SON-Life Camp

Another Summer Is History

2010-08-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

With another summer in the books, we here at SON-Life would like to first of all say THANK-YOU! Thank you to everyone who was involved here at camp in some way, shape, or form. If you were here physically or just praying for us, you were a huge help in making this summer a success. This summer seemed to fly by and it would of been impossible without all your help.

This summer we had the honor of investing in the lives of just over 200 kids. We are very thankful for each one of those kids that came and for their parents, for allowing them to come.

Once again we just want to say a big thank-you to everyone who is involved with SON-Life Camp.

In Christ,
The SON-Life Team

Start The Countdown

2010-06-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hello folks!

Well we are now into the great month of June. This is the month where the busyness begins. Retreat groups fill the place on weekends, the campground is filled with campers enjoying Gods creation, and our summer camp program begins. We want to take this time to invite you out to camp for SUMMERFEST. This year, SUMMERFEST will be taking place on June 19th. It will begin at 2pm. We have so many activities for all ages. Come bring out your family to try out the blob as well as just using our waterfront for a fun swim time. We will also have kid games and face painting. The afternoon will be capped off with a pig roast and auction with all the proceeds going towards the ministry of SON-Life Camp. Please come out and join us for this amazing family event.

God has been blessing SON-Life Camp in many ways recently. One of those ways is the chance that we have had to give a "face-lift" to a couple different buildings. As you saw in our last post, the meeting room in the retreat center as well as the bathrooms got a little makeover. Since then, our dining hall has been tiled. We have had new windows installed and the walls have been painted. There are just a couple little things that need to be finished still. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 19. We will post pictures on here of everything when its all said in done. If you would join us in giving thanks for the people who donated supplies and time to this project.

In other news, our summer staff is here and working on preparing for this summer. They are all very excited to start camp. We have had many fun memories already made as a staff during this week of training. The staff is building relationships with each other and are beginning to make friendships that will continue to grow throughout the summer. We ask that you continue to pray for our staff as they finish out this week of training. Pray that they will have clear minds as they begin this summer. Pray for safety for all of them as they do this tough job.

We want to thank you for all the support that you all have given. For the prayers, the thoughts, anything else that you guys do, we are very thankful. The harvest is full, and our staff is ready to work the fields and make the seeds grow.

In Christ,

The SON-Life Team

Summer Is Almost Here

2010-04-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Once again, it has been some time since we updated so we thought we'd share a little bit about what has been going on at SON-Life Camp. We have had a lot going on over the past couple months so its hard to find a place to begin. On April 7 & 8 we had the privilege to host a work group from Second Byron CRC in Byron Center. They did an amazing job renovation our retreat center meeting room as well as the bathrooms. They stripped the wallpaper off the walls and then repainted. They took out the old orange counter-tops and replaced them with new ones. They also stripped wallpaper in the bathrooms and applied paint to the walls and ceilings. Here are couple pictures of their work here.

We want to say a big thank you to all those from Second Byron CRC for spending their time from Spring Break here and making a big difference.

On Saturday April 10, we hosted a Spring Cleaning Day. We were overjoyed at the fact that almost 50 people were here at one point or another on that day. We had two groups of people working on splitting and stacking wood, another group was putting compost in the flower beds, and another group went around cleaning. There were many other small, but important projects that got done as well. We want to thank everyone for their service to help clean up camp and be ready for an amazing summer.

Speaking of summer, we have hired our summer staff and are excited or May 7-8 when they come together for the very first time for our Staff Bash. Staff Bash is a time for our staff to come together and meet each other and receive some information before coming back in June for orientation. Be in prayer for the staff as they begin this new journey.

A few other areas that you can be in prayer for are:

- Summer Camp: For kids to return to SON-Life and for new kids to be introduced to SON- Life and once again for summer staff as they teach these kids how to live a Christ-like life.

- Retreat Groups: For the retreat groups that are scheduled to come, and for groups to rent out of facilities.

