For 4 or 5 summers now my middle son has worked at Castlepoint Ministries (formerly Lucerne Christian Camp and Conference Center) in CA. He first went there after his junior year of high school. We were concerned about him being away that long at that age, but it was a transformational summer for him in many ways. He worked on op staff (kitchen work, yard work, maintenance, cleaning, etc.) for a couple of years, then counseled for a couple of years, and this last year was a team leader. From that first summer on he wanted to go into camp work, and I think probably from that first summer he had a desire to eventually work at Castlepoint. This last summer his girlfriend worked there as well, partly because he felt called to this work and they wanted her to get a taste of it and see if she felt led to it as well before they committed themselves any further in their relationship.
Last week we received a prayer request that the camp was facing dire financial needs and the board was considering closing the camp. We were stunned. My son said this last summer had been one of the best summers for the camp both financially and spiritually, so he was surprised. Come to find out a lot of rental groups had canceled out for the fall and winter because of the economy, plus the camp was facing some necessary repairs that they didn’t have the reserves to handle. Plus the operational expenses were increasing.
There was an immediate outpouring and prayer and support and offers of financial assistance, so our hope was that perhaps the Castle’s needs would be met. But the board met Friday and decided to close the camp at the end of December.
I’ve been very sad about it since I heard, and a part of me still hopes the board might change its mind. But I have to remember that this didn’t take God by surprise, and He has a plan and purpose for all involved.
I would love for a Christian group to be able to take it over, but it is expensive to run and needs a lot of repairs that they mostly had to wait to do until a volunteer group from a supporting church could come and help. It’s a neat old building. If I remember correctly, it was built as a resort hotel in the 1920s by a man whose company had something to do with sprinklers for buildings (we noticed when we visited that there was an overabundance of sprinklers in the building. The camp director told us the fire marshal once said there would be more danger of drowning than smoke or fire damage. 🙂 ) But then the Great Depression hit and the hotel went out of business to eventually be bought and turned into a camp. As much as I’d love for it to remain a Christian retreat center, I don’t think many Christian groups would have the money it needs to get in shape. There aren’t many independent fundamental churches in CA, and I think most of them are not very big. So I am guessing it might return to a resort if they can find an investor. It’s right on a huge lake.
If you feel so led, I would appreciate prayer for all involved, from the camp director to the cook, as they look for a new place of ministry, for wisdom for the board as they make decisions, and for the future of the property. My heart especially goes out to my son Jason — he and some others who love Castlepoint had even talked about working in the same town to support themselves and then volunteering at the camp since the camp couldn’t hire any more staff: one of his friends was planning to move there in the next few months. This has been Jason’s focus and goal for years, and now in his senior year in college he needs to find a new direction. He is understandably sad but taking it well, trusting God for the future.
