The Metochos Luthern Bible Camp could be on life support soon with the governing board having to make some difficult decisions within the next few months.
Bible camp activities for this summer have been cancelled but the board of directors is assuring those who booked the facilities for private functions, such as weddings and anniversaries, will have access to the facility and all its functions and services this summer.
Pastor Stewart Miller, who serves on the multi-congregational board as the ministerial adviser, said the reality of the situation is debt servicing with a weakening donation base for the camp programs.
“We just can’t hold a viable program for young campers in 2016. There are other issues too, such as staffing. It was becoming more difficult to get summer staff, too,” he said, referring to the camp that is located about 18 kilometres northwest of Estevan.
“Unless a creative financial plan is found with an ongoing, reliable funding source, we have some tough decisions to make for the future,” said Miller.
When the main building was first opened five years ago, right in the midst of a difficult flood-ravaged summer in southeast Saskatchewan, Metochos was to be supported by various church congregations located south and east of Regina. But, in reality, the ongoing support has been reduced to just a few of the more local and dedicated church organizations.
Methochos usually featured week-long youth camps over an eight-week schedule with various age groupings taking over the facilities and the 40-bed dormitories one week at a time. That meant between 200 and 300 children and teenagers got to enjoy the summer programs that included water-based activities since the camp is located along the Rafferty Reservoir basin.
“We had seen a decrease in attendance in the past few years. The day camps for the youngest campers, who weren’t overnighters, was still popular,” said Miller.
The Lutheran Bible Camp has enjoyed a rich history in southeast Saskatchewan over several decades with very few interruptions. One of those intervals was necessary with the building of the Rafferty and Alameda Dams in the late 1990s that displaced the former, aging Bible camp and replaced it with a new site and fresh mitigation funding from SaskWater, which Miller said was probably inadequate considering all the functions the camps served at the time and were trying to replace in the new location with new construction.
“We own the land and the dormitory cabins, but the debt load is on the main building that was opened in 2011. Of course having that happen in the middle of a flood year didn’t help, (there was no Bible Camp that year) and the costs escalated, due to the flood and some unplanned requirements that had to be met for the operation of a commercial building. These were mostly structural items that had to be added,” he said.
The tough decisions that are facing the board, chaired by Jesse Elmore of Lampman, are regrettable, said Miller. “Because the people who have served on this board have done so faithfully and energetically for many years.”
Renting the camp and its facilities out for weekends and special events only adds a few additional dollars that are generally gobbled up by operational costs, which means only a few extras could be added to the programs.
A group of family suites planned for the lower level, have not been completed.
Overall use has not been discouraging, said Miller. The main building has been full quite often with various functions.
“We’re not alone. St. Michael’s retreat in Lumsden reached a similar state and it eventually had to be sold to private interests, probably for similar reasons and issues we’re experiencing,” said Miller. “Expenses are substantial for buildings like this.”
The dormitories, which are about 18-years-old, are in good condition and the main building features a commercial-sized kitchen, conference room, office space and the aforementioned space for families that is currently being used for storage.
“Perhaps the marketing or promotion end of this requires a broader spectrum, I’m not sure, but we do know there are some decisions to make before the end of September,” Miller said.