- Retiree's Week: May 10-14 we have a group of retiree's that will be out here working to

help prepare camp for summer, pray for safety for all involved.

- SON-Life Camp overall: Pray that we may be a light on a hill shining for all to see and that

we may be able to impact many lives and change their lives through Christ!

Thank you all for your support

In Christ,

The SON-Life Camp Team

With A New Year Comes A New Look

2010-01-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

2010 has come upon us and at SON-Life Camp we are very excited for what God has in store for our ministry. It has been a while since our blog was updated so why don't we do a little catching up. SON-Life Camp is excited to introduce Paul Riemersma as our new Program Director. Paul comes to us with 4 years experence as summer staff here at SLC. Paul will be working part-time during the school year as he attends Kuyper College. When the summer time comes rolling around, Paul will join us full-time during the summer months and will be in charge of the program of summer camp. As much as we are happy to have Paul on board, we also have had to say goodbye to a beloved staff memeber. Ben Gladhill has moved to the great state of Pennsylvania to be an assistant director at a camp out there. We want to wish him the best of luck has he turns the page in his life and begins a new chapter. We also have recently had a volunteer mailing day.

We had abou 15 volunteers help us with our summer camp brochure mailing. We want to thank our volunteers for the time and energy that they have put toward SON-Life and most importantly our father in heaven. Finally, the snow has been falling at SLC and that fact makes us excited for "SNOWBOUND", which is our winter retreat for kids ages 10-14. We pray that God will work in the hearts of campers and have them have a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ. Will you pray along with us now and during the event taking place Jan. 22-24. Thank you very much!

Scrapbooking Retreat November 2009

2009-11-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

What a fun weekend all of us ladies had. We had a great time of catching up with old friends that we have made during the past 5+ years of hosting these events and meeting many new friends as well. I have to admit, this retreat has always been a highlight for me. I really love all the ladies that have come year after year, I feel like we really are family. And this fall it was even better because we were able to invite more members into our family with 11 new ladies attending for the first time.

Most people were way more productive than I was finishing anywhere from 10 – 45 pages in their scrapbooks. (I didn’t even put down one picture but I did catch-up on some calendar stuff for my kids J) But, regardless of how much we did, we all had a fun time, at a TON of delicious food (thanks Brenda), and again, continued to build friendship with fellow sisters-in-Christ! Thanks ladies for coming and being part of the many ministries happening at SON-Life Camp.

I can’t wait until our next reunion in March (12th-13th if you want the date)!
Hope

FALL FAMILY FEST 2009

2009-10-27T10:23:00.001-07:00

We had a chilly but beautifully sunny day for Fall Family Fest October 17. This year was the first time we held this event. We had over 30 volunteers come to help for the day. We had a ton of different activities for families including: Hayrides, children’s story time, decorating pumpkins, fishing, boating, craft vendors, a live band, and snacks that everyone could enjoy.
So a special thanks to all our volunteers and families that came to spend the day with us at SON-Life Camp.

Thank you South Christian High School

2009-09-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last week at this time we had a great crew from South Christian High School out here to do work project for a couple of hours. What a great crew we had! They did a large amount of work for us which we really appreciate - I didn't hear any complaining, it was a joy to meet some of the young people in the area and see them willing to serve. I know that they had to do this for school but they made the best of it while they were here. Cleaning cabins, vehicles and taking out the Blob were their main projects and it was such a huge help to Ben and I. Also, a big thanks to Paul and Kendra for coming to camp and helping lead the different groups. Another blessing for camp - more great volunteers to help get things done.

Thanks again to everyone involved - you really are a blessing to this ministry!

