Rookie's Report
Spring 2009
As we prepare to make decisions on a series of buildings that will change the face of Camp Spofford, we first need to take a step back and look at what Camp Spofford is trying to accomplish today, over the next 10 years and then on into our future. The type of camp we are seeking to be directly affects the building process we are embarking on. It would be wrong to just build for the sake of building. The purpose of the camp has to drive the plan of the camp. Before the Chapel went down, everyone recognized that the biggest need for Camp was a new Dining Hall. The only decision to be made was choosing which buildings were to be included in the new facility. Now of course, everything has changed. With the burning of the Chapel, a whole new set of questions has arisen, giving us a new opportunity to make Camp as efficient as possible. The burning of the Chapel has given us the opportunity to create a master plan that affects each integral aspect of Camp. We can create a plan that everyone can be involved in: guests, campers, and staff, as well as the churches and groups that come for retreats.
By involving everyone, we can maximize our ability to raise money while seeking volunteer help to minimize cost. God has blown open a new and exciting door!
The first key to making this plan work is making the new Chapel the centerpiece. When the Chapel burned it had an amazing impact on the Camp community, bringing together “Spoffordites” of many generations. The web site had more hits than we have ever seen before, and people were looking for ways they could help. We were receiving calls from individuals and churches offering money and skills to help rebuild. People want to help and want to be a part of this. We have to demonstrate that the Chapel is our number one priority, but at the same time show it is part of a master plan, allowing us to do other work both before and after the Chapel gets rebuilt. This plan does not work if we just rebuild the Chapel as is - the best option is to bring the Chapel into the master plan.
The first decision we had to make is the “big three”: chapel, office & Dinning Hall and what goes where. To decide we needed to look at all the possibilities and see how they would effect both the summer and retreat seasons.
We must realize that the growth that Camp will experience will come during the retreat season. Consequently, we need to find a scheme that will help with that growth while also enhancing the summer ministry. The next decision to be made is, “What other buildings need to be included in a master plan?” In order to make this decision, the present buildings’ conditions need to be assessed. We need to find buildings that need to be repaired and that will include all our people in the process.
The decision process is something that needs to involve both the Full-time staff and the Board. The Board has been put in place to direct the policy for the Camp. Pertaining to the Retreat and Summer Seasons, the Board is in place to make sure goals are met; therefore as we go into this project they need to make sure that the buildings and plans are in line with these goals. The Full-time staff has been hired to make the objectives of the ministry happen. It requires us to cast the vision and implement it. Due to “on the ground” experience, the Full-time staff has the knowledge of what works and what does not when trying to reach a goal of maximizing the ministry. The Board also has to oversee the financial responsibility of the ministry and this project.
It requires them to look at all the factors including cost of the project, fundraising potential, and areas that may lead to cost cutting. We need to be able to stand side by side through this plan, and therefore we all have to be part of the process. This cannot be staff driven or Board driven but both being unified, driven to reach the goal together. The best decisions will be made when the experience and insight given by the Full time staff are incorporated into the decision making process. The Board has to see that the Staff has a handle on what the Camp needs, and the Staff needs to believe that the Board has the Camp’s best interest in mind. They need to trust each other and work together to find the best plan. When the Staff and Board are standing side by side then everyone will follow.
Taking a look at what we are doing, and what we want to continue doing in both the summer and retreat seasons. It includes vision we have for ministry possibilities and what role the new buildings can play. As a staff we have discussed this at great length and have decided that this is the best direction to go for a master plan. Finally, we looked at the needs we have and decided what we sense is the best route to go with the buildings.
Mission Statement
Camp Spofford is committed to providing an environment that reaches out to families, campers and the community so that they can meet Jesus Christ to know Him as Lord and Savior, to grow in His Spirit, serve Him and relax in the beauty of God’s creation.
VISION OF CAMP SPOFFORD:
"The purpose of Camp Spofford is to provide a distinctively-Christian Camping and Retreat Center environment of excellence, by providing an accelerated opportunity of growth to challenge the campers, retreat guests and staff toward spiritual maturity. Hospitality is priority one in every facet of our operations by design. Our aspiration is that every guest wishes that next year is but next week to return to Camp Spofford. We seek to bless the community by making the facilities and resources of the camp available and to be seen as part of their backyard.”
Summer Goals
Family Camp - families are looking for three things when they spend a week at Spofford; relaxation, recreation, and spiritual refreshment.
We are constantly trying to create an environment that provides time for every member of the family to experience all three. Chapel is geared toward worship and teaching that helps create community and provide a spiritual challenge to help with an individual’s growth. The kid’s programs provide fun for them but also give parents time on their own for relaxation and fellowship. We use tournaments, staff vs guest games, and beach activities to give our guests a chance to enjoy themselves.
