Dear Partners & Friends of HYC,
I write to you this month with a heart full of mixed emotions. While there is great excitement and anticipation for the future, it is combined with an equal amount of sadness and even loss. Beginning in the summer of 2023 and beyond, the ministry of Hiawatha Youth Camp will take place in a new location. We are leaving what has been our home of the last 60+ years as we feel the Lord has clearly directed us that it is time for HYC to move on from the shores of Piatt Lake.
I know that as you read those words, it seems unimaginable that Hiawatha would ever have a change of address. Many of you have supported the ministry for decades, attended camp, served on staff, sent your kids and grandkids, and continue to be a vital part of what we do. Please know that it is our heartfelt prayer you’ll continue to do all those things.
I also know it’s quite likely you may be reading this letter, and asking, “how on earth could this happen?” Allow me to attempt in a God-honoring way, to provide answer that will summarize the situation.
HYC sits on land owned by the Piatt Lake Bible Conference Association (PLBCA). For 60 years, we have “leased” the land for the extremely low and generous amount of $10 per year. In return, the belief was that the Billy Walker Evangelistic Association provided PLBCA with an impactful ministry that allowed Piatt Lake to maintain certain religious organization protections and privileges.
In April of next year, our current lease expires. While some considered renewal of that lease automatic at 10 year intervals, others on the PLBCA board did not, and felt there was a need to greatly revise the parameters of the lease in a multitude of ways that we were not able to accept.
The negotiation process has been ongoing for several months and at each step of the way, I’ve asked the Lord to clearly lead us in the direction he would have us go. I could fill page after page with additional details about conversations, emails, Zoom meetings, challenges, tears, and a myriad of emotions, in trying to maintain a partnership that has stretched across several decades, not to mention generations of family. But in the past few weeks, the Lord has provided a very clear answer when our final attempts at reaching agreement with PLBCA fell short of gaining their approval.
This decision was not made lightly or solely by me. Our Board voted overwhelmingly to follow the Lord’s leading to find a new home for HYC. Many of them have had cottages around the lake for generations. Like you, they themselves have been campers and staff members, and now find themselves parents and grandparents of the same. These have been emotional days for our leadership team and staff, and even more so for our family. My Great-Grandfather was one of the founding members of Piatt and sold many of the initial lots to cottage owners. My Grandfather was one of the first to use the conference grounds for camp ministry back in the early 50’s, and the one who named Hiawatha. After his passing, I would be the one to accompany my grandmother up to her cabin weeks before the camping season would start, because she still loved being there more than anywhere else. And of course, my dad, with a passion that combined his love for Christ and his gift of evangelism with an incredible desire for the Spirit of God to make a difference in the lives of young people directed for nearly 5 decades. God used him, my mom and this ministry to be a launching point for the gospel to literally go around the world. For Lora and me, these past 11 years have been about continuing that legacy and endeavoring to get teenagers excited about their relationship with Jesus. We have loved Piatt Lake and the rich traditions and heritage there. Moving elsewhere was not the direction we sought but the challenge to continue the mantle of ministry we have, leads us to be incredibly excited to see where the Lord leads us.
With that in mind, please read this and help spread the word to your family, church, neighbors, and those who will be sending kids to camp in 2023 – Hiawatha Youth Camp will be alive and well next summer. Our staff is enthused and excited to discover a new home, create unique memories and traditions, and to be used by the Lord to accomplish exactly what He wants to continue making happen in the lives of young people.
Finally, we do stand in need of your support – both prayerfully and financially. We continue to have immediate needs as we move from one campground to another this month. If you are able to help in any way with that expense, it would be a tremendous blessing as we make plans for our new home.
Back in the summer of 1983, my Dad preached a message every Thursday titled, “Dream with me in 83!” At the core of that sermon was this promise - the Lord does “immeasurably more than all we ask or even dream of, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).”
It blows my mind to think that the Almighty already knows how all of this turns out and will bless our efforts if we honor Him with our lives, actions, and decisions.
Today, I’m asking you to “Dream With Me In ‘23” as we enter a new chapter in the history of Hiawatha Youth Camp. Same incredible camp...same awesome God...all new location.
In Him,
Craig