Lots of Things Coming Together Right Now

Here we are in the midst of camp season and working like mad to keep going on the Missions Building. We are continuing to push to have the Great Room in some kind of shape to use for Week of Missions. Just what kind of shape we will know when the doors open on August 2.

A cool thing from 1st Jr. High Camp is this mural. We are backing the walls with strandboard, but until we get to the sheetrock, this mural will brighten the room.

Thanks 1st Junior High

The North Wall, door to the store room

The South Wall, looking through to the south entrance.

Soon to be covered with concrete. The corner will be the mechanical room.

Mezzanine level, door to stairs that are not there yet.

Framing for windows overlooking the Great Room.

The Great Room from the Mezzanine Level

The Prow, all it needs is windows to be finished.

Time for An Update

As we transitioned from May to June the pace at Camp has picked up quite a bit. There was the transition from hosting Outdoor Schools to hosting our summer camps. Christian Heritage Conference, Hispanic Family Camp and the first two youth camps have already moved through.

On the Missions Building, most of the effort in the last month has been on the sprinkler system and building the walls inside. We also have the conduit in the ground for the power company to eventually come and hook up the building. We have had a number of volunteers in doing some framing and sheeting the inside walls. The walls around the great room are what will be there according to the plans. Other walls are temporary to secure areas that won't be ready by Week of Missions.

In order to be as ready as we are going to be by Week of Missions, we need to have the sprinkler system and heating system installed and the electrical system installed for the Great Room. We are on schedule, but we also realize that we have just over a month to get that done. Thanks for your prayers and support.

View from the northwest

View from the southwest. The front area will be filled with glass.

The west entrance to the Great Room

Looking across to the south entrance

Looking west across the Great Room

The south entrance

The south entrance to the Great Room

Readying the wall from the mezzanine level. Windows looking out over the Great Room.

Looking out over the Great Room from the mezzanine level.

Another look back across the mezzanine

A corner in the sprinkler system

Transition

We are kind of at that stage where the skin is on the building, but it is taking a while to get the inside on track. We are back to working on things that will be covered up. The underground stuff is getting worked on, getting the layouts and permits for the electrical lines to come into the building as well as the water line for the sprinkler system. One of the pictures below shows the new valve attached to the Camp's main water line. I also included a picture looking out across the Great Room from the second level of the office end of the building.


I see this as a time of transition because we are moving from being contractor dependent to assuming more responsibility for the actual construction. We are also gearing up for the transition from winter/spring to summer and the transition from retreat groups to our summer camps and conferences. The outside of the building won't look much different from now on. That is, until we install the windows in the front entryway and then when we finish up the parking and walkways around the outside. So, now we are looking for inner transformations. Some things to keep praying for are to get done what is necessary in order to use the Great Room by Week of Missions.

A view across the Great Room

Our New Valve

Two Posts in One Day

Then last Saturday a group of men from the Mill City Christian Church came and installed the decking on the mezzanine level of the administrative area. It was amazing and a blessing to see it all get installed in one day.

The view from the mezzanine.

Gently tapping in the final row.

Making sure all the screws line up straight.

Looking south.

Looking north.

Major Milestone

I've gotten behind in the updates on the Missions Building project. The last few weeks have seen the construction crew finishing up the edges. Now they are essentially done with their part of the project as we get ready to call for the structural inspection later on this week. The basic building is essentially done. Now it is time to turn towards the inside of the building. Next up is getting the sprinkler system installed and bringing in the utilities. Our next priority is to work towards getting the great room to a place where we might be able to use it.

Over the next month or so there are a number of work parties coming in as people are excited about finding ways to help complete this project. We appreciate your prayers, encouragement, and ongoing financial support. You can donate toward this project online by starting at www.winema.org and follow the "donate online" link or send your donation to the Camp identifying it for the Missions Building Project.

Looking West

Looking east, a view of the great room to be

The west entrance. The open space will be filled in with more windows

to brighten the reception area.

The south entrance, coming in from the Morse Lodge side. This will have

a foyer area as well as restrooms.

The east side facing the lake.

Almost, Almost, Almost

I keep thinking that I will get to report that the construction crew is finished and now we can turn fully to working on the inside. Turns out that there are a lot of detail work to finishing up the outside. So, maybe by the end of next week. In the meanwhile, we have started installing doors, coordinating with the sprinkler company, and planning for the electrical and plumbing. For those who have had the opportunitiy to get down and see the building, they are pleased with how it is turning out. Now we can really visualize how the space will be put to use.

View from the trail on the hillside above camp.
Working on the window space for the west entrance.

Looking west from inside the building.

View from the northwest

Almost There

Almost there. At the start of the week the plan was for the contractors to be done with the exterior of the building. They have been working on soffits, gutters, and downspouts along with the roof that goes over the west entrance. Well, they are almost there. A few days next week now they need to come in to finish up.

They have been a great crew, enjoyable to visit with and very hard working. The next phase involves the sprinkler system, framing walls, and power. We have some work parties and volunteers starting to come in to help us get the Camp ready for summer and to help with the next steps on the Missions Building. But at least we can say that by Easter (and since Labor Day), the building is practically up and closed in (well almost).

Looking at the south entrance.
See the roof over the west entrance.

Another view from the northwest.