History: 57 years ago a generous and loving couple named Arch and Edwina Lyle began what we now know and love as Lylewood Christian Camp. Every one of us has memories and moments that we can think back on from camp whether that be singing on the porch, late-night cabin activities, or the day that our lives changed for the better. This is a special place that we are all glad to have and support. Through the years Lylewood has grown and changed to become the place we all come to and love today but the foundation has stayed the same. We continue to build a place where our youth and young adults can come to worship, fellowship, and grow closer to God every day.
Campers: This year Lylewood was blessed to welcome 277 campers who joined us in one or more of our 4 weekend retreats or our 3 weeks of summer camp. We were glad to welcome new friends from new congregations and reconnect with old Lylewood friends. The board and each of those 277 campers are so very thankful for the 129 volunteers who came to help serve camp this year through work days, repairs, or working a camp session as a cook, counselor, or director. Lylewood is nothing without the amazing volunteers who come to join us every year to help build and grow the love of Christ in our young people.
Improvements: For the last few years, we’ve attempted to persistently address some deferred maintenance and/or make needed improvements. This year we installed new window units in all the upstairs cabins and these new units will not only cool more efficiently but also heat for spring and fall retreats. We used the heat functions on them this fall and it was amazing! We are so thankful for our generous donors who make improvements like this possible!
Financial Support: Lylewood is volunteer-operated and majority donation-supported. Lylewood has a history of making sure that no camper is turned away for lack of ability to pay camper registration fees. In addition to camp operations costs, we constantly need to upkeep the various buildings and grounds around camp. One of the biggest ways that we raise donations every year for this upkeep is the annual rib dinner.
For tickets to the dinner event please use the link here: http://lylewood.org/tickets/
8th Annual Singin’ and Rib dinner: Our next BIG event is the Annual Rib dinner on Saturday, March 16th, 2024. This event provides the majority of our annual financial support for both daily camp operations and year-long repairs and improvements to the camp facilities. This is one of the most important events of the year for you to support Lylewood whether in donations or attending the event. We look forward to seeing each of you out this year for a night of fun, fellowship, and a HUGE congregational singing with brothers and sisters from around the area!
Stay informed or be involved: This year is a year of growth and improvement for Lylewood and we can’t wait to share that process with you along the way. We would love for you to follow us on all our social media platforms and tag us in all your posts so that we can see your photos and videos of your kids getting ready or enjoying camp and be on the lookout for daily updates from camps this year as well as other fun posts or information that you need to know. It will all be there for you to find quickly and easily! We are also hoping to make more informational periodic updates via our newsletter. If you don’t already receive periodic emails from us, please consider subscribing to our email list at lylewood.org/subscribe.
The “Why”
There is much evidence supporting the fact that the best time in life to lay faith foundations is during our young developing years. Lylewood attempts to reinforce or in some cases introduce young campers to the Christian teaching found in the Holy Bible. Over the years, Lylewood has often been an influence or even the place of a camper’s decision to follow Christ and put Him on in baptism. Our late friend and long-time Lylewood board member George Shelton, once stated “We measure Lylewood’s success with love shared, memories made and faith shared.” Lyewood now has a 57-year history of FAITH, FRIENDSHIP, and FUN. With God’s blessing, Lylewood will continue to serve the people of our community, area churches, and surrounding counties. We ask for your prayers and support as we continue this journey one day at a time.
If you ever have input or questions about ways to support Lylewood, please reach out to any of our board members or send us an email at: contact@lylewood.org
#LylewoodLoveLives
In humble Christian service,
Lylewood Board of Directors.