Greetings from Camp Challenge,
As we do at the end of each year, I am writing our year end letter to the friends of Camp Challenge. This year I am not only asking for financial contributions, I am asking for resource donations. The main thing I want to include as a resource donation is your time in 2023.
I have several things on my mind as I write this letter so this may be more lengthy than usual. If you have already read enough and just want to make a donation to Camp Challenge that’s awesome! You can donate on our website gocampchallenge.com/give or donations can be sent to:
Camp Challenge
8914 US Hwy 50 E
Bedford, IN 47421
Now, if you want to read more…
In 2022 at Camp Challenge there was a response to the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way that I have not seen before. Campers reported 73 first time decisions to follow Jesus this summer and that is by far a higher percentage of campers than I have seen in my nine summers as Executive Director. Praise the Lord, young people are spiritually hungry. The world is pressing down on young people and the weight is heavy. Youth are being told that their identity is found in sexuality, gender, and athletics (just to name a few things). At the same time, according to a Youth for Christ report, one-third of young people feel they have no trusted adult in their lives and 50% of young people are not connected to a church. I have seen changes in the challenges faced by young people and as a result it has become important to me to make sure campers know their identity can be found in Jesus. They can identify as a child of God, washed in the blood, forgiven, redeemed, able to live in true freedom. Volunteers and staff at Camp Challenge are here to help campers along that path and to show campers that there are adults that care about them, will listen to them, will tell them they have value. I want you to hear that I believe the spiritual impact of Camp Challenge is greater than it has ever been.
Another challenge we are seeing when trying to connect with our campers is that many campers (a majority) do not have a knowledge of the very basics of faith. Many campers don’t know that the Bible is the inspired word of God or what that means. Many campers lack the most basic knowledge of the plan of salvation and why the whole concept of faith is even important. This was recognized more clearly in the summer of 2022 and as a result we have decided to go back to the basics of faith in the summer of 2023. Our theme for 2023 is “START” and our Bible verse will be John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” I believe God will bless this next summer and the impact for His kingdom will be deeper than ever.
Finances and the use of Camp Challenge facilities were at a peak in 2018 and 2019, but our camper numbers and other facility use significantly dropped in 2020 due to COVID. We have seen some improvements in both areas in 2021 and 2022, so we are slowly regaining lost ground (at least it feels slow to me). Unfortunately, donations and engagement from supporting churches and individuals have not yet recovered. A few churches have either reduced their budgeted giving to camp or have stopped donating completely as they feel the lingering effects of COVID in their own finances. Some churches are allowing us less access to promote camp as they focus on rebuilding their own programming. I do understand that situations change for individuals and churches, but when I think about the increased response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Camp Challenge, watch us absorb cost increases in almost every area, and then see a reduction in support…well I can’t help but think this is a spiritual battle as much as anything else.
Our year end focus for resource donations is simply going to be “Camp Challenge”. December is always our biggest month for financial donations. I have no doubt that you will make that the same in 2022 as it has been in every past year by making a financial contribution. To put it bluntly, we need funds in order to make it possible for Camp Challenge to fulfill our mission in 2023. I pray that this December you will make the largest financial donation that you have ever made to Camp Challenge. I mean, if I really had a bold prayer, I pray you would feel led to make the largest donation you have ever made to any organization and to direct that donation toward Camp Challenge. I truly believe we are excellent stewards of resources and the mission of Camp Challenge is just that important.
While year-end donations are of critical importance, we also need consistent donations that are provided by our monthly donors. Our monthly donor numbers have also decreased over the past three years and we need people to step in and sign up to help monthly. Those monthly donations really help us plan our budget and provide us with consistent cashflow. Our monthly donations from individuals range from $15 per month up to $500 per month. Any monthly amount is appreciated, and I would love to see someone beat the $500 per month amount.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to ask for your time in 2023. We need summer camp volunteers and staff. We could not execute camp without our summer staff each year. They sign up to give of themselves, they do get paid, and they get plenty of good food along the way. If you are a young adult (or know of a young adult) that might want to work at camp in 2023 please find out more on our website: gocampchallenge.com/jobs.
A vast majority of our volunteers are between the ages of 18 and 25. As is true with our summer staff, we could not execute camp without our volunteers in that age group. We always struggle to find enough volunteers, but what we really need is volunteers with more life experience. Frankly, we need more spiritual maturity in our cabin and teaching times. For Camp Challenge to best disciple our campers, we must have weekly volunteers that are lead pastors, associate pastors, children’s pastors, youth pastors, worship leaders, parents, grandparents, nurses, and many others that are mature in life and faith, helping our kids navigate through hard questions and offering counterpoints to the world’s messages, You can make such a difference in the lives of the campers at Camp Challenge.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Your partnership with Camp Challenge means the world to me. If you have any questions or if you would like to come and visit the camp, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
317-774-4441 (call or text).
In His Service,
Brian Klein
Executive Director
Camp Challenge
