Assignment #19

We are going to visit Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp in Story City tomorrow and we each have to ask four questions.

My first question is about winter activities and how do they plan on attracting more people to the camp.  We personally have added a lot of different winter activities for people to do this year.  I have noticed that they don't have many retreats set up for December and January and I would like to know if that is just because they are usually slow or do they prefer not having groups out there due to their lack of activities. 

The second question I have for them  has to do with their summer staff.  Do they get enough applications or do they have to go out and look for summer councilors?  Also, being a Lutheran Camp do they only allow Lutherans to work on full time staff or summer staff?

Thirdly I was curious to know who comes up with their summer camp theme?  I didn't know if they all come together or if they have one or two people working on that.  Along with this question is the person(s) who do this also hire summer staff?

Finally, has the camp suffered from the economy having problems?  Have you seen a decrease in children coming out for summer camps?

These are the questions I will be asking tomorrow at Riverside.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #18

Give a SWOT analysis on Hidden Acres.  SWOT stands for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. 

When looking at Hidden Acres and our strengths we are good at taking care of guests and their needs.  We all know that if our guests are not happy they could decide to not come back in the future.  Our food is always a high point for our guests. 

For weaknesses I think that our unity as a camp need a lot of work.  We tend to blame one another and not take responsibility for our own mistakes.  The teamwork here is almost non existent.  People are out for their own gain.  Some of our facilities could use some work.  Another weakness here at Hidden Acres is that some people are spread really thin that don't have the time to complete simple maintenance around the camp. 

I don't really know of any opportunities that we are missing out on.  We cover a lot and we allow just about anyone to come out to camp. 

The weather is a threat being in the Midwest we deal with tornadoes and flooding just about every year.  We also have to deal with the government and their policies.  We have to be very careful with our bookkeeping records just in case the government comes in wanting to look over things.  But we have an amazing financial director so I feel confident that we are good in that department.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts.

Assignment #17

Name three measurable visions for Hidden Acres and explain how we will accomplish it with a timeline.

I have noticed that the horses are a big hit with younger people.  So I think that if we work on fixing up the fences and remodeling the barn it would really invite more people in.  This should be worked on over the winter and spring months to be ready by the Summer. 

Our food at camp is delicious.  However, I think if we had a remodel or a new building all together that would make us so much better.  With more room it makes us more capable of doing bigger retreats.  This could be accomplished by Summer 2013. 

I know I should have three but I can't really think of another one so I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #16

We are looking at a fictitious camp in class and it is getting a new director (me).  So being new to this camp I need to figure out my next steps. 

What are my next 3 decisions for Camp Pine Tree?

The first thing I would do is take a very detailed tour of the camp and see where buildings and grounds need to be improved or even taken down.  By looking over the camp it would set me up for the next steps that I want to do.  Having a better understanding of where the camp is stuck will make me more informed when it comes to the sit down meeting with the staff.  

The second step and maybe most critical step will be sitting down with the staff and see what they want for the camp.  Knowing how they want to see the camp continue on is very important.  I think hearing what they want to do will help me see if they should stay employed or not at Camp Pine Tree.  If they have no passion and are discouraged and giving up then I don’t think they should continue working at the camp.  But I would not just fire them I would work with them and see if I can find the passion that they once had when they first started working at the camp.  I would also be able to find out who really stands out as the leaders.  

With the third step I would take what I learned from the meeting and see where the finances are.  If they are good I would look into what needs improvement right away and get that project started.  However, if the camp is in a bad financial state I would start brainstorming about how to get backing and donations.  That’s about it.  I know that it would take a lot of steps to get this camp going great again but this is where I would start.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts. 

Assignment #15

Why am I here?

Well… I’m not going to lie some days I have no idea why I am here.  But then I go to the truth of the Bible for help and inspiration.  Psalm 23:3 says “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”  I know that the Lord has a plan and a path for me.  His timetable isn’t meshing with mine like I would like but I know he is right.  I need to stop pushing for what I want and just relax and see what the Lord is putting in front of me.  I also refer to James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I tend to find the bad in every situation and then I talk about people behind their backs and also to their faces and I have come to feel convicted that this is not only morally wrong but sinful.  Further in James 1 there is another wonderful verse that makes me look at how I communicate with people.  I am always saying that at this camp “there is no communication” but there is more to communicating then just talking.  “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19.  I am hoping that by working on this not only will I know more and understand more before I react but I will learn to communicate with those who anger me but in a mature way so feelings do not get hurt.

I like learning how to do new things and coming here I knew that I would be put into those situations.  I never imagined that I would put in water lines or fix broken water lines and that has really made me feel confident.  Also learning how to drive a backhoe was so much fun.  I love getting dirty and working outside with my hands.   Just don’t ask me to build anything; I am horrible with measurements.  I am still young in my relationship with the Lord.  I accepted him into my life just over a year ago and I have so much to learn.  This is why I am here.  I hope you enjoyed my thoughts.