Hope

Summer Camp Has Ended… But Ministry Is Still Happening

2009-08-31T10:56:00.001-07:00

Another summer has past here at SON-Life Camp. This year we had a ton of fun with our staff. Our theme this summer was “ON THE RUN.” Campers were challenged to run from evil and run toward Christ.
We had a total of 231 campers this summer. Over 85% of our campers left saying that they had grown closer to Christ. Seven campers met Christ for the first time, and many, many more left challenged. One camper was baptized during our Teen Extreme week and another said that they had made their faith their own during their week at camp.
God did amazing and wonderful things at SON-Life Camp this summer. However the ministry at SON-Life Camp did not end there.
Three more guest groups came to our facilities in the month of August.
First Voice of Hope Church and Wayland UMC held their campout in SON-Life Camp’s Daisy Park Campground. During their Sunday morning worship service 13 people were baptized. Praise God!
Belding High School football team came for their football camp early in August and enjoyed a great camp with cooler weather.
Heritage Baptist church held their annual Wilderness Weekend to kick off their year of youth ministry. 60 people attended. They played some awesome games and had great worship times too!
Finally the Korean United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor held a retreat this past weekend. While they had a small group they still enjoyed a great weekend at SON-Life Camp.
Be sure to keep up with our blog over the next few weeks as we WILL be updating with information regarding events happening this fall at SON-Life Camp like our first ever FALL FAMILY FEST being held on October 17th at camp.

Shhhh....quiet.

2009-08-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that summer camp is over. It is so quiet now it is hard to believe that only a week and a half ago there were kids here running around with the summer staff. After they left the football team came in - Go Belding!! What a great group of high schoolers they are, so respectful of each other, their coaches, our staff and facilities. I love working with them every year. From there we add in full weekends in the camp ground along with a few mid-week guests back there this place really hasn't stopped - until now. Yesterday and today are so quiet, a time for us to "be still" and reflect on what God has done through this ministry this summer. Many kids grew closer to Christ as we were "on the run" together; one camper was even baptized in the lake. What an amazing experience that was, her parents were able to come out and be a part of it and the excitement she had was tremendous! She came out of the water with tears in her eyes and said "I'm not crying because I'm sad - I'M PUMPED!" Truly an amazing summer when I look back and see what God did through our incredible summer team.

The quiet will not last long though. We are ready to have people arriving to the camp ground tomorrow and more families coming into the campground Friday. Also, a church group coming into the retreat area for the weekend will be welcome noise to this place. I can't wait to see how God continues to work through SON-Life Camp this fall!

Hope

Last week of camp

2009-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it. I am sitting here at my desk wondering where on earth the summer has gone. We are in our last week of camp and things are going good. After a chilly start yesterday morning we are in the midst of a beautiful day today to be at the beach. This week is day camp with campers who are entering 1st - 4th grade. Their energy is amazing - I love to hear them sing and dance around during Fusion. Their excitement for life is incredible, I just wish that I could be that passionate all the time for the things that I love doing too. This is just one of those times that I sit back and realize that I think I learn more from these campers than they learn from us. Isn't it great how God uses all of his children to make each other better?

Please pray for continued safety for camp this week.

Hope

Outpost Camp and Sunshine Community Church

2009-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

This is a different week for us but it has been good so far. I got a report from up north where our Outpost Campers are at and all is well. They had a good hike yesterday and on the river today rafting. I'm sure they are having a BLAST.

Here at camp, Sunshine Community Church is here and doing their own camp program for 5th - 8th graders. So far the weather has been great for them and all is going good. We did have to replace the well bladder in the dining hall which is an unexpected expense but it was better than not having water or having to replace the pump. We were thankful that Kraai well drilling was available right away to fix the problem. It would have been really bad to have 125 people here without water in the kitchen! Satan tries to get us all down when we are doing good for the Lord - thankfully we have God on our side. It was amazing the number of people that were praying for a quick fix and there it was. I am thankful to see how God continues to provide all that we need for this ministry.

Please continue to pray for our campers that are up-north and for the retreat group that is here. Lots of great things happening - lives being changed for the Lord!

