May is here and we're ready for Summer!

We're excited here for another awesome summer of Christ-centered camp experiences at Riverside! Our great year around team have been and are currently working hard to get everything set to welcome around 80 summer staff here in the next few weeks. Here are a few updates from around camp and some things you might not know!

Staff Training.

One of the greatest parts of summer camp is welcoming the summer staff that the Lord has been leading here since we began interviews last August! Our team spends hours upon hours traveling to college campuses, college ministries, holding recruiting events/dinners, interviewing, and checking all references. We then spend 4 days training with our leadership staff before all staff training begins, which lasts for two more weeks. On top of that, our team organizes life guard training for our life guards and support staff training for our support team. That's a lot of time and equipping! Along with this, we're blessed to partner in leadership training and one week of Cabin Leader training with our friends at Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camps. On Sunday May 28, our staff will head up in a bus to spend the week worshiping, creating, and equipping our summers staffs for an incredible summer of ministry together. It's one of the highlights of the summer spending this time together. Join us in praying for this great team and our friends at Ingham Okoboji!

Summer Camp.

For some reason, it feels like forever until summer, but then it comes so soon! Many people have asked me how things are coming for the summer, and I thought I'd answer some of the common questions this year:

Q: How many great campers is the Lord leading here this summer compared to past years as we come out of the pandemic?

A: Great! We're a little above where we were at this time for registrations in 2019. However, we have many camps that are full with no spots, and less camper spots available than we did in 2019.

Q: Wait, why do you have so many full weeks and less camper spots available than years past?

A: Recruiting summer staff has been more challenging again this year, as it was last year. We are down Cabin Leaders and to be able to open up more camper spots, we simply need more Cabin Leaders to lead those campers well. We continue to interview potential staff and are continuing to look at getting some past summer staff to help out for weeks to open up more spots. Riverside isn't alone in this situation-many summer camps across the nation are having the same shortage.

Q: What's your favorite part of summer camp?

A: Seeing God move in extraordinary ways in the lives of His kids. I come in expectant to see God move in the midst of camper and staff lives each week, and I love hearing the stories of God bringing healing, restoring, truth, life, and salvation to His people. It's all about Jesus and all about relationships at camp--and having a ton of fun together.

There are still some spots available for some of our summer programs, and we'd still love to see you! Check out our website for more details!

Fence Cutting Celebration.

At our Partner Dinner in early May, we had the joy of praying over the new land that we were blessed to be able to purchase with the help of so many individuals and congregations giving so generously! We then 'cut the fence' to the new land, signifying a new chapter in seeing God use His land for His purposes for ministry in the years to come!

There's so much more to share, but through it all, know that we are continued to be laser focused on our mission To know Jesus Christ and to make Christ known to all. Riverside is His camp and we're excited to see how God changes and transforms lives again this summer as His kids encounter the one, true living God.

God bless you!

Chris