Our hearts are heavy as we write this letter to you. We both have deep personal connections to the ministries and communities formed around our camps — Pilgrim Hills and Templed Hills — over the years of our lives and ministries. Mindy Quellhorst grew up going to Templed Hills and Pilgrim Hills, has continued to be at the campsites every year, and her sons have worked as summer camp site staff. John Gantt served as a counselor in the early days of Templed Hills, and each year of ministry in Ohio Conference took groups to both camps.
So, it is with great sadness that we announce to you that the Ohio Conference Board of Directors voted at its Feb. 17 meeting to sell its Pilgrim Hills Camp in Brinkhaven, OH. Templed Hills Camp in Belleville, OH, will be retained with a plan to renew its physical plant so it can more effectively serve the faith formation ministries of the churches of the Ohio Conference UCC.
Our hearts are also full of hope. In the next year, we will celebrate these special ministries which have formed the faith of so many people through our outdoor ministries programs. We will discover even more opportunities to connect with one another, and we will inspire ourselves to discern the future shape of faith formation ministries in the wider church in Ohio, West Virginia and northern Kentucky.
First, however, let us explain the primary reasons for the decision to sell the Pilgrim Hills Property:
- Escalating financial losses from decreased giving to Our Church’s Wider Mission hastened the decision to sell one of our properties. In Ohio, the largest portion of our funding comes from Our Church’s Wider Mission funds, which are collected by our associations. Then a portion of those funds is passed on to the conference and to the national setting of the UCC.
- Cost of upgrading the properties: Both camp sites have significant deferred maintenance issues. The repair and refurbishing needs at Templed Hills are more easily accomplished than those at Pilgrim Hills. There is a fund of approximately $400,000 most of which is designated for use at Templed Hills which may be used for the immediate upgrades needed at that site.
- The proximity of these two camps to one another does not serve well the wide geographic area of the Ohio Conference. Historic tensions and even rivalries between these camps is neither healthy nor helpful in moving us toward a more unified community of wider church in the Ohio Conference UCC.
- The buildings and facilities at Templed Hills more easily support family-based ministries in addition to our programs for children and youth.
The journey to reach this decision has been a considerably long one. Many people have not had the opportunity to read all the details about this decision making in one place, so let us recap what has happened over the past few years.
In the fall of 2014, Conference finances reached a crisis point. The conference was just three to four months away from bankruptcy. After a close look at conference finances, the Board realized the camping program and the cost of maintaining properties were the main reason for the losses which had drained nearly all available reserve funds for both the camping program and the conference program over the course of several years. The Conference was already making monthly payments on a loan of $265,000 to cover operating losses. The board made a difficult decision to put Templed Hills on “Sabbatical,” moved a reduced number of its camping programs to Pilgrim Hills starting in the summer of 2015. At the same time, the board hired United Camps, Conferences and Retreats (UCCR) to manage our Pilgrim Hills property and site staff and take over making reservations for outside groups to use the camp site.
In June 2015, the board named a subcommittee to explore how both properties could be parceled and prepared for sale. In the ensuing 18 months, this team researched local real estate markets and took a much closer look at the amount of necessary repairs on both of the properties. At the same time, UCCR began managing Pilgrim Hills. Their management efforts resulted in small “profits” that were used to do basic maintenance at Pilgrim Hills. This management agreement, and the dismissal of most of the outdoor ministries program staff, resulted in lowering the deficits in 2015 and early 2016. At this point, previous decisions to sell portions of camp property were set aside in the hope that enough recovery could be achieved to make it possible to maintain both camps. Also in the process, the general staffing of the conference was downsized and office space was shared with two other parties in order to conserve funds.
The financial picture again changed unexpectedly in the fall of 2016. Associations reduced the amount of OCWM they planned to pass on to the conference more drastically than anticipated. That resulted in yet another large, unsustainable shortfall for 2016, and the reductions were projected on into 2017. Treasurer Sam Buehrer described these changes in his September 2016 Treasurers Report.
Given the situation, in December, 2016, the board appointed two task forces that would report back to the whole board at our Feb. 17 meeting. The first group was charged with designing a year-long discernment process that would put faith formation in the center of our vision and mission. This team included Robert Burtt III, division of outdoor ministries chair, Rev. Nicole Havelka, Ohio Conference Staff, and board members Rev. Kevan Franklin, Jay McMillan and Dr. Cynthia Tyson.
