Once again, it is time to hit the road. For the next two weeks, Brad and Andy will be on the road recruiting passionate young adults for the 2012 Sky Ranch Summer Staff. Below is the schedule and schools that they will be visiting–if you know someone at one of those schools who would make an excellent addition to the summer staff, encourage them to stop by the Sky Ranch table.
Please keep Brad and Andy and our future summer staff in your prayers, as decisions are made and plans formed in the build up to summer. Camp is just around the corner!
2012 Recruiting Schedule
Feb 9 & 10 – Pacific Lutheran, Tacoma, WA
Feb 14 – Augustana, Sioux Falls, SD
Feb 15 & 16 – Luther, Decorah, IA
Feb 20 – St. Olaf, Northfield, MN
Feb 21 – Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, MN
Feb 22 – Wartburg, Waverly, IA
Sky Ranch is excited to share a new promotional video for the 2012 camping season. Please enjoy and share with your friends! We hope it gets everyone excited about the great summer of ministry soon to begin at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp!
Steve Miller, Sky Ranch’s Property Manager for the past five years, has resigned this month. We are grateful to Steve for allowing God to use his gifts so generously at Sky Ranch and Sleepy Owl. The impact of Steve’s hard work, with the help of many volunteers, can be seen all around Sky Ranch. We pray for Steve and wish him well in his new ventures. The Board will be evaluating the Property Manager position as it currently exists at its next meeting in January.
A week after a wind storm hit Sky Ranch with 100 MPH winds, Brad and Steve made their way up to Sky Ranch to begin the process of removing trees from buildings. They arrived to discover many new trees down and still no power at camp. Walking around camp, they discovered downed lines in the campground and trees leaning up against the wires on the trail out of camp.
The forest service should be up in the area tomorrow, cleaning up downed trees that are blocking to road. The hope is that Steve will be able to get to camp, and slowly begin the process of cleaning up. Once trees have been removed from buildings, our insurance company will be able to assess the damage.
Looking forward, the plan is to host several volunteer clean up weekends in January, March, and April. With helpful hands, we will be able to cut up trees, pile and burn the slash, and turn the logs into firewood. We will send out more information regarding these weekends after the holidays.
Life is good; God is good. Always. Despite the wind and the damage at camp, there is much to give thanks for this time of year–for the great ministry of Sky Ranch, for the many lives that have been touched and changed, and for the opportunities of tomorrow, as we all work together for Sky Ranch.
This past weekend a wind storm roared through Sky Ranch with wind gusts up to 100 mph! The storm left hundreds of trees down, all around the Sky Ranch property. And while we have thousands of dead beetle kill trees around camp, it was mostly green trees, full of needles and wind-resistence, that fell.
A group from Christ Lutheran Church, Highlands Ranch was at camp for a confirmation retreat when the storm hit. Fortunately, no one was injured and the group was in good spirits. Camp lost power Saturday evening and, when it hadn’t been restored by 8:00 am the next morning, the group decided it was time to go. Only to get out of camp, the group, lead by Gary Knutson, had to hack their way through 17 trees, primarily on Tom Bennett hill. And yes, the thought of Gary with an ax should be terrifying to all.
Power wont be restored to camp for another couple days. There is substantial damage around camp. A tree behind the lodge fell through the roof of the tool shed and onto a car from the CLC group. The vehicle has a crushed roof and shattered windshield. Another tree fell through the roof of the woodshed behind the lodge. There is damage to platform tents and numerous signs around camp. However, perhaps the most dramatic, the large Douglas Fir in front of the Backpack Center is now on the BPC roof.
We are working with the insurance company to assess the damage. At first it was said that this might fall under “ACT OF GOD;” however, we all know God is merciful . . . and our shower house doesn’t have a single scratch! Regardless, this spring there will be a lot of work to be done to clean up trees all around camp. As soon as we identify work weekends, we will let everyone know how they can help.
Here are photos of the damage. Prayers of thanksgiving that no one was injured, that the group made it out safely, and that there isn’t more damage.
During the last weekend in September, participants in the Digital Photography Weekend got to experience the wonder of Colorado fall colors at Sky Ranch. The colors couldn’t have been better and they were able to get some great images. Here is just a taste of some of the photos they captured.
