Happy campers at Camp Loughridge
Those closest in spirit to Camp Loughridge will remember Wyatt.
There’s summer camp, then there’s endless summer. Wyatt and his sister did multiple sessions at Camp Loughridge for years. He did seven weeks of camp in a row one year. For some, summer camp acts as a surrogate daycare. Wyatt was one of those kids.
But kids grow up. Two years ago, Wyatt got in touch with the folks at Loughridge who, in addition to hosting summer camp, also book weddings. He was about to get engaged and wanted to propose to his fiancé in the Kirkland Chapel.
Jacob McIntosh, executive director of Camp Loughridge, was thinking, “Wyatt?”
“He texted me, ‘Hey, she loves it! We want to get married out here.’ This kid, who was the thorn in our side for years was now a fully functioning adult. There’s enough history out here now that stuff like that is happening.”
Jacob’s career at Loughridge began in 2006 when he served as associate program director, a post he held until 2013. With a master’s degree in Christian education, he went to Augustine Christian Academy, on Sheridan Road, across 30th Street from the Shriners. That’s where he was when Vince King called.
Vince, Jacob said, told him things had gone haywire with the camp, so much that shutting it wasn’t off the table. Then, in an attempt to bring the camp and church more in union, they made changes in leadership and board makeup. The church offered financial relief. This was part of the pitch.
“Vince said, ‘This is where we’re going.’ So, in 2019, I went back.”
In the four years since his return, he’s been witness to a transformation, a dynamic shift he attributes to “random corrections and God.”
“I’ve been around it for 16 years and it’s a different level of energy and excitement I’m feeling,” Jacob said. “From the board to other organizations we rub shoulders with, Camp Loughridge is more visible and connected than it has been in a long time.”
Steve Welch would agree.
“Earlier boards had made equally concerted efforts to put distance between Camp and First Pres.,” he said.
“My primary goal has expanded to include general beautification of the grounds, enhancement of existing structures and venues, and raising awareness and funds to those ends.”
–Steve Welch
“The current Board, with its strong First Church representation, is fully committed to re-establishing bonds and channeling efforts towards the same mission.”
The Welch Family Foundation is annually the single largest contributor to Camp Loughridge, but Steve’s efforts don’t end there. Alongside Kyle Rahnenfuehrer, the onsite property manager, he mows, paints, builds, plumbs, “just about anything else that you can think of.”
Since his retirement and subsequent board membership, he’s donated 30-plus hours a week in sweat equity.
Meet Jacob McIntosh
Executive Director, Camp Loughridge
Origins: Grew up on a dairy farm outside Niagara Falls.
Education: Undergrad in physics, master’s in Christian education.
Wife: Breana, who sings in the choir at First Church and books weddings for Camp Loughridge.
Children: Two boys, Morgan (17) and Justice (12), and a girl, Maeven, born in January of this year.
Family life: “Surreal and weird and great.”
To achieve that end, Camp Loughridge is preparing to launch its first capital campaign in 20 years, with the goal of raising $5-10 million for two projects: overnight housing and offices. All in an effort, Jacob said, to deliver on the camp’s three-prong ministry of hosting summer camp, retreats and rentals.
“Like what New Life’s got,” he said of the spiritual retreat on Lake Hudson. “Rather than go there, they can come here.”
With only 70 “youth-friendly” beds, they’ve been turning away such groups, or jumping through hoops. “We slept 130 people last fall for a youth retreat of two churches,” Jacob said, “by getting very creative.”
The camp staff currently offices out of two trailers purchased in 2005 as temporary fixes. A successful campaign would inject new life into an environment that has served First Church through generations.
“I grew up out there and it has always been a very special place for me and members of my family,” Steve Welch said. “To this point, being involved in the activities at Loughridge and getting to be involved in sustaining Camp’s success has been the most rewarding work of my life.”
Mission statement:
“Camp Loughridge exists to provide a quality, year-round intergenerational facility in a rustic, natural environment for the promotion of Christian growth and spiritual renewal.” The camp is named for Robert Loughridge, the earliest pastor of First Church. The area—on a hill wedged between the turnpike and Oaks Country Club—was once home to Camp Parthenia, a YWCA retreat formed in 1919. Parthenia, an epithet for Athena, is Greek for “maiden.”
About the author: Mark and his wife Kelly attended First Church a full decade before becoming members in 2008. They are now regulars at the 8:30 a.m. service with their sons, Lucas and Jonas, and are members of the Covenanters class. Mark enjoys fishing (versus catching fish) in Lake Parthenia and attending the Easter sunrise service in Kirkland Chapel. His last story for Tidings magazine profiled the many crosses of artist Tim Clement.