November always presents each one of us with the opportunity to look back on the year, reflect on its events. There is much to be thankful for in the wondrous ways God has worked during the year. God has done so much through the ministry of Lake Ann Camp. He continues to pour His blessings out in ways we never imagined.
We are thankful for every camper who has been able to come to Lake Ann Camp in 2015. We know that it is only by the grace of God that we are able to minister to so many each year. November is also a great time to encourage campers who attend your church to look back on what God did in their life in 2015. Take this opportunity to challenge them to continue to grow because of His work. Start the conversation with them by sharing something you are thankful that God has done in your life this year. Encourage them to share with their peers, parents, and youth leaders about the great things God has done for them.
As we encourage you to start the conversation of thankfulness, we want to share some Thanksgiving milestones of 2015 for Lake Ann Camp:
- Kaylene Whitaker joined the team this year and we have experienced great growth in our social media platforms as a result. We have 700 more active Facebook followers, 900 new followers on Instagram, 200 new followers on Twitter and our website traffic has also grown and flourished. Our presence on social media is more than just being present on each platform, it is our desire to share the story of Lake Ann Camp and what God has done here. Expect more campers to be coming soon!
- Summer camp was up 196 campers over 2014.
- Contributors of the camp helped us to add the following to our repertoire of activities and amenities.
- Aquaclimb – Our plexiglass climbing wall on the waterfront
- 2 Supsquatches – 10 person stand-up paddleboards
- 24 Laser Tag markers and all the equipment needed for Laser Tag
- A new safety system on Zipline making it faster and safer
- The Open Space Waterfront project was completed
- The Glory Bowl was re-landscaped with a sprinkler and was reseeded for more comfortable Glory Bowl seating.
- A four bathroom unit was added to the RV park
- A new roof was put on Sunrise Lodge
- Wolverine, the final cabin to be renovated, was completed this year.
- 49 Asian campers from Vietnam and China attended camp this year and 16 of them accepted Christ as their Savior.
And if that wasn’t enough….
- 8 Charter buses from Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa brought campers to camp this summer. This helps our Michigan campers to see that God is bigger than their town and state.
- Lake Ann Camp was re-certified by the Best Christian Workplace organization. We were given the highest commendation for the strength of our scores. This certification is a great demonstration of the team that God has brought to serve together at Lake Ann Camp. It shows our staff desires the best in every area of our ministry.
- We established an Apprenticeship program this year and filled our two places with Jack Campbell as Program Coordinator and Steve Henderson (joining us later this year) as Guest Services Coordinator. As a camp, we are committed to training strong leaders to impact the world for Christ, and we are blessed to have these two men and their families involved with us for the next four years.