The board also determined that the Conference could no longer afford to support two camping sites. A camp research task force was appointed to investigate the conditions and possibilities of both the Templed Hills and Pilgrim Hills properties and then suggest which property is the more viable and feasible at which to continue Conference programming in the future. Board treasurer Rev. Sam Buehrer, Vice Moderator Cathy Green and Board Member Tom Brownfield served on this task force.
The research task force recommended that the conference sell Pilgrim Hills and move its outdoor ministries programs to Templed Hills by Summer 2018. The board then voted to support that recommendation. Click here for the full text of the Board of Directors motion.
PLEASE NOTE: This decision DOES NOT affect the summer camp 2017 programs at Pilgrim Hills. Registration for those programs is open now and available on our website. We very much hope that you will join us for what will be our final season at Pilgrim Hills.
The faith formation task force then recommended that Fall 2017 – 2018 become a “Year of Jubilee” — a year in which we listen, celebrate, grieve, and find new ways to follow the core value of faith formation. This will focus our energy and efforts on a yearlong process of celebration of outdoor ministries, fostering connections using our core values of Christian community, and inspiring ourselves to articulate a clear vision, mission and objectives that put faith formation at the center of our Conference ministries together. The Ohio Conference Board of Directors discussed this and are continuing to have discussions about a “Year of Jubilee.” It is clear that the intention of the Board is to maintain one camp site for as long as possible. Templed Hills management has been placed under contract with UCCR, a decision which has already proven beneficial.
We realize this news is extremely sad. So many children, youth and adults have found strong connections with God and Christian community at Pilgrim Hills over the years. We, too, have had our faith and our spirits enlivened by the times we’ve spent at camp, and we too are sadden by the decision. We know that we have been faithful in our discussions, and in our research to be fiscally responsible as well. We know you will need space and time to grieve this loss. To help you do this, we plan to sponsor several opportunities for you to talk with us and Board members. We will also announce plans for opportunities to visit camp to celebrate the life of this important ministry and say good-bye to that property.
We plan to move appropriate symbols and features from Pilgrim Hills to Templed Hills to help us cherish the legacy of faith development we have experienced at Pilgrim Hills. We hope these times for saying good-bye will enable us to move forward into what we see as a new and hopeful future. We are confident that the community that has formed you in faith will serve as your rock of support in this time of loss and change.
If you have comments or questions, you are invited to leave them here on the website or by emailing either one of us directly. We will do our best to answer them as soon as we are able, but please recognize that we may need some time to respond thoughtfully to what may be a large number of messages. We will also send a separate email soon with a date that will include our next opportunity for conversation with us and members of the board.
At the core of what we do is to “help others to love God and live in the way of Jesus.” (Ivy Beckwith, UCC Faith Formation Team Leader). That aspect of our vision, supported by our deep, collective faith in God, will remain constant in our movement forward. We ask that we join together in prayer as we move forward into this exciting, spirit-filled future.
Blessings,
Mindy Quellhorst (revmql@gmail.com)
Rev. Melinda Quellhorst
Moderator of the Ohio Conference
Pastor Of Grace United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Ohio
Rev. John M. Gantt (jmg@ocucc.org)
Interim Conference Minister
I'm visiting family in OH this summer and was wondering if Pilgrim Hills would be open at least to visit where I spent many summers with friends and family.
Joanne, I’m so glad to hear that Pilgrim Hills was a part of your summers in the past. We have received many such stories and we celebrate the way this special place has been a part of shaping the lives of so many. Its legacy will continue as our Outdoor Ministries program grows at Templed Hills with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Pilgrim Hills going to help with updating the buildings at Templed Hills. Since the Pilgrim Hills property has been sold to a new owner, we have no way of offering to let you visit, as the property is no longer ours. However, if you would like to visit Templed Hills to see how the life of Outdoor Ministries in the Ohio Conference is continuing, we would welcome the opportunity to host you and greet you! Blessings.
