CCC News, November 2022

CCC News

Updates from the Christian Conference Center in Newton, Iowa

November | 2022

With a Grateful Heart...

Rev. Tiff Williams

CCC Camp Director

Before Thanksgiving is too far gone, I wanted to take the time to name the ways I'm grateful for the Christian Conference Center, its ministry, and its impact. Here are a few things I'm grateful for this season...

A dedicated staff that has gone above and beyond this fall. We have been short staffed and our year-round employees have stepped up in amazing ways.
Youth Retreats that welcomed all kids just as they are, and youth workers who showed up to share their faith with them. The lessons learned about Jonah were awesome, too.
Hard working volunteers who fix and repair, plan new structures that will benefit our guests, and keep up the grounds by mowing every week.
Plymouth Creek and Indianola Heights Christian Churches, who chose to honor the closing of their visible ministries with substantial gifts to the CCC. Those gifts will help sustain our ministry for years to come.
A Property Committee full of faithful Disciples who care deeply about this Holy Ground.
Our amazing camp volunteers, who direct and counsel camp sessions so that our campers can experience the Good News.
The fact that my kids get to grow up on this Holy Ground surrounded by so many committed, faithful Christians.
Lastly, I'm grateful for YOU and all you do to support our ministry. Thank you for your love and your prayers!

It's Giving Tuesday!

If you get on a social media platform this week (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), you're probably going to hear something about Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a movement by non-profit organizations like ours to encourage folks to give generously. It's purpose, as I understand it is twofold.

First, it's a way to remind folks of the true meaning of Thanksgiving... to count our blessings and to share what we have. Second, it's a way to counter the messages in our culture that say that Thanksgiving has to be synonymous with shopping. It seems that more and more every year, people associate Thursday with turkey and stuffing, and then quickly move on to Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. Giving Tuesday reminds us to hold on to the meaning of Thanksgiving for a little while longer.

I hope you'll consider making a gift to the CCC this Giving Tuesday. Every gift of every size helps us continue our mission to be a place set apart as Holy Ground where the love of God and the message of Jesus can be shared.

Click here to make a gift

What's Going on around

Holy Ground?

The CCC staff and volunteers are always working hard on upgrades and upkeep around the facility. Take a look at some of our more recent improvements. Or better yet, stop in to see them in person! (Just make sure you call first.)

Boatwright Boathouse Update

Thanks to a gift from Plymouth Creek Christian Church, the Boatwright Boathouse is fully funded! The Property Committee met in early November to approve final plans which are now pending an engineering review. This means that we will break ground this spring! Below you can see an artistic rendering of what the structure will look like. The Boathouse project will add shade, seating, rain shelter, boat storage, and handicap access to the beach. We will also have stairs down to the beach and hope to include a concrete parking pad for camp and emergency vehicles.

We are very excited to break ground and hopefully celebrate completion before next year's camp season! We will be in touch with our volunteer list about dates to come out and help build the shade structure on top after the contractors finish the concrete work.

Inaugural CCC Vendor Fair

The CCC hosted our first Vendor Fair on November 11-12. The event welcomed 25 vendors to our property. Each vendor was either a small business owner or a non-profit partner. Our Disciples of Christ churches and Newton community members were invited to come shop.

The staff believes the event was a big success. We hope to add entertainment and a bigger menu next year. We also hope this event will become an annual shopping tradition for our supporters, and an annual fundraiser for the CCC. Some products, like the Equal Exchange coffee and tea pictured below, will now be on sale in our camp store year round.

CCC Wish List

New or used 7 ft aluminum scaffold planks (6 needed) $135 each

Additional Paddle Board for Wolf Lake $350

Metal benches for playground area (3 needed) $300 each. These would be a great memorial gift in honor of a loved one.

New tree saplings to replace unhealthy ones that had to be cut down (5 needed) $300 each

New battery for ADA pool lift so all campers can enjoy the pool ($400)

New dust mops including microfiber heads (4 needed) $50 each

New steam table for the Dining Hall to keep our food warm before serving it $1500

Click here to donate to a project.

Looking for a gift for that person who has everything? LAST CHANCE

for CCC Bricks

We are going to place one final order of commemorative bricks in the Bell Chapel at the CCC. These bricks were originally sold as part of the Our Path Together campaign. Bricks are a great way to honor a special mentor, friend, child, or group.

The Bell Chapel is directly across from the Main Lodge. We have about 30 open bricks that can be engraved. Proceeds from the bricks will benefit the CCC camp scholarship fund.

Half brick (4 x 8), with 3 lines of text: $250

Clergy brick (with engraved chalice and pastor's name/ministry setting): $500

Full brick (8 x 8), with 5 lines of text: $500

Email Tiff to Order

Thank you for your continued support!

Thank you for all the ways you support the ministry of the Christian Conference Center! We value every gift of time, talent and prayer. If you would like to make a financial contribution toward our ministry, simply click the link below. You can designate a gift to things like our operating fund, a special project, a memorial, or a camper scholarship.

Click Here to Donate

Christian Conference Center, Newton, IA | www.newtonccc.org