Why a New Lighthouse? (Part 1)
Luke LaRocque
Kodiak here! Have you been enjoying the snow that’s started to fall around Ontario this past week? It makes me excited for what it means for all the winter sessions this year.
Speaking of things I’m excited for: I’ve been so incredibly grateful for the amazing response about our new Lighthouse plans! I can’t wait to see what God does with our plans. With Dash and I on vacation this week, I wanted to get some of my thoughts down on paper (screen?) for you all - a top ten if you will! This week, we’ll look at 5 things we’re excited for, and share another 5 next week!
10. More Space! It’s no secret that some of our camp sessions are bursting at the seams during our worship and teaching sessions. With the Lighthouse as one of our rainy day spaces as well, we just need more space. As you can see in the photos of our new main chapel space below, we’re going to have great flexibility with what we need to do!
9. Year-Round Use: As we continue to grow in our fall and winter seasons, having a heated space for worship and teaching (that isn’t also the place where we eat meals!) is really, really important. The renovated Lighthouse is going have flexibility to offer use all the time, for all sorts of programs, including use for local churches and youth groups.
8. Accessibility: Our world is changing, and one really great area is in the realm of accessibility. I’m happy that we’re adding a fully accessible washroom in the Lighthouse, so that anyone using the space will be able to use a bathroom without having to travel to the Infirmary or Dining Hall. The rest of the building is going to be planned with accessibility in mind as well.
7. More (heated) bathrooms: In addition to an accessible washroom in the new Lighthouse, we also plan to winterize our larger washrooms in the building. Right now, we shut down the water to those washrooms in the late fall, because the water lines aren’t heated, and would freeze over the winter. Winterizing these spaces opens the door for more people staying at winter camps .
6. Digital Audio and Video: We’re moving into the 21st century in a digital way! We love the tradition of overhead projectors and simple music at camp, but we want to stay relevant to the needs our camp sessions and rental groups. Providing projection and digital sound equipment means that we’ll be ready to face the needs of our campers and rentals with the future in mind.
That’s it for this week! Check back next Thursday for another 5 reasons for us to upgrade our Lighthouse! If you want to support the expansion of the Lighthouse, click below to learn more: