2008 Legacy Conference

We serve a God - Jesus Christ - who is about the redemption of ALL things. Hip-hop is NOT excluded. Because of this, folks at Sunshine are apart of a team which will host the next Legacy Conference here in Chicago in August. It will once again be a three-day conference this time from August 14-16. We are still trying to lock down the location, however many of the same speakers/teachers have already committed for this year: Paul Washer, Shai Linne, Lecrae, Flame, Tedashi, Trip Lee, Azriel, and more.

You can also check out the web site at www.legacy-conference.org

From the Desk of Joel Hamernick: The Process with Sunshine Cove

In the latest edition of the Streetlight and Flashlight (Sunshine’s newsletter and e-mail newsletters) I shared with many of you that our board of directors has made a decision to pursue a change of ownership with our camp facility in Michigan, Sunshine Cove. I think it may be helpful to share more specifically what has been decided and why along with a little more background than we have room for in the normal newsletter.

History.

In 1997-98 Sunshine’s board was at a key decision point at which they needed to decide whether to seek large investment into the facility at camp or sell the camp. Ultimately the decision was made to bring in new staff, invest in the property and develop new programs. My family along with Daryl and Laura Woods and soon after John and Pam Rees were the initial team that followed the board’s direction and God’s calling to develop camp.

During the following decade we immensely enjoyed seeing God at work through hundreds of camp experiences. As a ministry we have invested heartily in the facility and the operation of camp – always with a long term vision that the income from camp would one day balance its own expenses through a combination of localized fundraising specific to camp, Sunshine camper sponsorships, missionary support and guest group fees.

While this vision for balancing the budget at camp was important to the overall plan it was something that God gave us time to work on. Over the years God has blessed us with an ability to “carry” an imbalance in the operational expenses. The ministry that continued has been transformational in the lives of our staff and campers and thus while there has always been financial pressures and considerations about camp’s overall costs, the board and staff worked for nearly 10 years toward the goals of increasing camp’s spiritual fruit and at the same time the goal of balancing income and expenditures related to camp.

Mission.

This past year our board and staff spent time together working carefully on re-wording our mission statement to reflect those aspects of our ministry that continue from the past (specifically a focus on the gospel, the city, and the poor) with those that are new:

1. a new community (Woodlawn and Bronzeville)
2. a commitment to incarnational ministry (living in and being a part of our neighborhood)
3. a new emphasis on teaching the church about God’s heart for the city (through our missions program: Bridge Builders)
4. a broadened notion of serving our community (e.g. We now reach more than 400 people of all ages through our community technology center).

The new mission statement has been adopted as: Sunshine Gospel Ministries exists to seek the renewal of the city through ministries of discipleship, mercy and justice.

This mission focus increases our focus on the center of what God has called Sunshine to do for over 100 years: minister to the city for His namesake. It doesn’t change our desire to take kids to camp but does lessen the focus on that activity in terms of year round focus and how much of our overall resources should be directed there.

Finances.

The net expense over income for camp has now exceeded $100,000 annually for 3 years. The board has looked carefully at our finances and has come to the conclusion that Sunshine cannot sustain this deficit for another year.

Furthermore, when you consider our core campers – those coming from direct connection with Sunshine’s neighborhood ministries and not as rental groups, partnering ministries, etc… the cost per camper when averaged over the annual budget exceeds $1000 per camper. Our camper sponsorships are set at $300. This simply can’t come close to covering this actual cost. Alternatively, the cost of working with other quality Christian camp ministries would allow us to send our children to camp for anywhere from $200 to $300 including all actual costs.

Decisions.

With the previous process and considerations in mind, the board made the decision to cease operations of camp and pursue a change of ownership. The specific reasons highlighted for the decision are (a) mission and (b) finances. The Mission of Sunshine is focused primarily on the city and the overall demands of owning and operating our camp are diverting the ministry from focusing on our core calling. The financial costs of camp simply can’t justify continuing operations.

Decisions yet to be made.

Our board has expressed a clear desire to see the facility at Sunshine Cove remain a Christian camp that serves youth from the city. To this end the board has established as it highest preference to work with an organization that would purchase the facility for this purpose. As of this stage we do not know to whom the facility will be sold, nor when exactly this process will happen. Please be in prayer for the board, staff, campers and supporters of the ministry as we pursue God’s will for the ministry.

It is important for me to stress that Sunshine remains passionate that our youth need Christian camp experiences and that this will remain a key part of what Sunshine does. Yet we want to steward the resources given and focus on the core elements of our calling in a way that are a true expression of wisdom.

I will be adding another article on my own blog that touches on this process from a more personal perspective for those who would like to read further. http://www.joelhamernick.blogspot.com/

Yours in Christ,
Joel Hamernick, Executive Director

Seeking the Renewal of the City Through Camping Ministry

As published in our latest Streetlight newsletter...

Over the recent months our board has revisited the specific wording and focus of our ministry. For over 100 years we have been a ministry in the city, working primarily among the poor, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that include practical mercy, evangelism and discipleship.

One of the most influential and most welcomed manners in which we have carried out this ministry is to take kids to camp. Long ago the kids from the city, along with a few staff, packed into train cars and rode the long track north to Pembine, Wisconsin. There they came to love attending Lake Lundgren Bible Camp. When the train stopped going that far north, in the late 1950’s, Sunshine pursued and ultimately was blessed to receive a camp of their own: Camp Sun-Chi-Win (later renamed Sunshine Cove Christian Camp).