Hope

Summer 2009

2009-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well, summer camp 2009 has all of us here at SON-Life Camp "On The Run"! With only 2 weeks of camp left after this week we can not believe how fast this summer has gone. Our theme this summer is "On The Run" based on 1 Timothy 6:11 where we are learning how to run away from evil things and run towards things such as rightousness, godliness, gentleness, faithfulness and living the way that God would desire for us.

Many campers have come to camp and we have had a great time swimming, playing field games, and learning more about Jesus. What a joy it is to watch campers and staff having fun and learning more about themselves and God in his amazing creation.

This week we have out teen campers here and they are having a blast. I love to hear a few of them sing for their mail at supper time. Right now I hear the speed boat pulling tubers on the lake. The "girlie" screams that echo across the lake always make me smile. Mike Bell, from Northwest Community Church just outside of Chicago, is here this week challenging the kids in the evenings during our FUSION times and many exciting things are happening through those lessons.

The past 2 weekends we have had 2 large church groups here where the families have really enjoyed spending time getting to know eachother in a deeper way and drawing closer to God. Daisy Park Campground has also hosted many families who loved to cook over the open fire and spend some time in the woods away from the hustle and bustle of home. What a joy it is to be able to serve churches and families in this way!

Thanks for checking in - please keep camp in your prayers. We ask for safety and continued growth for each person that comes to camp and for the ministry as a whole.

Running for the Lord,
Hope

Summer 2009

2009-07-23T10:39:00.007-07:00

Summer 2009

2009-07-23T10:39:00.005-07:00

Summer 2009

2009-07-23T10:39:00.003-07:00

Summer 2009

2009-07-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

SNOWBOUND 2009

2009-01-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

On the weekend of January 23-25, 40 campers and staff embarked ON A MISSION at SON-Life Camp’s 2009 Winter Camp entitled SNOWBOUND.
We had a blast in the cold winter weather doing a ton of activities like: tubing, playing hockey & football, hanging out in the game room, warming up with hot chocolate, playing Goldrush, life-sized Clue and so much more. Check out son-lifecamp.org for more pictures from SNOWBOUND!
Mike Bell of Northwest Christian Community and SON-Life Camp’s own Ben Gladhill brought our FUSION lessons this weekend challenging us with Jesus Mission. Friday night we looked a who Jesus is. Saturday we talked about how Jesus was born to be wild, and challenges us to live a wild life for him. Saturday evening we saw how Jesus Mission was accomplished I his death. We wrapped up on Sunday with how Jesus calls us to be part of his mission, to reach the world for Christ.
Our weekend had fun and exciting times of worshiping God! A special thanks to Downfall from Northwest Christian Community for providing our worship music for the weekend. They brought new songs and energy to our worship times. They even teamed up with our staff for a little humor throughout the weekend!
If you missed SNOWBOUND 2009… we’re sorry you missed out on the fun. But keep you eyes open for information on Summer Camp 2009 and Snowbound 2010! Hope to see you there!

Another Snow Day

2008-12-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

It is another snowy day at SON-Life Camp! I think we got around 4-6 inches of snow overnight and it is still falling.
I heard a group of geese, who apparently waited too long to fly south, squaking to find their way through the snowy weather. It made me laugh!
ALSO... Don't miss SON-Life Camp in the Wayland or Hastings parades this Saturday!

Ben

Winter Is Here!

2008-12-02T06:02:00.001-08:00

It is official, winter has finally come to SON-Life Camp. It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were holding summer camp with 90 degree weather, blue skies, and plenty of fun at the waterfront.

The winter weather does make it feel like Cristmas should be on the way.

Be sure to look for the SON-Life camp bus in the Hastings, MI Christmas parade and in the Wayland, MI Christmas parade this coming Saturday December 6th. We will be decorating the bus for the parade and giving out our 2009 summer camp brochures.

Yes you read correctly, our summer 2009 brochures are in. They will be mailed out to past campers the first week in January. If you would like a brochure you can contact the camp office and we will be sure to send one your way.

