Woodlands exists by the grace of God. We are funded through camp and retreat fees, as well as through the generous gifts of individuals and churches who believe in the cause of Christ and in the efforts of Woodlands to further that cause. We are praying that God will supply these very important needs. Please prayerfully consider how God would have you further His kingdom through the ministry of Woodlands Camp and Conference Center.  

Building Fund

CURRENT PROJECTS: Staff Housing §  This project includes cleaning out 4 acres of woods, cutting a new road, and building 2 homes for our full-time staff families.  Upon completion, it will solve all of our staff housing needs in the short term, buying us time to build additional homes down the road to meet our future needs. TOTAL NEED -           $215,000.00 REMAINING NEED - $15,000 ...or, donations can be mailed to:      Woodlands Camp     1242 Old Blue Creek Road     Cleveland, GA 30528  Thank you in advance for your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing God work!

Note: Woodlands Camp & Conference Center is a non-profit, tax-deductible organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. All gifts are tax-deductible. No goods or services are provided in exchange for your contributions. The benefit to you consists solely of what the IRS considers "intangible, religious benefits".

FUTURE PROJECTS:
Dating back to our first summer of camps in 1998, our desire has been to see Woodlands operating at maximum capacity, thus setting the stage for maximum impact for the Kingdom.  God’s timing in getting us to that point was much different than I envisioned back then, but He had many things He wanted to teach us along the way.  Well, we’re there.  Not “there” in terms of having everything figured out with no need to learn, but “there” in terms of packing the place out week after week.  There were kids sleeping on mattresses on the floor for eight out of nine weeks of our overnight camps this summer, and during our fall, winter and spring seasons, we hosted 38 events in 34 weeks.  So the million dollar question now becomes…What’s Next??

 As I see it, we have a few options.  First, we can hunker down, take no action and accept only the 192 kids per week that we can currently handle, turning away the rest.  This is an easy solution, but I feel the Lord has something more for us.  He has given us great momentum over the past ten years, and turning kids away in droves could/would quash that momentum.  The second option is to do this all over again and develop another facility either on site or elsewhere.  This is a viable and very possible option for further on down the road, but I don’t feel God leading us in this direction at this time.

 The third option is to grow.  Frankly, that scares me a little because I am a firm believer that bigger is not necessarily better.  One thing that has made Woodlands so unique and effective over the years is our size.  Our campers love Woodlands!  This is their camp, and they are our kids.  A big part of why is that our smallness enables most of the kids to get to know most of the staff, as well as most of the staff to get to know most of the kids.  They don’t just feel like a face in the crowd.  Discipleship and relationship building are key principles at the core of Woodlands’ culture, and at some point growth renders those keys less effective.  Size doesn’t just affect our campers, however; it has some bearing on our staff, too.  As a full-time staff, one of our key ministries is to disciple our summer staff.  Our responsibility is to set the stage for ministry to happen, and one of the most significant ways that takes place is by investing in our summer staff, thus enabling them to do the work of the ministry directly with the kids.  The dynamic would change for us if our summer staff were to grow from 40 to 80. 

So my question to God has been, “Where is our sweet spot?”  In other words, at what size do we reach maximum impact?  As I have prayed this through relentlessly over the past year, God has led me to a number.  276.  You may be thinking, “That’s it?  To grow from a capacity of 192 campers to 276 doesn’t seem that significant—it’s less than a 50% increase!”  True, except when you stop to consider the fact that our current cabins, dining facility, chapel, sponsor/speaker rooms and operational staff housing are full to overflowing at 192.  Then, growing from 192 to 276 turns into a 7-10 year, $1.6 million dollar adventure.  And that is exactly what God has put on my heart—a 7-10 year, $1.6 million dollar adventure!

This adventure will entail the demolition of many of our existing facilities and will likely take us until the end of our second decade to complete, but it will enable us to design new facilities with our specific ministry needs in mind and set the stage to achieve maximum impact into our third and fourth decades and beyond!  If I may, allow me to cast the vision…

·          INN ($300k) – this would replace the current 4-room motel (the oldest building on camp) with a 3-story, 16-room facility.  It would put our summer sponsors and speakers in top-notch accommodations, giving them every reason to want to come back to Woodlands, as well as giving us some higher end lodging for special guests and nicer retreats.

·          ROADS & LAKE ($200k) – paving the roads would solve many of our current erosion problems, prolong the life of the flooring in all of our main buildings and rectify our parking issues.  After draining the lake, we would replace the 50-year-old bridge, dive dock and drain, clean out years of sediment buildup around the edges and expand the current shallow swim area. This would keep our dam in compliance with state regulations, beautify the shoreline and provide even more water activities for campers to enjoy.

·          2 CABINS ($300k each) – the downstairs would be cabin rooms with identical floor plans to Timber Ridge and Lakewood. This would increase our camper capacity to 276, or 1,000 more potential campers each summer! The upstairs would be set up as much needed staff housing for interns, operational staff and SALT campers.

·          DINING HALL ($300k) – a new 400-seat dining hall would be constructed in the place of the Lodge’s current fireplace and private rooms. It would give ample space for everyone to eat inside at the same time, as 30-50 people eat outside on picnic tables currently. Upon completion, the old dining hall would be converted into a large fireplace/meeting room and additional office space.

·          CHAPEL ($200k) – the current chapel is already undersized and has no real options for expansion.  A new 400-seat chapel would be constructed in its place.

As we approach the beginning of our second decade of ministry, could I ask for your consideration in a couple of areas?  First, take a moment and give thanks to our great God for all that He has done in and through Woodlands in our first decade of ministry.  Tens of thousands of lives, both young and old, have been impacted for the Kingdom!  Second, would you consider if God would have you give financially?  The end of the year is a wonderful time to examine the amount of your charitable giving to maximize your tax savings.  And by choosing to give to Woodlands, you are in a sense getting a double benefit.  Yes, you get the tax deduction, but more importantly, every gift, both small and great will become a part of this work of God.  Every gift will help greatly in accomplishing our purpose of sharing the amazing truth of God’s love to those without Him.  And every gift will aid in training believers, both young and old “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with [their] God.”