I spent the last three days backpacking the Big South, which goes along the headwaters of the Cache La Poudre river and is a new backpacking route for Sky Ranch. It was the first time that I have been able to get out on trail all summer long and it renewed my love of and conviction for the power of backpacking for retreat and renewal. For me, backpacking is the great joy of getting to feel your muscles work hard and your breath deepen; an appreciation of silence and laughter; the warmth of community (in this case, my wife and two dogs); simply: Time apart in the glories of creation.
I’ve included a few quick photos for those of you who–like me, before this weekend–are burdened by the day to day and haven’t yet had a chance to get away.
And a quick plug: Digital Photography weekend is September 17th – 19th. $125 per participant. Call our office for more details.
The search committee for a new Executive Director has entered the final stage in the search process. Over the past several months, the committee has reviewed resumes, conducted phone interviews, and narrowed the field down to three candidates. These three candidates have all since participated in an in-person interview and site visit. In the next several weeks, the committee will be meeting to prayerfully consider each of the candidates.
Please keep our Executive Search Committee in your thoughts and prayers. Look for our summer newsletter at the end of the month for more information about the Executive Director position and a timeline for having an individual in place.
This is an important moment in the life of Sky Ranch: May God be with the committee members as they discern the future of this great ministry!
For the past four days, members of Christ Lutheran Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado have been leaving their mark at Sky Ranch by adopting Stringfellow, one of our oldest and most run down cabins. The transformation of Stringfellow in this short time is incredible to say the least.
The list of projects includes:
Tearing off the old deck and building a new deck, twice the size (and a fair bit nicer);
Engineering and implementing a drainage system around the cabin;
Taking off all the old tar paper on the back of the cabin and replacing it with new paper, plastic, sheets of OSB, and new slab wood;
New painted ceilings in three rooms;
Demo and replacement of framing that had been eaten by ants;
New light fixtures in the rooms and outside;
Painting walls in two of the rooms;
New curtains throughout;
And the list goes on and on–Frankly the pictures will tell the story better than this long list!
Thank you so much to each of the individuals who gave of their time and energy to make such a significant impact at Sky Ranch. And thank you to Christ Lutheran Church for the continued partnership and support of the Sky Ranch ministry!
We have been having one fantastic summer up at Sky Ranch. Here are a few more photos of the fun.
Have you already been to camp this summer? We would love to hear from you. At the end of summer, I will post stories from campers, sponsors, and other guests. Email your stories to Andy at Andy@SkyRanchColorado.org.
This week at Sky Ranch we are LIVING THE EXODUS! This is a new program at Sky Ranch and we are so excited to see it kick off. Throughout the week I will be sharing stories and pictures from this great experience. Keep checking back to keep up with the fun!
Greetings from the mountains! Last week marked the official beginning of summer at Sky Ranch with our first week of camp. We had Seekers Confirmation Camp on site, the Youth Go! leadership program, and two Traveling Day Camps, in Longmont and Fort Collins. It was a terrific start to the summer, with lots of energy and laughter.
Here are some photos from the various goings on of last week! I will be posting more photos, so keep checking back!
Yesterday evening, Spirit of Joy in Fort Collins, CO sponsored a wonderful gathering of friends of camp entitled “BBQ & Bluegrass.” It was an evening full of great music, great food, and great fellowship attended by over 300. Throughout the evening, various individuals shared with the group the power of the Sky Ranch ministry and the importance of Sky Ranch in their lives. All the while, the 2010 Sky Ranch summer staff, wearing their tie dye shirts, shared the joy of camp through conversation, laughter, and song. All in all, it was a fantastic evening.
A wonderful thanks to the many members of Spirit of Joy who put in many hours of work to make this evening such a success. Also, a special thanks to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent members for offering matching funds for the event and to Paul Caylor, a financial consultant for Thrivent, for providing all of the paper products. All total, the event raised over $4200, with much of the money marked to help off-set the cost of camp for those unable to afford the total tuition.
Here are some photos of the evening, with more coming. -Andy
For the last two weeks, 37 individuals from around the US and Madagascar have been laughing and crying together, dancing and praying together, worshipping and playing dodgeball together, slowly forming the community that will be this year’s summer staff. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind, with sessions on risk management, Bible study, song leading, kitchen duty, specialist programming, day hikes, high ropes, prayer practice, policy and procedure, group games, and deck time, among many others. As the training comes to an end, I am excited to have campers arrive, to start sharing the joy of this place and this community. Already I know, it is going to be a fantastic summer of watching faith develop in the youth and adults that get to spend a week with us.
Enjoy these photos from the past two weeks. Also check out http://skyranchcolorado.org/skyranch_testimonials.htm to see videos of our staff sharing their story of why they are at camp and why Sky Ranch is such an important place for them (videos will be added over the next two weeks as I find time to edit them down!.