Also don't forget that SNOWBOUND SLC's winter camp is January 23-25. If you are interested in coming or need a registration form, contact our office.

May God Bless you and your family this Christmas season!

'Tis The Season

2008-11-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

‘Tis the season.
It has been a while since I last updated the SLC blog site, so I thought I would put a few things up today.
Last weekend we held our Fall Ladies Scrapbooking Retreat. We had 18 ladies, come for a fun and relaxing weekend of filling pages in their scrapbooks. I popped in for a few minutes to pick my wife up a little early and it always amazes me how intricate and detailed they make their scrapbooks. Way to go ladies!
Two weeks ago we closed the campground and began the long process of cleaning up leaves, winterizing facilities etc. Despite rainy and colder weather we had a hard working crew come out to help us with projects. Projects included removing rafts & docks from the waterfront, winterizing the campground, and leaf removal.
This weekend marks our last officially scheduled retreat group for 2008. We had a great year with many new and returning faces to our facilities. There are still many dates open for the remainder of this year and in 2009 for retreats. Check out our webpage for more information on rates and facilities information.
Within the next few weeks we will be installing our Ice Rink, and beginning the Game Room project. Not sure what the Game Room project is? This past summer our summer campers raised money to help renovate our game room. While it is a fun room we wanted to dress it up a little bit and repair games, etc. So check back as we update the status on what’s going on with the game room.

Summer Makes a Comeback

2008-10-13T17:09:00.001-07:00

Today at SLC Summer tried to make a comeback! Among the many cool days with the trees changing color, today brought a near 80 degree high with plenty of sunshine.

We had a few visitors outside the Retreat Center on Friday in the form of two deer. They have been hanging around lately and were content to eat their acorns and wander around the cabin area.

Also watch your mailbox, the latest SLC Newsletter should be coming your way in the next few days.

Finally I will be trying to update this blog site at least every other week throughout the year.

Last Minutes Before the Golf Marathon

2008-09-11T17:13:00.001-07:00

The 2008 SON-Life Camp Golf Marathon is rapidly approaching.
This year we have 9 teams golfers & caddies ready to hit the course for 100 holes in a day.
If you are interested in supporting a golfer in this fundraiser, please contact SON-Life Camp at 269-792-2081 or sonlife@accn.org.

Also be praying for great weather and safety for our staff and golfers on Monday September 15.

Ben

Red Briar Stain and High School Students

2008-09-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today, 27 students from South Christian High School in Grand Rapids came to SON-Life Camp to do a service project for SON-Life Camp.

They divided into 7 teams to tackle the project of restaining our Cabins. The students spent the morning staining not only the cabins but also each other. I think all of the students enjoyed themselves, and we really appreciate the willingness and awesome attitudes of the students.

We wound up the morning sharing the last of the Slush Puppies from the Snack Shack!

While they are in good shape, a fresh coat of stain makes them look so nice. Thanks so much South Christian High.

Ben

Summer 2008

2008-07-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Summer Camp 2008

It has been a long time since I’ve updated our blog site with what has been going on at camp. So now that I had a rare few moments without something pressing I thought I would let you all know what is going on.

We are definitely in full swing with Summer Camp 2008. Our theme this summer is Radically Transformed. Our younger campers learned about how God Radically Transformed the Apostle Paul’s Life. And our Junior High campers this week are learning how to live a radically transformed life from Romans 12.
It has been a very busy and fun summer. At this point we have 296 campers registered for camp this summer. This week we have 20 Junior Highers. We have a ton of activities planned for this week. Today we spent plenty of time in the water, and as I am writing this just finished a hour and a half of dodgeball. It was a pretty intense game, yet fun.
There are a few pictures attached here so you can see what has been going on at camp this summer. Keep checking back for more updates and pictures.
Ben

SNOWBOUND 2008

2008-02-04T18:42:00.001-08:00

Unlocking the Mystery!

