October Email Newsletter 2024

From the Camp Director:

How can it be October, this year seems like it is going by fast. Things have been moving fast here at Hanging Rock. After a great summer camp, our board met to evaluate things and we talked about the need for our dining hall expansion sooner than later. The board voted to move forward to make sure we have more space by the time camp starts next year. Once we put the plan in motion, man, things started lining up. We have had some incredible, generous people step up to help us make sure this happens at an affordable price. The Powells from Covington and Brad Crain from Covington gave the board a new bid making sure we can have this built for $375,000. WOW!!! That is $200,000 below the last quote. God is moving for sure.  Brad & Scott met with the board and the board voted to move with them. D&S Powell started clearing trees and getting our site ready. Even the State got in on this, by donating over 40 dump truck loads full of dirt to build our site up. We would have had to pay for all that dirt otherwise. Things are moving so fast.  

As this fall season starts, and all of our trees start to lose their leaves it seems to happen so fast, we need to be reminded that fall is a season of harvest, and it's a perfect time to reflect on the abundance of blessings in our lives.  

We are so thankful for all of your partnership with this ministry of Hanging Rock, not just the new project but for your support through all of our seasons. We are truly blessed by your partnership. Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward to bring more space to the dining area of our ministry.   We will keep you updated with the progress of the dining hall.  In this newsletter you will see below a way for you to partner with this project by coming to our fundraiser banquet. We hope you will want to be a part of this. 

Gary Baker, Executive Director

garybaker@hangingrock.org

Our Dining Hall is officially under construction! We have taken down all the trees and are preparing the ground to start building the extension. If you are interested in donating money for the Dining Hall extension, click our Donation tab here below. We are excited to announce this new bid we have from B.D. Crain Mechanical & general Construction, LLC is $375,000. This does not include furnishings. We probably need to raise $400,000 to cover the furnishings. We have $183,400. We are hoping to have $200,000 raised before our December banquet. So we would really appreciate the donations. 

From the Program Director:

We had a fantastic and record setting 2024 summer, so with that we had to make a few changes for the 2025 summer. We gained 400 more campers than we had in 2023. Our Main Camps in 2024 all had over 100 kids attend. Our 5th & 6th Main Camp had 165 campers! (wow that’s a lot!). In 2025 we will have a 3rd-5th Main Camp led by Luci Baker and her team. We will still have a 5th & 6th Main Camp as well led by Sam & Samantha Guilliams. We also want to give the 6th graders the opportunity to attend Jr. High Main Camp. We are giving our 5th & 6th graders options of different main camps to hopefully alleviate the ever-growing number of kids at that camp. Our Wilderness Camps will still stay the same as they have been in the past.

With our ever-growing numbers we must add more staff as well! We are looking at hiring 14 program staff for the 2025 summer. Our hope with that is more people available for recreation activities & more help for faculty if needed. We will be adding a second Wilderness intern. With our expansion of the dining hall, we will be adding more kitchen staff as well.

I just want to thank everyone who took time this summer to volunteer at a week of camp. The people that continue to pray for this ministry. Finally, the people that have given in some capacity whether that’s specifically for the dining hall or just a generous donation to camp. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for summer 2025.

Caitlin Baer, Program Director

caitlinbaer@hangingrock.org

Hanging Rock Christian Camp

P.O. Box 218

West Lebanon, Indiana 48991

765-893-4581 

www.hangingrock.org