Check here for the latest information regarding 2020 summer camps and the COVID-19 Pandemic.
June 5, 2020
Update from your Dakotas and Minnesota Area United Methodist camps

Greetings from your Dakotas and Minnesota Area United Methodist camps.  Summer 2020 has arrived and it just doesn’t feel the same when we know we won’t see your smiling faces!   We are sad, we miss you, and we know you miss camp too!  With all that’s happening in our world today, it seems like there has never been a more important time than right now for children to be at camp!   While we know the decision to suspend summer programming at our six camps was the right choice during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s simply not summer without you.  We can’t wait to see you when it is safe to gather once again.

• Camp Connections.  Even though we can’t physically be together at camp this summer, you can STILL stay connected virtually to some of your favorite parts of camp!  Beginning Monday, June 8, make sure to follow your Dakotas and Minnesota Facebook pages for a daily “Camp Connection.”  Connect with some of your favorite places and activities at camp.  Join us as we: hike beautiful trails, feed the camp goats, visit the gold mine, go kayaking, swing in the hammocks, make S’mores, zoom down the zip line, sing your favorite songs around the campfire, worship - and SO MUCH more!  We will share a new “Camp Connection” every day for five weeks.  Make sure to check it out!  Stay connected.
   
• Plan for re-opening camps.  Our staff continue to work closely with local, state, and industry leaders to determine when and how to safely reopen our sites.   We’ve developed, and are implementing, reopening protocols and procedures that meet safety guidelines set by each state and the CDC.  Like us, we know you are ready to get back to camp.  Please be assured we are moving as swiftly as we’re able to reopen while also exercising an abundance of caution.  The safety of guests and staff is worth the time it takes to do it right!  We’re starting slow and with small family groups only, but we hope and pray for a time when we will be able to host larger retreat groups.  Since our area camps work with three different state governments, each with a unique pathway to navigate the pandemic, we ask that you please contact the camp director at the site where you’d like to schedule an event for information on what is possible at this time. 
   
• Financial update.  Each of your six camp’s operating budgets are funded nearly exclusively through user fees.  With the suspension of summer camps and the inability to host retreats and gatherings, the financial impact on our camp and retreat ministry is significant.  While staff have been doing their best to reduce fixed costs, including reduction of staff and salaries, delaying projects, and keeping many facilities offline, our sites are struggling financially.  No one knows how long the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our ministry, but we anticipate disruption of service into 2021. 

We’ve been blessed with some wonderful gifts from our United Methodist conferences, individuals, and local churches.  Thank you!!!  If you are feeling led to support your camps at this time, we enthusiastically welcome your assistance!  Watch for additional opportunities to help keep our campfires glowing and to ensure your camps remain strong and growing.   

Thank you for all the ways you support your Dakotas and Minnesota United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries.  

Be well, stay safe, and God bless you.  

Your Dakotas and Minnesota UMC Camp staff
 

May 1, 2020
Summer 2020 Special Announcement

Greetings Dakotas and Minnesota camping family,
 
I hope this message finds you well and safe in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Dakotas and Minnesota camps’ leadership team has been working closely with local and state health officials, as well as conference and camping industry leadership, to decide how to move forward with camp this summer. After much prayer and consultation, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our conference-sponsored summer programs through August 29, 2020 at Lake Poinsett, Wesley Acres, and Storm Mountain in the Dakotas, and Northern Pines, Camp Koronis, and Kowakan Adventures in Minnesota.

 
Watch special announcement video from Dakotas-Minnesota camp staff

 
This is difficult news for us to share and we know it is tough news for you to learn. It is hard to imagine a summer without camp. For many of us, camp is the thing we look forward to most about summer. The ways we experience Christ, creation, and community at camp are what we all want right now. We wish we could be together at camp, but at this time, our team feels it would be difficult to safely and effectively offer summer programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
If you have already registered for summer 2020, you are entitled to a full refund of any camp payments. Each camper will receive a separate email with instructions about the refund process and alternative options for use of your paid fees. Detailed information and answers to questions about summer program suspension can be found on the Dakotas United Methodist Camps Frequently Asked Questions page.

Make sure to stay connected to camp! We know you will miss seeing your camp friends and experiencing your favorite camp activities this summer. Your United Methodist camps will provide opportunities for you to experience some of your favorite traditions and activities virtually. Stay tuned on our website and follow us on social media for the latest information.
 
Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns at 855-622-1973 or info@dakcamps.org.

If you have questions about COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information on how you can best protect yourself and your family.

We miss you and look forward to seeing you at camp in 2021!

Take care, be safe, and God bless you,

Keith Shew
Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries
Dakotas & Minnesota Area