We had perfect weather and a ton of fun last weekend. After a few last minute speed bumps the weekend started with a bang. We played a ton of winter games including hockey, football in the snow, and spent a ton of time Tubing and even played a life-sized game of Clue.
Downfall, the Senior High worship band from Northwest Christian Community Church did an awesome job leading worship. Everyone seemed to love having them for the weekend. They did a great job of getting the campers to sing along throughout the weekend.
We also learned about how searching for truth, who God is, what redemption is, and what Heaven is like is a journey of learning and growing. We may not always find a definite answer and but it is the process of learning that is so awesome!
By Saturday evening we were all worn out from a day filled with activities. We thought that some of the kids were going to fall asleep standing up!
In all we had an awesome weekend.
Mark you calendars, SNOWBOUND is coming back for 2009!!!

Ready or not winter is here

2007-12-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

Winter has come to SON-Life Camp! I always enjoy the first fresh snowfall of the season. So I thought I would let you all see the other side of SON-Life Camp, the white winter side.

Be sure to check us out in the Wayland Christmas parade this coming Saturday December 8th.

Also if you haven's signed up for Unlocking the Mystery do so soon!!! The registration deadline is coming up quickly! You can find a brochure and registration for at our website!!!

Scrapbooking Retreat

2007-11-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

What a fun time we had at the ladies fall scrapbooking retreat! There were 31 ladies all cropping, pasting, cutting, and remembering family and friends for a full 24 hours of scrapbooking. I always find it to be so enjoyable to walk around and see what other women are working on. Some were working on fun trips they took as a family, some on albums of their children, and some on wedding pictures from 20 year ago! What fun and meaningful memories to preserve and share with the people around. That is one of my favorite things to do – listen to others as they share their story. Some stories are sad and hard to hear, yet amazing when we look deeply at it and see God’s hand in the whole thing. Other stories are exciting and full of laughter, another great avenue to see God’s love and know that he is laughing with us as we enjoy the people He put into our lives. All in all, a great time was had by all who came. A final thought and word of encouragement to all of you fellow scrapbookers – remember to share your faith in your books. A simple verse or story to share God’s grace, love and mercy in our albums now may affect generations to come in way we may never know.

Happy Scrapping!
Hope

Fall is Here!!!

2007-10-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, its hard to think that Summer Camp ended almost 3 months ago. Even though it stayed warm until mid October, that summer weather has finally given way to the cooler fall temps. Today I took a golf cart ride around camp to capture some of the fall scenes and it was just a little chilly.
I have to say I enjoy fall much more than Spring. Even though with spring comes new life, fall is just an enjoyable season for me. Also the vast array of colors that paint our world as the trees change. It reminds me of how creative an artist our God is. Fall is also a time to regroup and start planning for the year to come.
This coming Saturday and Monday (Oct 27 & 29) is our Fall Work Day at SON-Life Camp. If you are available and would like to help us clean camp up a bit before a busy winter we would love to have you.
Also the Scrapbooking retreat is being held November 3-4 at SON-Life Camp. It always proves to be a fun time for ladies to catch up on those scrapbooking pages you’ve been meaning to do. If you haven’t registered yet, be sure to do so soon. If you need any information on it please check out our website or contact us at camp.
Well… Happy Fall to you and check back often. I am going to try to update every week or so with what’s new at camp.
IN HIS GRIP,
BEN

GOLF MARATHON

2007-09-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday we held our annual Golf Marathon Fundraiser. We had a total of 6 teams of golfers and caddies that received sponsorships for playing 100 holes of golf in a day. Each of our golfers completed the 100 hole goal raising over $14,000 for camp. Thanks to all who helped out, played or sponsored our golfers.

It was an absolutely beautiful day for golf. And I even tried my hand a playing this year. Let me say that after 545 strokes and 50 holes personally, it was a little tiring, but still a blast. You'll also find a few pictures of the event here too!!

BEN