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.