Encounter 2003 Drawing Near to God!

It's just around the corner…
These are exciting times as we anticipate the arrival of our guests for our 2003 Summer Conference Program! We are anticipating another great summer of ministry. We invite you to join us.

Encounter 2003!
This title aptly presents our overall ministry theme for this summer. Our desire is that each of our guests will come into closer contact with God and perhaps become, as Abraham was called, ‘a friend of God’. We trust that the setting, the people and the teaching you experience at Fair Havens will draw you near to Him so that you and your family can, in turn, share the privilege of such a relationship with others. In our increasingly complicated world may your experience this summer be a refreshing time of getting back to the basics of faith in God as you get to know Him better. Our prayers are to this end and we encourage you to begin praying with your family that God will prepare your hearts for a wonderful and growing experience this summer.

Children’s and Teen’s Program
Once again we have planned an exciting program for all of our children and teens. Cindy Trussell is back with a wonderful team of staff who are just itching to get up here to decorate Babyland, Tim Buk 2’s & 3’s, Kid’s Korner, Adventureland and all the other great play areas for the youngsters!

Joel French, Phil Shad, Dave Heska and others are gearing up to implement a newly designed pre-teen and teen ministry and skills program. Teens – this year you’ll be able to participate in 1 skill period (selecting from a choice of 8 skills). Please be aware that some of the skills are still subject to change as we review how enrollment shapes up (i.e. high demand for a certain skill or low demand for another may warrant some changes).

Recreation Program
Don’t forget to bring all of your sand sculpting gear. The competition promises to be fierce this summer on our newly designed beachfront! We are excited about the appointment of the new position of ‘Recreation Director’ for this summer. Scott Orr is just the ticket for this role as he applies his God-given creative talent to making this summer the most exciting and fun time you’ve ever experienced! We all learn better when we’re having fun and we’re thankful to Scott for accepting this tremendous challenge.

The ‘all guests invited’ Saturday night BBQ and campfire is sure to be a big hit as we begin each week with a time of getting to know each other (staff included). This will lay the groundwork for a full week of building friendships that can last a lifetime!

2003 Development Projects
It was a great encouragement to read the following statement from a guest who attended a retreat at Fair Havens recently:

“The excellent food, service and accommodations allowed us to feel at home here at Fair Havens. We had a great time at our retreat because the excellent facilities allowed us to focus on God and not our surroundings.”

This testimony speaks to the heart of what our operational objective for this ministry is – to develop, maintain and operate in such a way that there will be no stumbling block between you and God as you spend time here. Each year we strive to be the best possible stewards of the funds God provides in our planning of development and maintenance projects that will keep this facility in great shape for years to come – allowing it to continue to host this ministry for future generations.

This year we have identified various priority development and maintenance projects that will enhance the experience of our guests. Some of these projects are:

• Installation of a new water treatment plant (target for 2003 is $70,000)
• Upgrade of some of our meeting and games rooms and chapel areas ($7,000)
• Replace 2 Housekeeping Trailers ($22,000)
• Waterfront improvements to reduce erosion and improve beach area, this will include a new campfire amphitheatre that will seat 300+ guests – a great boost to rebuilding an effective campfire ministry program ($10,000 - $15,000)
• Foyer upgrade in Riverside Inn and replace furnace in Riverside Inn ($5,500)
• Improve Irwin Chapel stage area - carpet, lighting, LCD projector, etc. ($5,500)
• Pool filter rebuild ($2,000)
• Various improvements to accommodation units – beds, washroom upgrades, roofing, etc. ($22,000+)
• Miscellaneous recreation facilities - tetherball, kayaks, etc. ($2,000)

Our target for fundraising to support these projects is $175,000 over the entire year. Will you begin now to prayerfully consider partnering with us in supporting our Development Fund objectives? Perhaps you can make it a family affair and begin saving your pennies as a family and then bring these to conference this summer. Thanks in advance for joining us in this.

We are looking forward to the summer and are excited to have you join us! May God bless and keep you until we meet again.

Your fellow Servants in Christ,

John Friesen & Staff!
Executive Director