May 29, 2024
Brothers and Sisters of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina,
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who has saved us and called us to new life in him.
Have you heard that our diocesan camp, Camp Jubilee, received the Lowcountry Parents’ Magazine’s Mom’s Choice Award 2024 for Best Overnight Summer Camp? That’s fantastic!
Because of the results of the lawsuit, last summer we had to change our name and find a new property to rent. It seemed like it would be a long time before we could buy a new property. We scrambled to get a staff together, and we adapted and adjusted on the fly all summer long. Every detail of how to do what we do as a camp was affected. Still, in spite of all those challenges, Camp Jubilee was recognized as the best.
I trust you know that camp is incredibly important. Camp provides a place where kids can come away from their regular routines in order to meet Jesus in new and profound ways. Ever since arriving in the ADoSC, I’ve heard (and witnessed myself) that our camp is the “evangelistic engine” of the Diocese. That’s true. So many people in our Diocese met Jesus there. So many dedicated themselves to lives of service in the church. The number of our clergy who met Jesus at camp, were called into ministry there, even met their spouses at camp…there’s a lot of them. And not just clergy—as I travel around the churches of our Diocese, there is an incredible number of lay leaders, too, who were profoundly connected to Jesus through camp.
And, of course, our old place was not just a camp. It was a conference center where all sorts of gatherings and conferences and retreats and Cursillos provided adults the opportunity to go deeper with Jesus.
Losing that place was a major blow to our diocesan life.
But here’s some amazing news: we have the opportunity—already, this quickly after losing our other property—to purchase a new, permanent home for this great camp. We are trying to purchase 78 acres on Lady’s Island, just to the north of Beaufort. With almost a mile of waterfront, it is perfect for kayaking and sailing which are a big part of the camp experience.
The Standing Committee, the elected leadership council of the Diocese comprised of wonderful lay people and clergy, is all in. We are committed to buying this property. And I am confident that we can do this. We can raise the money to replace and rebuild the life-changing asset we lost.
So I need you to join us in praying that God would open all of our hearts—and, yes, wallets—so that we can move forward, and not have to struggle along without the great ministry resource that our camp and conference center was for us.
But we have to raise a lot of money, fast. In fact, we only have until August 15 to raise $3.8 million. The good news is that we’re already more than halfway there. To date we have gifts and pledges totaling $2.2 million. If you would like more information on how you can personally be involved, please email John Benson at JohnEBenson@gmail.com or you can follow this link to our website to make a gift.
Let’s move into the future, a future of gospel opportunities, together.
Blessings,
+Chip