To whom it may concern: I stumbled upon this site by googling Pilgrim Hills. My heart is heavy. However, I’m flooded with great memories. There were a few groups of us Black kids that came to those camps about fifty years ago. We came over from Louisville, Ky through Plymouth Settlement House. I moved to Dallas, Texas from Louisville about thirty four years ago. I go home at least yearly and and almost always run into someone who remembers the camps. Please know the camp experiences for the groups of inner city kids was Love and Life affirming. Many of us had never left the city let alone ventured into rural areas. I can still remember arriving at Pilgrim Hills the first time. We were warmly greeted. I believe the staff re-calculated the amount of food needed after our first lunch...lol! This was at the end of tumultuous time of social upheaval and the advent of Black awareness. We were “outnumbered” by about seven to one by white kids from all over Ohio. I don’t recall any overt challenges with the possible exception of petty theft or an occasional scuffle. I can still remember the blue and white camp song book, going under a waterfall for the fist time and learning to make s’mores. I could go on and on. I trust the decision to transition the property was metered with prayer and practicality. I thank every person ever associated with the United Church of Christ for enriching and impacting my life. A lot of what I feel about the world was shaped in a couple of weeks spent in Ohio. Peace and Blessings Gerald J. Green 469.364.4069
Gerald, It's so good to hear your story and to learn of the difference that Pilgrim Hills made in your life. I'm the current Moderator of the Ohio Conference and was on the Conference Board when this difficult decision was made two years ago. While it wasn't easy, it had been clear for some time that the Conference no longer needed two church camps, especially two within such close proximity. There is a silver lining, however. The proceeds from the sale of Pilgrim Hills funded an initial round of renovations at Templed Hills, the other camp owned by the Ohio Conference. Additionally, over half of the net sales amount has been set aside in an endowment fund dedicated to faith formation, including outdoor ministries. This will help the Conference sustain its camping programs which we know are formative for many, and especially young people. Thanks so much for sharing your story on our website. It's great to hear that you and others from Louisville had a good experience at camp. Blessings and Peace to you! Cathy Green
Hello Gerald, Thanks for your moving testimony to the power of camp in your own life experience. What a transformational experience that was for you. We pray that the kind of experience you described will continue to long form folks younger and older as we continue this important ministry of faith formation that happens in the outdoors. Blessings and thanks for sharing!
I'm sad to see Pilgrim Hills go also. I have so many good memories there having gone to Lantern Fellowship for several years. I'm happy to see you are able to keep Templed Hills; my granddaughter enjoyed summers there. (Doylestown, OH)
My first experience with Pilgrim Hills was in the fifty and sixtys. My company, ACME was the prefererred food vendor. I worked with John and Wilda Vicsack for many years. My first Monday stop in he summer months was Pilgrim Hills. I spent early hours in their home. If time permitted breakfast in the dining hall with the kitchen staff, local ladies from Brinkhaven. John and Wilda loved Pilgrim Hills, and they gave it their all. I believe John is buried at Pilgrim Hills. One rainy and cold morning my car slipped off the back road to the camp. John got the tractor out and towed me up the top of hill. Pilgrim Hills, a great ministry for our faith.
Thanks to all who have commented. Plans are under way to provide opportunities to grieve and say good-bye in each camping session this summer. Plans for a documentary video are also being made - watch for announcements soon. Also a grand October farewell and de-commissioning event will be offered with the hope that hundreds of alumni campers and leaders and friends will visit Pilgrim Hills. Watch for dates and details. Shalom.
I was a camper at Pilgrim Hills back in the mid 1980's and then later spent a week each summer for almost 20 years as a counselor at Pilgrim Hills. This is very saddening. Although I have not been involved with the UCC or the camps for several years now, Pilgrim Hills remained one of my favorite places. The overwhelming peace I felt when I arrived there and knowing that I was supposed to be there according to God's plan, is something that I will never forget. It makes me sad, and sick to my stomach knowing that a place as wonderful as Pilgrim Hills is, will no longer exist. I think back to the number of youth and adults that attended camping programs at Pilgrim Hills and had their lives impacted in such as positive way. I am sad for them, but glad that all of us who spent any amount of time there, will have had that opportunity and the memories and friendships that came out of it.
I spent a few years here as a Nature's Classroom staff member from Australia. I loved this place as a work space and my home. It will be sad to see it sold. I pray and hope that someone will buy it who will love and cherish it as much as those before it.
Ann Banks.... Thank you for your note. I understand your grief and your pain. I grieve with you and your son. My sons, too, have had wonderful experiences at Sports camp, and even maybe were your son's counselor. I know they were there at the same time. I know that every week of camp is blessed and filled with God. As for your questions, many were addressed in the letter that was sent out. Yes, Templed holds as many as Pilgrim. Yes, Templed will be up and running by the 2018 summer camping season, and as for the camps, they have changed every year. We are working hard to offer camps for all ages every week. Sports camp, MMADD camp, Choir camp, Love the pool, Grandparent/Grandchild camp are just a few the will continue to be offered. IF you have suggestions for a summer camp, please let us know. In addition this summer, there are a group of high school and college young people that are putting together a camp at Heidelberg University. You may find all the are offered on the website.