Youth Camp - campers come to camp for many reasons. Their parents make them, they have been invited by a friend, they received a scholarship, and so on. We try to give them an experience that is high energy and fun so they choose to come back on their own the next summer. We want to challenge and strengthen their faith and show them that Christians can have fun too. With the addition of Aftershock we have a program that focuses on discipleship of a camper each year, as they come back they get more in depth and more mature. Aftershock acts as a bridge to get campers to the next level of being on staff.
Youth Staff - the main purpose of the staff is to serve the guests of the Camp. We expect them to be able to handle a daily job and do it with a Christ-like attitude that the guests can appreciate. We also see the students that serve on staff as part of our ministry. It is an opportunity to continue to disciple them and challenge them; to help them grow continuously. We accomplish this with staff chapels and small groups. We hope to hire college students to lead small groups and help mentor the high school students on staff.
Counseling Staff - the counseling staff is comprised of college students that are serving the Camp and campers 24/6. They have a desire to spend the summer serving and pouring their lives into the kids. It is an opportunity for former campers and youth staff to give back to the camp. It is usually the last stop for a kid that has been involved with Spofford since they were a young camper. The Panama Project, which has become a partnership, has many benefits, one of which is giving the staff a perspective of the need to minister outside our borders.
We believe that the camper program, youth staff and counseling staff now provides an opportunity to help an individual in her spiritual growth as she gets older. Camp ministry has the potential to deeply impact the choices a person makes throughout life, and with the programs we have in place, Spofford can be part of the discipleship a person from age 8 through college.
Adult Staff - the adult staff is in place for a couple reasons. Because we run a Family Camp, we believe that our guests feel more comfortable with adults being in charge of the programs they are a part of. The adults also create an atmosphere that is family friendly and lead by example to the rest of our staff. A higher quality of service, delivery, and productivity is accomplished due to adult Department Heads. It is an element to our staff that is irreplaceable.
Retreat Goals
Hosting - this is our largest area of ministry during our Retreat Season. We have found that there are a lot of churches throughout the New England, New York/New Jersey region that look for a place they can put on their own retreat.
They want a center that has enough activities to keep people busy during free time, a place they can call their own for meeting and fellowship, and tranquility in a setting that demonstrates God’s majesty through creation. The ideal situation would be to have the facilities available to house 150 people a weekend, spread out through multiple groups. There are not many churches that could fill a weekend with just one group. Therefore we need 4 meeting spaces of adequate size. We have 2 right now with Cheshire and the Granite basement. We trust that with the addition of the new chapel we will rival any facility in New England. We seek to give a group their own space, which makes them feel they are alone and it is quiet. We also want them to feel comfortable, so it is not hard for them to be away from home. Hospitality is a key to making a group enjoy their weekend experience.
Youth Groups - this is the biggest target audience that is looking for retreats, especially in the winter. Because of other regional camps that provide excellent programmed winter retreats, we have decided not to compete with that market. We have focused on the churches that want to just rent the facility. Youth groups want a place that is fun.
They want activities that keep kids busy, and they are always looking for new and innovative activities. We have made an intentional effort to improve what we offer. We have added black lights in the gym, a skating rink, and other games that help Youth Leaders keep kids excited.
Programmed Retreats - the benefit to these retreats is we can fill Camp and not struggle with groups competing for space. Everyone would be coming for the same reason. There are about 5-6 weekends where we are looking to provide these types of retreats.
Fall/Spring Retreats - these retreats include the Men’s and Women’s retreats, Memorial Day Weekend, and Young Adult Sports Weekend. These retreats are unique because all of Camp is available for housing, so there is the possibility of going over 200 guests on a given weekend.
Needs
New Chapel - this is obvious, not much more needs to be said. However, the key here is size. 15 to 20 times a summer we will put close to 200+ people in the Chapel. 5-6 weekends during the Retreat Season have the potential to put more than 200 people in the Chapel. We do need a full sized Chapel that seats less than 299 people for summer Sundays.
New Dining Hall - this is the other obvious building that needs to be done. A winterized Dining Hall will be great for the Retreat Season; we will be able to seat everyone at once rather than eating in shifts. We believe they will be all right eating together, with some exceptions, as long as they have plenty of time to sit, eat, and talk. We need a Dining Hall that will be conducive to spreading multiple groups out so they do not distract one another. The Dining Hall also needs its own space for preparation, storage, deliveries and waste removal.
Adult Staff Housing - because we value having adults on summer staff we need housing for families. What we have right now are inadequate units and a lack of units as well.
