Spring at Lakeview Ministries may feel like the quiet before the storm—but make no mistake, there’s a lot happening out here before campers ever arrive!
Hike n Huck: A Muddy Mission Accomplished
On a wet weekend in April, 40 brave adventurers laced up their hiking boots and slung on their disc golf bags for our annual Hike n Huck event. It was our biggest turnout yet—even with a 10-year flood trying to dampen the fun! Thanks to Brandon’s hard work prepping all the tee pads, everyone had a dry place to throw. Despite the Columbus exit being temporarily cut off from the Interstate by floodwaters and some classic spring mud, everyone made it through the hike, the huck, and a weekend full of camp camaraderie.
Men’s Gathering: Faith, Fellowship, and Fun
The same weekend as the Hike n Huck tourney, 150 guys gathered at camp for our annual Men’s Gathering, hosted by David Vandercar and his brothers. It’s a time for men to dig into faith, enjoy classic Lutheran fun, and be encouraged to lead their families with love and intentionality. This year’s speaker tackled real questions—many pulled straight from the minds of curious kids—and offered wisdom grounded in God’s Word. Some highlights of the Men’s Gathering include listening to 150 guys sign hymns together, a hog roast, a “Medieval Challenge” where guys compete in groups in activities like hatchet throwing, fort building, and even jousting, and some off-site excursions to a golf course and rifle range.
Spring Groups Galore
In general, April and May are some of our busiest months when it comes to retreat groups. This year, we’re welcoming over 1,700 people before summer even begins! Some of the different groups include:
- Lutheran Preschools
- Local Elementary Schools
- Confirmation Retreats
- Boy Scout Troops
- Family Gatherings
One of the largest groups of the entire year (260 people) who visited us in April got connect with us from Lakeview alumni Andy Higgenbothom who wanted the perfect place for a financial retreat. It’s always cool to see how camp continues to be a home for all types of ministry.
Projects in Progress
When the weather warms up, we roll up our sleeves! This spring some projects that we’ve completed (or are working on completing) include:
Alpine Village Cluster
Work continues on our newest Village Cluster. The interior of the cabins has been completed (with some painting and staining left to do). The bathhouse is the next big target to complete! We are looking good to complete it in time for use the third week of the summer (which is the first week we have open for all six village clusters). Thank you to everyone who has come out and helped volunteer this spring!
High Ropes Aerial Course
This is a new high ropes element we are adding to the Villages program. It is being built off the backside of the climbing tower and will feature different obstacles for individuals to complete as they navigate the course. Instead of a team belay system for this element (like most of our other ones) this one will feature a self-belay where participants are connected at all times to a top wire. We have poles installed and are working on getting the obstacles and wiring set up.
Disc Golf Tee Pads
We got these done just in time for the Hike n Huck tournament! If we didn’t have them, it would have been a VERY muddy and soggy time with all the rain we received leading up to (and during) the tournament. Shout out Brandon for all his hard work helping to get them completed in time!
Storage Benches
John and Ben made storage benches that you can sit on, or open up the top to reveal storage underneath. We have these at the Dining Hall porches for us to store balls and sports equipment that campers use at the Slip n Slide area. We are also using them to store extra wood and pudgie pie makers for the fire pit by the Dining Hall. They turned out great! Try sitting on one when you come this summer!
Tennis Courts Resurfacing
Happening soon, this project was made possible by one of our former campers, Kaitlyn Myers, who selected camp as the organization to help with her senior project. She raised over $7,000 which is allowing us to resurface the Camp Lakeview tennis courts, something that has needed doing for a long time. As an exciting part of the resurface, we will be including markings for pickleball. Thank you so much Kaitlyn – what a blessing to camp!
Village Road Paving
Funded by the Lilly Endowment grant, we will (God willing) have the gravel road that runs throughout Lakeview Villages PAVED by the start of the summer. Get ready for a smooth ride when dropping your campers off this summer!
Summer Prep Behind the Scenes
It’s all hands on deck when it comes to getting ready for the summer. The program team is doing everything from ordering all our new items for the Shirt Shack, to preparing for our 60th anniversary Alumni Reunion, to planning staff training and junior staff training. Meanwhile the office team is calling campers off the waitlist, answering a host of parent questions, sending out emails, and receiving summer staff paperwork. The kitchen team is planning staff training meals, the facilities crew is finishing up projects for the summer…it takes our full team to get a summer of camp off the ground!
Camper Count = Anticipation
Let’s be honest—one of our favorite spring rituals is constantly checking our camper numbers. It’s like counting RSVPs before a giant party! Every registration reminds us that summer is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back.
So far this summer over 2200 campers are signed up to come out to camp! Whoa! That’s trending ahead by over 100 from last summer, and is on track to be one of our largest summers ever. And while it’s not about the numbers but about the work God does in the lives of his people, it is exciting to know that so many people will be exposed to the life-changing experience of camp this summer!
Prayer, Prayer, Prayer
We pray a lot all spring. The to-do list grows longer and longer each day, there are still summer staff to find even though staff training is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, and the stress and busyness really cranks up. But each summer God proves his faithfulness and comes through with everything we need.
Please join us in our praying. For our summer staff, that they would serve faithfully and lean into who God has created them to be. For our campers, that God would use their time here to grow good things in their lives. For our families and parents, that God would calm nerves and help them in their own busy lives. And for camp, that God would provide safety and protection in all things, and wisdom in the choices and decisions that are made here.
See you this summer!