In talking with our youth director at church, I was encouraged to know that this decision to sell Pilgrim Hills was not taken lightly and that tremendous effort went into the decision. However, I feel I have to convey how deeply saddened and disappointed I am that Pilgrim Hills was chosen as the sight to sell. It is a much more remote area for a camp and provided so many options for the campers who attend. My son, who is 12, was devastated and in tears when I told him the news. He looks for to going to Pilgrim Hills for Sports Camp every year and I cannot stress enough what an important week this is to him spiritually and emotionally. He comes home singing songs about God, reading his Bible and just being more grateful and spiritual in general. He has gotten numerous friends to join him at camp over the years and while it is my understanding Sport Camp will be moved to Templed Hills, be assured, it will not be the same experience. I assume there is no turning back from your decision so I at least wanted to convey some of the feelings that your decision has created among the younger members of the church. Finally, I do have a few questions. 1) Will ohucc continue to offer the variety of camps that were offered at Pilgrim Hills? If not, which camps will be kept and which will be done away with? 2) Does Temple Hills have the capacity to hold as many campers as Pilgrim Hills? 3) Will Temple Hills be up and running in order to continue the camping program for next summer? 2018? Thank you so much for your time and willingness to answer questions regarding this issue. It is appreciated. Sincerely, Ann Banks Avon Lake Ohio
This is incredibly sad and disdain irk get news. I hope there will be a concerted effort to sell this property to another organization interested in using it for outdoor education purposes. There are plenty of organizations state and nationwide who would realize the privilege of owning Pilgrim Hills.
Thank you to all who have poured their hearts into this issue. The people of Emanuel UCC, Upper Sandusky, and I look forward to hearing about the plans for improvements to Templed Hills.
WENDY BAK Thank you for your concern. We are addressing those needs. There will be work down at Templed and there are some funds available. There is a business plan team that is putting together the next steps.
Thank you for being fully open about the process. I have had the privilege of attending camp at both Pilgrim and Temple Hills. While it is sad to say goodbye to either, I fully understand and support the need to move forward in order to rebuild the ministry. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to spend summers at these camps, participate in weekend work retreats with my church youth group, and visit for conferences. Best of luck. My prayers are with you all. Linda (Swope) Linnell
Wendy Bak. Thanks for your concerns and comments. Refer to the general letter we sent out and the links to additional information. They provide information about current funds available and the intention of the board to attend to improvement of facilities at Templed Hills before our outdoor ministry program moves there for the 2018 season. I'm sorry your children were so uncomfortable, and had the experiences they had at Templed Hills. The issues you noted are among the conditions we expect to remedy. Shalom!
I hate it that you are selling this place that we love so much! And I sincerely hope that it isn't to the people who want to do fracking there! I can read the reasons for selling and understand them, but my heart cries.
MARGARET KOHLER, I am sorry you are angry and upset about the decision of the board. It was not an easy decision, nor was it done in haste. Much information has been shared with the associations, the local churches, and the conference about finances, and that these discussions were taking place. It makes me truly sad as well. I am sorry you are hurting over this decision.
I understand all the important decisions being made....but being familiar with both camps.... I am concerned about the cabins and bathrooms at Templed Hills. My children went one year and they were very uncomfortable in the condition of the facilities. A mouse nest fell on my son while he was in his bed. They went to Pilgrim the 3 years after that and absolutely love Pilgrim. What are they going to do about these facilities? Where are they going to find the funds to make repairs to this camp...especially since they have not been used for several years? Thank you for your time.
Maybe a year of atonement instead of a jubilee will be more appropriate. Will any ethical considerations go into the sale? Or should we expect development and fracking wells at what once we were supposed to be good stewards of?
- Maybe you should have gotten more interested people involved and cast a wider net for a solution. I'm not impressed by all this bureaucratic explanation. Not once did someone speak at our church about finding solutions and support. Not once were we asked to give specifically for maintaining Pilgrim Hills. Nor did leadership at our church talk about forming a committee to drum up support and ideas. Not once did we consider giving the money here rather than building another habitat house. Bunch of hand wringing now . You can keep your "Jubilee Year." Ugh
Truly sad news...the end of an era, for sure. Given that, I'm surprised this has not happened sooner. My prayers lifted for our leaders, especially Mindy, Sam, and John. These decisions truly gut-wrenching for them. Hoping Jeff Thompson will still be on board at TH...
Thanks to the Board and it's subcommittees for a very hard and courageous decision. I know the discernment went deep and the prayers were many. Well done, good and faithful serants. Your ministry and wisdom continue to bless our Conference.