In I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of the ‘Year of Jubilee’ from ancient Israel. This is described as a year of rest that included the restoration of property, the freeing of slaves and relief of debts. The Israelites would dedicate this year of rest to God, acknowledging that God would provide for their needs during this time. I always wondered what this would be like to experience.
At Ferncliff, we’ve spent the last month analyzing each day’s influx of information to determine if we could safely host children at camp this summer. Recently, we received guidance from the Arkansas Department of Health that has directed our leadership to accept that we cannot operate our camping programs as planned. We just can’t envision being able to offer a safe summer camp experience with the restrictions that are currently in place. Therefore, Ferncliff is entering a “Summer of Jubilee”
Things may change but our staff didn’t want to keep our campers and their families waiting and hoping for an experience that may not be safe to have this year. We wanted to decide early enough so that they could begin making alternate plans.
We are grieving but not giving in. Our creative staff are coming up with options and resources that campers and families will be able to access to stay engaged with Ferncliff. And, if conditions change and restrictions are lifted, we hope to be in a position in which we could offer programs later in the summer.
The Ferncliff summer camp experience takes significant effort and resources to create, much of which is expended many months before the first campers ever arrive. That makes the loss of this summer camp season both tough on our hearts and tough on Ferncliff’s pocketbook. To be direct, without the income that we receive for summer camp we will be suffering a significant financial loss and we need your backing to remain capable of supporting our staff.
Ferncliff is resilient, but we need your support. If you are able to make a donation to support our camp the moment we need it the most, that would go a long way to helping Ferncliff withstand the loss of a summer camp season. Please consider what you can offer.
Please reach out to us at any time and expect Ferncliff staff to be in touch as we consider how we can experience this summer of Jubilee together. We are an optimistic organization and we have hope for our future. We enter this summer of Jubilee thankful for you, acknowledging that in this summer of rest, God will provide for our needs and yours too.
Appreciatively,
Joel Cory Gill