Report of
Victory Valley Camp
Goliath rises from the meadow, towering over the boy, who stares up with a mix of fear and faith, trepidation and determination.
The boy will conquer Goliath this day, thanks to his God and a team of Summer Missionaries at Victory Valley Camp. The 9-year-old will climb the 30-foot wall, walk the tight-rope, leap from plank to plank on the swinging bridge, and ultimately fly through the air on the 400-foot zipline.
Construction work by Redpoint Adventures on the new $36,000 Upper Elements Challenge Course, dubbed Goliath, ended just two weeks before camp started in Summer 2007. More than $26,000 of that money came from designated contributions. Boys and girls challenged Goliath almost every day. As one camper dismounted the zip-line, she said, “This made me realize that I’m not in control of my life, God is.”
New Snak Shak and Nurses Health Center
Thanks to volunteers from several BFC churches, under the leadership of our facility manager, John Masters, several major projects saw completion in the spring of 2007. Plateau Cabin was completely gutted inside and restructured to accomodate a combined Snak Shak/Gift Shop and larger health center. This freed up our former gift shop space, in Victory Hall, for use by our Valley Day Campers, as well as other groups year round.
More Improvements
The timber-and-brick outdoor staircase from the Game Room to the swimming pool was completely ripped out and rebuilt, replacing the rotting railroad ties. A guest room, for nurses and speakers, was completed in the basement of the modular home, offering the beauty and comfort of a nice hotel room. The second floor sleeping quarters in the Stone House were completely redecorated, and furnished thanks to volunteer workers. Even the Dining Hall is now graced with two lovely ceiling fan-lights. The camp beautification projects are coordinated, and much of the actual work is done, by Stephanie Ott, who also raises funds for the supplies through two annual scrap-booking and stamping retreats she initiated.
Increase in Campers
The total number of campers in Victory Valley’s summer programs increased this year, to 665, largely on the strength of a 33 percent increase in Valley Day Camp participation, our fastest growing program. An increase in children coming with church groups, often with adult chaperons, also contributed to the growth of our cabin Camp program. The ministry offers a significantly lower price for campers who come with groups in order to strengthen the children’s ministries of the local churches. We still have a way to go before we exceed our Summer 1999 enrollment of more than 1,000 campers.
Military Family Initiative
A new initiative by the Victory Valley Board to thank those who serve with the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan brought children to camp for free, and brought in unexpected contributions from 17 states and one foreign country which offset the costs. In addition to the joy of having these families at camp, TV news crews from Allentown and Philadelphia also visited to camp and told the story to their viewers.
Pastor & Missionary Family Discounts
Victory Valley continues to eagerly welcome the children of BFC pastors and missionaries who benefit from a large discount to make sure no child is “left behind”. Some are surprised to learn that if their family cannot afford the discounted price, we do whatever it takes to bring their children to camp. We never say ‘No’ and we want every child of a BFC pastor or missionary to spend a week at Victory Valley each summer. This camp is part of what brings us together as a denomination, ultimately helping us to become “an expanding fellowship of churches, united to make disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Summer Missionaries
Our Summer Missionary prayer-support teams continued to undergird this ministry. Through their prayers and money, they helped to train several dozen young people who sacrificed other opportunities in order to live for Christ in the presence of hundreds of boys and girls. Our 2007 Summer Missions leader, Jason Raines, is headed to East Africa in 2008 as a church-planter with the BFC’s Tanzania Project. At the end of the summer, the young Summer Missionaries whom Jason served unanimously decided to contribute from their small earnings, through the BFC Board of Missions, to help him get to Tanzania.
Strategic Plan
Thanks to financial commitments from several BFC churches Victory Valley’s Board of Directors entered into a strategic planning process this year, facilitated by the Center for Ministry Advancement of Souderton. Every church we asked said “Yes” — a measure of the importance of children in the life and future of our local BFC churches. At this writing, the board has examined results of a survey of BFC pastors and campers parents, has honed in on four areas of focus, and has begun to develop plans to address these areas. This faith-filled re-imagination of the ministry will likely lead to redesign of our facilities and significant new construction, as well as other changes to better equip us to serve the church and parents; helping them to make disciples of children in this rapidly-changing world.
Rental Groups
The facilities of Victory Valley Camp continue to attract church and community groups for all kinds of opportunities such as week-long and weekend retreats, to picnics, Challenge Course adventure sessions, and a variety of both indoor and outdoor sporting events. Victory Hall, in winter and early spring, gets almost nightly use by community sports organizations.
Aunt Donna Departs
Donna Bauer, formerly Meng, retired from Victory Valley Camp in February 2007 after almost 30 years of service, most recently as assistant director. Her farewell party packed the Dining Hall for hours, as former campers, summer staff and others came to say thanks to the woman who will always be ‘Aunt Donna’. Her creativity, as well as her ability and willingness to do almost anything, helped to sustain this ministry for decades. She made a meaningful impact in the lives of thousands of boys and girls, and the young leaders she trained. The Board of Victory Valley Camp is grateful for her dedication.
Board of Victory Valley Camp: Douglas J. Manwiller, Chairman; Bruce A. Ellingson, Vice Chairman; Timothy D. Weaber, Secretary; Dennis W. Spinney, Treasurer; Timothy J. Bertolet, Jason J. Englehart, Alan G. Miller, Rachel E. Norris, Rodney P. Plows
Scott G. Ott, Director