We are excited to announce the birth of Sophia Marie Sprain. Sophia is the daughter of Andy (Associate Director of Sky Ranch) and Erin. Sophia was born on September 26, at 1:06 pm. She was 6 lbs 14.5 oz and 20.25 in long. While she was slightly jaundice and needed a bili-blanket, she is healthy and filling their home with great joy. In fact, she was so excited . . . she waited just four days before her first visit to Sky Ranch–a future camper in the works.
Thank you to everyone for the prayers and well-wishes.
This past weekend the Sky Ranch Board of Directors had a retreat at camp. As part of the retreat, the board approved the 2012 Program Schedule and Pricing. While the calendar remained fairly consistent with 2011, changes to the schedule included:
Moving a Seekers Confirmation Camp week from July to June and an All Ages week from June to July. With the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering, the thought is to focus on congregational programs in June and more individual programs in July.
Sky Ranch will be offering the Ride with the Ranch Bust Trip to the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering. The bus trip will pick up congregations throughout the Rocky Mountain Synod, as we build community and do outreach on the way to the Gathering.
A new High School focused week was added at the end of the summer. This additional week–from August 5 – 10–will offer a program where high school participants get to stay in the cabins and partake of the numerous adventure and program options that Sky Ranch offers.
Staff in Training has gone from a three week program to a one week training, followed by volunteer opportunities throughout the summer. The goal is to open up this program to more participants by making scheduling a bit less restrictive (the previous three week program was difficult for people to attend).
Online registration for 2012 will open on October 1, 2011. Groups reservation can be made by calling our office at 970-493-5258.
Let the planning begin for another great summer of ministry!
Last Friday brought an end to the 2011 summer camping season at Sky Ranch. After a wonderful summer of ministry, of sharing the good news with campers and peers alike, the staff had a chance to celebrate the many meaningful moments of their summer together. After a quick cleaning of camp, the staff got dressed up to enjoyed a fabulous meal prepared by Gary Knutson (Christ, Highlands Ranch). After dinner, we had a closing worship and an end of the summer slideshow. Finally, we finished the evening with midnight high ropes under a sky of brightly shining stars.
As the summer wraps up, we all give thanks for the ministry of Sky Ranch and the many lives that were touched this summer. We give thanks that all of our campers were kept safe and that the light of Christ was shared with so many. We give thanks for everyone that has kept the Sky Ranch staff, campers, guests, and programs in their prayers this entire summer. Finally, we give thanks for these 42 young adults that have spent their summer singing songs, playing games, cleaning bathrooms, going on day hikes, encouraging campers up the high ropes course, and sharing their faith so freely with those around them.
As the summer comes to an end, please continue to keep the ministries of Sky Ranch in your prayers . . . and enjoy some photos from the staff’s final night together.
It’s been a summer filled with rainbows—we started out the week with yet another rainbow over the sky. Monday was our annual community dinner where campers, sponsors, and staff have the opportunity to come together and form the base of a community. This takes place at the rec area where kids play volleyball, basketball, gaga ball, and the ever popular dress up your counselor. Dress up your counselor you ask? O yes, this is a chance for the campers to use clothes from our costume closet and dress up their counselor while slathering their face with face paint. As you can imagine the kids love it and so do the counselors. After 10 minutes the campers line the path that serves as the cat walk; the music begins and the counselors represent their cabin the best way they know how with their best walk. At the end the judges meet to choose the best and most creatively dressed counselor. Winners are awarded as marker to sign the “Sky Ranch Log O’ Pride” a bright pink log that says just that, “Sky Ranch Log O’ Pride.” It’s fun for all and serves as a great ending to community dinner.
We are entering our second session of Round-Up and are greeting a few familiar faces from Traveling Day Camp week 1. Our Round-Up program gives 1st through 3rd graders the opportunity to experience everything Sky Ranch has to offer in the span of 2 days. This week we have about 37 round up campers between the 2 sessions split up into a male cabin and a female cabin. At community dinner, round up has the added challenge of dressing up 2 counselors. The girls rose to the challenge and dressed their counselors up in one outfit complete with one shirt, one shirt, and a fishing cap. Currently, they are playing a game of frogger in the lodge as we wait in anticipation for the rest of the group to arrive.
The evenings are filled with the kitchen staff singing at the top of their lungs and let me tell you we have ourselves quite the kitchen staff trio here at Sky Ranch, Brad would be proud.
