5K/Quilt Day Update and more
"I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." Psalm 16:8
We have had an incredible, Spirit-filled summer of camp and we’re so thankful for all that God has done in and through His camp up to this point. He is good! Here a few reflections from campers this summer on how God has touched their life:
"I learned that there is so much time in a day when we are not on technology. Camp has shown me the beauty of God's creation and how He always provides for us. This was an amazing week and I hope everyone gets the chance to experience adventure camp."
"Through Jesus, I can experience new life, love, hope and a new spirit when I surrender my life to Him."
"I learned that God loves me even more than I can imagine."
We praise God for these amazing testimonies!
Fun Upcoming Events to Support the Ministry
We're so grateful for hundreds of individuals and congregations who help support the continued ministry of Riverside. These three events are great opportunities for you to engage with the ministry of Riverside, while also joyfully giving towards seeing God continue to change lives through His camp. As we continue to navigate this challenging season of the pandemic, we are confident in God's continued provision through individuals, families, and congregations. Prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to support the ministry in this season and beyond and reach out to Chris (chris@riversideLBC.org, 515-733-5271) with any questions.
5K and Quilt Day at Riverside, Saturday August 7. Join us in person or online for an exciting day at one of our biggest fundraisers of the year for the ministry. We are doing our best to have as much of the day as possible outside (5K, worship and lunch), and in-person viewing of all the quilts Friday evening and Saturday in the Chapel. As you'll see, with recent events, and wanting to make sure as many people as possible have the opportunity to participate, we have made the decision to not have a live auction, and move all quilts to online bidding. We would still love to see you onsite for our 5K, outdoor worship at 10:30am, delicious turkey tenderloin lunch (available to eat here or grab-and-go), and live viewing of all the incredible quilts! For more information, visit our website!
A Night at Riverside, Sunday August 29. Join us for a fun night at Riverside under the open sky with a delicious dinner, live music, and more. This special fundraising event helps replace our Gala which we were not able to host in April. For more information on this event, visit our website!
Riverside Fall Golf Classic, Friday September 17. Join us for a great day out at Ames Golf and Country Club as we have a ton of fun raising funds 'fore' the continued Christ-centered ministry of Riverside! For more information on this fun day, head to our website!
Riverside and COVID Update
Before last week, we had 5 full weeks of camp and 3 weeks of training with our incredible staff. They are an incredible group of young people that we are so grateful for! On Tuesday, July 20, one of our summer staff members was tested for COVID and tested positive after exhibiting symptoms. That cabin was isolated and all parents were notified. On Wednesday morning, July 21, we coordinated with Hamilton County Department of Public Health to have more of our staff tested that were experiencing symptoms. 5 more staff tested positive from these tests. Out of great concern for the health and safety of our staff, campers, and families, we made the difficult decision to end this week of camp early. Campers were picked up on Wednesday afternoon.
In working with Hamilton County Department of Public Health, we made arrangements for them to test our staff onsite on Thursday July 22. More summer staff did test positive via rapid tests and some later after PCR tests. A total of 19 staff out of 98 have tested positive as of today, July 30. Over half of these staff members were fully vaccinated. We have also received notification of 16 camper positive tests over the course of two weeks of camp. Over After consulting with Hamilton County Department of Public Health, we made the difficult decision to cancel High School Camp, which was scheduled for July 25-30. The health and safety of our staff and campers is our top priority, and with the information we had at the time, felt like this was the best decision.
At this point, we are planning on coming back for our last two weeks of camp August 1-6, August 8-13. We continue to work closely with Hamilton County Department of Public Health as we prepare for and lead our last two weeks of camp. We're excited to welcome back campers and staff and see all that God will do in and through the rest of the summer. Please keep us in prayer for the Lord to move in mighty ways!
In Closing...
Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement for our team as we walk with the Lord through the days, weeks, and months ahead. We're reminded in Psalm 16, "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." This is His camp and we continue to seek Him for His strength, His wisdom, and His will at His camp.
God bless you,
Chris and the Riverside Team