Though there have been lean years and years of blessing at our camp, the property has been used by God through hundreds of staff and volunteers to change the lives of thousands of youth and families from the inner-city. There is no doubt that camping is an incredible ministry because of the ability it affords one to get away from the city, to see God in His Creation, to have fun in a safe and invigorating setting, and to spend quality time with counselors, peers and leaders who demonstrate and teach the love of God. Camping is clearly an enormously important aspect of our past and future ministry in the city.

Yet over the past few decades camping has become very expensive for those ministries that own and operate their own camps, including Sunshine. Many people that sponsor children have noticed that our camper sponsorships have increased over the past 5 years by more than double. The truth is that the annual costs of the facility have actually quadrupled the cost of sending our youth to our own camp. The camper sponsorships simply don’t come close to covering all of the expenses related to operating our own facility. Yet if we were to send our youth to other high quality Christian camps, run by other Christian Ministries, we could reduce the cost of camper sponsorships to the rate we were at years ago (about $200).

As those entrusted with leading the way, Sunshine’s board of directors is now prayerfully and carefully seeking God’s will for the future of both our camp facility and our approach to camping ministry. Given the focus of Sunshine’s work in city ministry, and the costs involved (actual costs are 3 times as high per child to operate our camp vs. taking kids to camp at other facilities) the board has concluded that we should pursue a transition of ownership.

As a ministry we want to thank all of you who have been intimately involved as staff, volunteers, board members,
supporters, campers and counselors over the years. While we anticipate a change in the way Sunshine continues to be involved in camp, there is no doubt that camp will remain a core part of what we do and we want to ask you to remain in partnership with us. The needs are still great, camping is still key, and our overall effectiveness in the city and through camp – we believe – will increase substantially through this transition.

Please pray with us about the way God would have us seek renewal in the city, steward our resources, and continue to use camping in transformational ways.

God's Transforming Work: A Reflection from Dave Clark, After-School Program Director

Over the course of the past fall semester I have had the privilege of observing God’s transforming work in the lives of our young people. It has been especially exciting to see God move in the life of one of our 4th grade students, a young man who participates in our tutoring program, which we’ll call “D.”. D. began coming around the Sunshine building last spring. Initially, it was to stop in and see Ms. Christensen (one of our former staff members, who volunteered in his classroom). In time D. occasionally would stop in to see me and ask me if there was anything he could help with. I didn’t know his name at the time, but I’d noticed his persistence and I recognized his face.

When our summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) began, I started to see D. more frequently, eagerly waiting outside for activities to begin and enthusiastically asking about the day’s snack.

One evening during the VBS program, D. got sent home for fighting. He never returned to our VBS, but continued to frequently visit our office and to stand on the sidewalk outside our building, peering in through the shades to get a glimpse of our evening’s activities. During the warm summer months, when idles hours increase, I would often see D. walking around with his group of friends (10, 11, and 12 year olds) bored and looking for something to do.

Our tutoring program began at the end of September and D. stopped in to inquire about how he could get into the program. I delivered the unfortunate news that our program was full, but assured him that I would put him on our waiting list. Again, with great persistence, D. stopped by our office virtually everyday after that to see if anyone had dropped out, thus opening a spot for him in the program. A couple of weeks into our tutoring program, a spot became available and, as you can imagine, he was more than ready to take up its place.
D.’s enthusiasm to attend our programs remains undiminished. In fact, often times he comes early to work on homework, to help set up, and to pray with me and the other staff members over the night’s activities. He always prays for two things: 1) that the tutors would arrive safely and 2) that everyone would get “PBs” (that’s personal bests) at their tutoring stations.

Perhaps most exciting of all was the opportunity I had at the end of this past fall semester to share the gospel with him using the Evangicube – a small picture cube that walks the basics of the Gospel message. D. was fascinated by the Evangicube, and equally as fascinated with the story of Jesus Christ. In follow-up to D.’s interest in the Gospel, I asked him if he would like to come to church with me. He told me that he would like to attend and that he and his friends would meet me at the office that Sunday morning at 10 a.m. sharp! When Sunday rolled around, I made it to the office in a rush, and was disappointed to find D. wasn’t there and neither were his friends. I called both numbers I had for him. I reached him. His groggy voice on the end of the line confirmed I’d woken him up. D. reassured me that he still wanted to go to church and that “he would be down in a few minutes, after he had ironed his clothes”.

He sat next to me throughout the service and seemed to be engaged, taking it all in. During the ride home he didn’t say much (I’m sure this is partly due to the three teenage boys, also in the van, dominating the conversation). D. was my second to last drop off, and during a brief lull he spoke up.

“Dave,” he said, “I need a Bible.”

His request caught me off guard! I wasn’t surprised at what he wanted, but rather I was by the unexpected timing of his request. I told him I had an extra Bible I would gladly give him if he came by after school on Monday. With the earnestness so characteristic of him, D. came by right after the school day had ended.

Just as D. was about to walk out our doors with his new Bible, he turned to Pete, our youth pastor, and with a look in his eyes of great attention to detail, he told Pete he would be at Bible study that week. He then turned to me, and he said he would be coming back to church next Sunday.

In the life of an organization with staff who has conversations with many neighbors in one day, events like these can seem small and get pushed aside, grouped with the mundane. But, I am confident in my reflection that the Holy Spirit brings about big things through small steps. Honestly, I believe God began to work in this young man’s life way before Sunshine occupied 500 E. 61st St. I also believe that in the months and years ahead, the Word of God will continue to be sown in this D.’s life and will bear fruit – fruit capable of enduring even the ups and downs of his coming adolescence.

I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6. Paul states, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God has begun a transformational work in D.’s life as well as others in our community, and surely He will continue to be made manifest. I simply look forward to watching it come about!