Rock River Christian Camp

Dear Camp Family,                                                                        July 13, 2020

 

It has been a quiet summer around the camp property. With the summer programs canceled, we have been working hard to keep the spending at camp to a minimum. Some of the ways we have kept the cost down are: the pool remains closed, no large food orders, keeping electrical to a minimum, and no summer staff salaries. We are keeping the grounds maintained and have been working on small projects that do not cost much or anything. We have limited office expenses by sending out very little mail, but we feel it is important to get everyone an update on what is happening here at Rock River Christian Camp.

 

Phase 4 for the State of Illinois states, “No overnight camps allowed.” This means that we are unable to have groups come for retreats at this time. The State of Illinois has also stated that Phase 4 will most likely last until a vaccine is available for Covid-19. Due to this mandate, we will not have camp for the foreseeable future. We have no option but to keep things closed. We are saddened by this but also want to make sure we are doing our due diligence to keep people safe. We, as the camp staff and camp board, will continue to talk through options for us as well as what we plan to do in the future if nothing changes.

 

This is a hard year for Rock River Christian Camp. We have missed the busyness of the summer season and will miss the fall groups as well, but we know it is what we have to do right now.

 

Young at Heart has been canceled for this fall. Even though this is a day event, it does bring our most vulnerable together from many different areas. We feel, for the safety of our Young at Heart, it is best not to have them traveling from all over to gather here at camp for the day.

 

This does impact the financial state of the camp significantly. Even though we have been carefully doing our best to limit expenses, there are still basic needs that we need to spend money on to keep the camp going until we can have camp groups back once again. We have made a Profit and Loss comparison from January to June this year compared to last year. Compared to last year, we are currently $112,102.00 down. This number will fluctuate a bit over the next several months as we will be at a greater loss of income but will also not be spending the large amounts of money that we do in the summer months. What we do know at this time is that we are at a loss for quite a bit of money, and we need help.

 

If God has blessed you financially and are able to make a special gift to the camp of $100,000, $10,000, $5,000, $1,000, $100, $50, $25, or $10 to the camp, the camp desperately needs your help right now. All gifts will go towards the general fund of the camp to keep general operations of the camp going. This is not an easy thing to ask for, but we do not want to get a loan or go into deep debt to stay afloat if we do not need to. We know that God has always provided, and we trust he will continue to do so. If Rock River Christian Camp has impacted your life and you would like to see it continue to impact lives for future generations, then do your part today and give! We are a 501 c3 organization, so any gifts made to the camp are tax-deductible.

 

Another way you can help is by coming to camp for a day to volunteer your time. We have things like weeds to pull, wood to split, we have some plumbing to be done, and many other projects for all skills and age levels. If you would like to come help for a day, let us know, and we can schedule a day that will work for you to come.

 

Please pray for the camp, that the will of God will continue to be our guide as decisions are made. We know this is a special place for people of all ages to come and focus on God! We know that lifelong friendships are made here! We know that lives are changed here and have been for 66 years on this property! Please know we will be praying for all of you.

 

You can contact the camp by email ([email protected]), Facebook messenger, phone call, or texting (815-493-6622).

 

Love you all,

Dan and Leslie Augenstine (Camp Managers) and the Camp Board