2020 Year-End Update
“It’s 2020, would you expect anything different?” my friend commented in response to a story I shared, as it concluded on a negative note. Doubtless, you’ve heard something similar this year, likely multiple times, and maybe words those words have even become part of your vocabulary recently. Perhaps you have told or heard a humorous anecdote where the year 2020 was the punch line of the joke. Then there are the memes, many worth passing around, gleefully awaiting the end of 2020 as if the ball dropping will change everything.
I will not dispute that this year has been a hard one, challenging, and often unpleasant. At Rock Mountain Bible Camp the greatest difficulty was being able to serve only a fraction of the campers and guests that we would have liked. The way we serve has been altered by protocols and procedures that sometimes feel burdensome. But pause with me before writing off 2020 as a total disaster.
I think of this summer’s Teen Camp and the campers who responded to the Gospel; they will remember 2020 as more than an unusual school year, but as the year when their eternity was changed. A young woman, a student at a Christian college who feels God’s tug toward vocational ministry, served as a counselor and reported the effects of her time at Rock Mountain: learning to trust God, seeing Him work through her as she discipled the girls in her care and delighting in their response to the Word of God. She had life impacting experiences difficult to duplicate in 2020’s virtual classrooms. Then there is the youth pastor on a solo retreat spending some sabbatical time in Pickering Lodge*. He, like many campground guests, used Rock Mountain as a place of respite from the pressures in this season of COVID-19 and the stresses it adds to families and ministries. I rejoice that God has allowed many opportunities to come alongside people, worked in lives, and preserved the ministry of Rock Mountain during 2020.
Transparently, the only area of our ministry which I would describe as stereotypical of “2020” and its negative associations, would be the checkbook. We are an organization that historically covers the vast majority of our operational costs through camper and guest registrations. This year has been negatively impacted by our inability to gather people at camp because of shutdowns and reduced capacity. God is faithful and gracious and is providing for our financial needs; maybe part of His provision will come through you. I recognize that for some, giving now is impossible. No doubt, many of the ministries you care about are in similar situations. All I ask is that you prayerfully consider if Rock Mountain Bible Camp is one of those you are able to invest in. Usually this time of year we request contributions for a particular project or scholarships, this time I’m asking for your unrestricted gift for operational expenses; funds to be used for staff salaries, utilities, and the host of expenses that occur whether every bunk is full or we are social distancing.
Please give in the manner most convenient for you: Checks payable to Rock Mountain Bible Camp may be mailed to the address on the letterhead and a form to give by credit card may be found at www.rockmountainbiblecamp.org/give
By the way, I am looking forward to 2021, not as a meme or way to escape but as a new season to see God at work through camp ministry.
Anticipating,
Richie Robb
Executive Director
November 25, 2020
* Pickering Lodge is a newly offered resource for families, individuals, and small groups. Available late October to mid-May, this heated single-family home features 3 bedrooms for up to 6 guests, 2 full bathrooms, living room and kitchen, as well as covered sunroom and deck. www.rockmountainbiblecamp.org/campground/pickering-lodge/