Girls’ Cabins - all four camper cabins were on their last legs, there was no point in putting money into them, because they needed to be completely redone. We also had one cabin with only 8 beds, rather than the usual 10 as in all the other cabins. Those 2 beds have been easily filled. When you return to Camp this summer you will see a second new Girls’ Camper Cabin.
Beds for Girls Staff - the way our staff cabins are setup we have more beds for guys, yet receive many more applications from girls. By increasing the bed count in Lower Girls we will be able to hire more high school girls, and free up space in Upper Girls so we would not have to use an additional room for housing. Therefore Lower Girls has been renovated to do just that. Come and see what our staff and volunteers have done.
Retreat Beds and Meeting Spaces - the goal at the end of the day is to sleep 150 people comfortably and have 4 quality meeting rooms.
Plans
The Chapel Building - we believe this building should include a chapel that seats less than 300 while providing space for retreat group activities. The office we have right now is fine, we do not necessarily need a new one, but the key is getting it away from the Dining Hall. Having the two next to each other has created a traffic headache, and there is no good flow.
Having the Office next to the Lower Entrance would also give us a Welcome Center during the Summer and Retreat Seasons. This is something that would make registration easier and more efficient. Having the Office next to the Chapel is also convenient because of the amount of times Family and Youth Camp directors are walking to and from the two buildings. Adding two rooms above a new Office will allow us to take down Cook’s Cabin, which needs renovations and provides inadequate space. These rooms in the summer could provide housing for our speakers. We can build the rooms to be conducive to their needs; they will be close to the Chapel and Office so they will have access to the copier, internet and computers. It would also free up Lakeside for adult staff housing. It would be more beneficial to have a chapel that is conducive to large and small groups. During the Retreat Season we want to be able to use it for medium to large groups, but do not want them to be overwhelmed by a huge room.
The Dining Hall - we consider the Dining Hall needs to be on its own in the location it is now, pushed back a little and maybe angled toward the Boat Beach.
Having it by itself will allow for easier access for deliveries and waste removal which is important. The Dining Hall will have two sides for the summer season, one side for families and another for campers. The camper side should be built in such a way that allows it to be transformed into a meeting room for the Retreat Season.
The family side should be able to hold 150+ retreat guests with the ability to spread them out so they have their own space. We do not feel combining it with the Chapel and other buildings is a good idea. It would not solve the problem of too much traffic, would put deliveries near the most active area of campers, and create a clutter for retreat guests. It would also leave a huge void where the Dining Hall is now. It would be a large, under-utilized section of Camp. We do not sense that is the best use of our land.
Lakeside - We would like Lakeside renovated to hold 4+ families. We believe that by extending the second floor balcony we can get enough space for another room and bathroom. Work could also be done on one of the garages to hold an additional family. This renovation would give us the adequate housing for adult staff families, and gives them a place where their families can be together. It would replace the families we have in Cooks and the End Apartments. All this could be done at a minimal cost, and lead to a maximum benefit.
Timetable
This is the delicate part of the process; most people have their attention set on the Chapel. Our goal is to rebuild the chapel in the fall of 09. Depending on God’s provision we want to immediately attack moving the Office with the second floor housing units built next to the Chapel. Next we desire to renovate Lakeside for the Adult staffers.
End Goal
When all is said and done we believe this plan will best equip us for ministry in the future. The Retreat Season will be impacted the greatest. The addition of a winterized Pisgah (Infirmary) will give us another place that can house small groups, giving them their own space. We will have enough winter beds to hold groups of 150+. We will have a Dining Hall that can hold everyone at once, we can stop eating in shifts, and spread groups out so they have their own space.
The Chapel and Dining Hall will give us two more quality meeting rooms, giving us our desired goal of four. The office next to the Chapel Building will give us a Welcome Center for Retreat groups when they first come into the Camp. These factors will make Spofford a top notch Retreat Center, and we will be able to meet needs of a variety of churches throughout New England & New York /New Jersey area. This is the type of Retreat Center that we seek to be! As for the summer, the new Chapel and Dining Hall will increase the quality product that we provide each and every week. The new Girls’ Cabins are much needed and we will have the capability to hire more girls for staff. Lakeside will house adults and their families, so their positive impact on the guests and staff can continue. The Dining Hall will have its own place, and won’t struggle with deliveries, and the traffic flow will also be improved.
Therefore DREAM BIG with us, as we together hone our vision to accomplish our mission. I trust this State of the Camp address excites you to continue to invest in the Lord’s work at Camp Spofford… ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
In Him,
Rookie Olson
Camp Administrator