news article
Committee on Camp & Retreat Ministries pens letter
May 23, 2016 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Committee on Camp & Retreat Ministries has been discerning how Upper New York’s camp and retreat centers and its ministry outreach can best live out its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Committee Chair David Little has released a letter that states the committee has voted and recommends the sale of Findley Camp & Retreat Center.
The committee has assessed the condition of each site, sought to better align resources, and determine what must be done to better serve people, places, and God, according to the letter.
“Within that process, we have determined that the most powerful contribution Findley Camp & Retreat Center (Camp Findley) can make to our continuing ministry must be in the form of creating a fund that will help to transform other locations into facilities capable of fulfilling this mission,” writes Little in the letter. “We have determined it is time to sell Findley Camp & Retreat Center.”
While Findley has “a long and inspiring tradition of ministry,” it has been unable to secure the participation and financial resources needed to sustain it. Financial review by the Conference has revealed annual operating deficits, and a review of program participation shows a steady decline.
The committee has explored the possibility of leasing the camp, but did not find this to be a viable solution. However, the sale of Findley Camp & Retreat Center will provide significant revenue for Camp & Retreat Ministry, creating a fund that will spread Christ’s ministry throughout Upper New York.
“Please know that the decision to sell Findley Camp & Retreat Center was arrived at in a prayerful, faithfully-discerning, often emotional, and always loving environment,” Little writes. “While we mourn its loss as a program site and reflect on the thousands of souls touched by its work over more than 80 years, we rejoice in its ability to provide rebirth to other sites and thus to touch thousands more souls.”
Click here to view the full letter.
Click here to view the Trustee resolution that will be presented at the 2016 Annual Conference session.