God is moving at Oil Belt! Be it Men’s Night, Ladies’ Day, summer camp, or anywhere in between, there have been some incredible moments this year! During summer camp alone, there were 91 decisions ranging from baptisms to full-time Christian service commitments to personal rededications! That is truly what it is all about!
The blessings don’t stop there! On top of all that, I am delighted to share that thanks to your continued support, the camp's outstanding debt on the three cabins, the pool, and the activity building has been paid off! This monumental achievement has brought us one step closer to financial stability and ensuring the sustainability of our beloved camp.
As we celebrate, however, we must also remain mindful of the challenges that lie ahead. Over the last couple years everyone has seen significantly increased expenses across the board. Our goal to keep camp costs low for campers is becoming more and more challenging as utilities, food, minimum wage increases and other items continue to rise in price.
Additionally, because of our singular focus on paying off the debt this past year, we deferred some significant maintenance projects and upgrades that are essential to the camp's continued success. These projects, such as updating some of our twenty-plus year-old HVAC systems, ensuring the safety of our campers, and maintaining our facilities, require substantial financial resources. Just this year, we had six HVAC units go out, totaling $54,000. If you were in the cafeteria in July, you might remember that! We have six additional original units that are needing to be replaced in the near future.
With all of this in mind, we are reaching out to you today to appeal for your ongoing support to help us prepare for maintenance and build a financial reserve to handle these projects. Much like the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps, since we’ve paid off the debt we are building up our emergency fund because there are many items that have been put on the backburner that we expect to encounter in the next year.
Would you consider joining with camp and giving to build this emergency fund reserve?
Based on the expected costs, the camp leadership has prayerfully set a goal of $75,000. We firmly believe that with your support, we can accomplish the task of preparing for future expenses. This will help camp continue to thrive, welcoming children and families to experience the life-changing power of faith and fellowship.
If you would like to support the camp, there are a couple options. You can mail a check written to “Oil Belt” using the enclosed return envelope. Please include the contact card so we can update your information. You may also give online at oilbelt.com/donate through our secure processor.
No matter which option you choose, you can know that Oil Belt Christian Service Camp is preparing for a fantastic 2024 and your gift is helping to fulfill our mission of “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ Through the Teaching of God’s Word.” Thank you for your continued faithful support!
Tyler Mulvany
Executive Director
