groups and families to canoe/kayak the Boone or Skunk River. Let us take care of all the work and enjoy a great day on the river together! For more on this, check our our exclusive summer 2020 opportunities.
Facility Updates. Our year around team has been busy working on a variety of projects without having a camp full of campers. A few highlights here include:
1. Hansen Lodge Updates. With the unfortunate closure of our year-around daycare in January, we have made this facility back into a year around lodge facility. It includes 3 private sleeping rooms, bathrooms with showers, a large gathering space with fireplace, a full kitchen, and a great outdoor gathering area with a fire-pit.
2. Shepherd/Almighty Cabin Updates. In February, both of these cabins were damaged in a fire. Shepherd was a complete rebuild and Almighty was a major repair. They are now finished and ready to host families year around. Updates to these cabins include: Sleeping for 6 (queen bed, bunk bed, and a loft with two beds), couch/chairs, kitchen table, kitchenette, bathroom with private shower, new lofts above the bathroom with sleeping for two, and updated HVAC. Right outside the cabins is your own private fire pit for campfires and smores! These cabins can be easily converted back into youth camp cabins for campers, and back to family cabins for adult retreats/rentals!
This is only a snapshot of how God is moving here at Riverside, in and through using His camp to connect with His people. We are continuing to evaluate fall programming and what that will look like here at Riverside. Please keep us in prayer as we discern the Lord’s lead—we so look forward to welcoming people back here again for Spirit-filled times of retreat, worship, and fun! If you have any questions or comments, please call or email me anytime.
God bless you!
Chris Dahl Executive Director chris@riversideLBC.org 515-733-5271 x221
