Support LBC this Spring
Dear Lakeside Family and Supporters,
Happy Spring everyone! The weather has sent us scrambling several times this winter here at Lakeside with downed trees, branches everywhere, multiple power outages, and the like. Even as I’m writing this, I’m on an airport shuttle headed to SeaTac and getting pounded by a HUGE hailstorm at the ferry dock! Sheesh.
I have some great news to tell you all about! An LBC supporter donated enough money for us to buy a “brand new” espresso machine for our café. We were about to buy a different used one with the earmarked funds donated last year, when this lady called and said that she and her husband wanted LBC to have an espresso machine that would last for at least a decade. YAY! It was installed last month. Thanks to all who contributed, it’s perfect!
You know, legacy gifts, project gifts, and gifts that support us on a monthly basis really do help us so much! Without that support...well, we couldn’t do even half of what we do, especially now with inflation so high. For instance, in 2022, our electric bill jumped 32%, in ONE YEAR! Our food and supplier prices are rising in the same way! So truly, as I’ve said repeatedly, every donation changes lives. For every person who donates to the Kingdom here at camp, it means we don’t have to dip into our reserves to pay for this inflationary spiral we are in.
Now one question I get often is: “What are LBC’s greatest needs right now?” Here are our top five:
Replacing bathroom flooring in some cabins. (Estimated cost: $9000)
Replacing lighting in some cabins. (Estimated cost: $3800)
Replacing the water line from our well to the main kitchen/bathrooms. (Estimated cost: $19K)
Replacing one of our small septic tanks. (Estimated cost: $12K)
Re-paving the pickleball/basketball courts. (Estimated cost: $9K)
Honorable mentions:
Upgrade in technology, including a couple new computers for our staff folks ($4K);
Chip-Seal our driveway so we’re less gravel (which constantly requires maintenance) and better with water runoff ($30K);
Re-doing our volleyball court sand (the winter is rough on sand) removing the all the old and putting in new ($10K).
If you are led to give to any of these projects, just mark your donations “Repair and Maintenance.” I know these don’t sound too important or shiny, but they are vital to the upkeep and long-term functionality of the camp. Gifts towards infrastructure are some of the most important financial donations for a small Christian camp like ours.*
Other ways to support Lakeside as we get ready for a great summer are:
Facility and Project Volunteer- This is year-round! ANYTIME you can come up and help Hiram Beach (our Facilities Manager) with small projects is fabulous. Carpentry, Plumbing, and General Labor are all needed. Just call the office and chat with Hiram. We have people who dedicate a week of time and come up to camp to serve alongside Hiram. We would LOVE it if more of you would do that! We have work for you to do for an afternoon, a day, a weekend, or a while week! Any kind of skill level is valuable to serving in this way. Cody always needs volunteers for “deep cleaning” tasks as well!!
TCL, Cabin, and Staff Leaders- These volunteers are needed every summer. You become sort of a missionary. You sacrifice your time sure, but the casual interactions are where the impact is! Bottom line: We need lots of leaders to make the camp work well. Perhaps one of your adult children or grandchildren could use a week of summer camp serving. It’s a great spiritual benefit for all concerned! If you can come up to LBC for a week or more and serve in one of those capacities, you’d be making a BIG difference. What is needed here is a heart for kids. We’ll train and support you in the leadership aspects, but kids are under attack in this society, and we need significant godly adults to engage directly, indirectly, behind the scenes...all of it. Please join our team in these key areas.
Support people- We need Worship leaders, Nurses, Ski Boat Drivers, Dish Crew, Kitchen Help, If you have a willing heart, and the time to dedicate 3 to 30 days, we will find a suitable place for you to serve in support of our summer camps. Technical people, mechanics, craft-oriented folks of any type...we need them all every year!
One last thing. Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to “seek and save the lost.” Everyone that is getting this note can help in this aspect: Invite/bring someone to camp this summer. If you have a child coming to camp, make sure they reach out to their friends, cousins, and teammates and invite them to one of the great experiences in life - a week at Lakeside Bible Camp. In Luke 15, Jesus talks a lot about the “lost” people. He emphasizes the intensity with which someone who has lost something seeks it out. Folks, one of our top priorities is to introduce people to the Church, the Camp, and the Christ we love and serve. “How do I reach new people for the Lord?” Well, I just preached on this very topic in January and I’m preaching on this in April at another church, consider:
B. L. E. S. S.
Begin by praying for people you meet. The Spirit will give you a prayer burden for the people that He wants you to reach. Begin with praying that you will see an opportunity to invite those folks in your sphere of influence.
Listen to them. Once you make contact (neighbor, co-worker, other parents, etc.) just listen to them. Find out what they are all about and, if needed, do a little research into their avocation (bird watching, sewing, NASCAR, could be anything) and engage them in their focus.
Eat with them. Invite them over for a BBQ, coffee, or dinner at your place. Nothing is better at breaking down walls than “dining.” Our ancestors had it right, potlucks are amazing! Food is the international language.
Serve them. When you see a need that they have - engage. Perhaps it’s babysitting, helping with their lawn, doing an errand, or bringing them a special treat. It will all drive the relationship to a conversation about “why are you like this?” As the Newsboys once sang, “Shine! Make ‘em wonder what you got.”
Share your story with them. Once you find out what makes them tick, then make sure you find time to share with them what makes you tick. The Christianese word is called a “testimony.” Normally 3-4 minutes long, you tell who you were before Christ (1 minute or less); how you became a Christian (1 minutes or less) and how life has changed since becoming a Christian (peace, confidence, help in times of need, etc. - about 2 minutes).
Folks, when we BLESS people, we earn the right to share and invite them into our lives, churches, camp, and introduce them to our Savior.
So, I hope this note does find you and yours well. I also hope that after reading this you’ll consider supporting camp if you never have before. If you serve already, consider serving in even a greater capacity. The Kingdom impact is only limited by the Time, Talent, and Treasure of God’s people. Join us, won’t you?
God Bless,
Ed Kelley
Lakeside Bible Camp
253-334-2385 (C)
360-341-4170 (O)
Executive Director
executivedirector@lakesidebiblecamp.org
**Your gift may be rolled into another project if there are excess funds or if this project lacks the funds needed to move forward.