October 13 - Vol 22.7

October 13, 2022 - Volume 22.7 Click to see "Bullet Points" archive

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OK. I admit the title may seem a bit dramatic. But it sure didn't seem overly dramatic as the 4th Crisis began to take it's toll.

Most everyone knows about the first three crises.

2019 Flood
COVID 19
2021 Flood

The 4th Crisis shares an important characteristic with the previous crises. It drains our coffers and gives us only one choice. Buy less. Buy Smarter.

The 4th Crisis is inflation. As the cost of food, utilities, equipment, supplies and fuel increases, inflation snatches money from our bottom line. "Is a bottom line that important? It's not like you have stock holders." Yes, it is. A positive bottom line is what helps us gain back financial ground we lost in 2019, 2020, and 2021. 2022 will not be a year to gain back ground.

Inflation messes with our expectations and planning. Working with the Camp Board, we approved a 22/23 budget with a stabilizing effect. I kept thinking, "Finally, we're going to have a normal year!" But that budget was created before inflation became painfully obvious. We are holding the line on any expenses that are not related to our guests, but our rates are locked-in via contracts through the end of December. So we watch our positive cash flow dwindle.

The past four years have certainly kept us all on our toes. I'm ready to get off my toes and stand flatfootedly on the firmament!

Finley Knowles

XD, CGC

P.S. If you have plans for year end giving, your donation will make a substantial difference here at CGC.

Groups We Served in

SEPTEMBER

1-2 MidSouth District Advisory Committee and Advisory Board
2-4 Retrouvaille (marriage recovery group)
8-11 Tres Dias Men
9-10 Griffin’s Chapel Church of the Nazarene Retreat
15-18 Tres Dias Women
16-18 Christ Church Nashville Teens
18-24 Spring Hill Grace lodging only while working on flood relief in Waverly
26-27 West End United Methodist Staff Meeting

COLLEGE STUDENTS!

Join the CGC Summer Staff

in 2023

The application is online. Please follow the link or maybe share this with college-age friends.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CGCIntern2023WNPBXS9

PRAYER

changes what we SEE

and what we SEEK

Each month CGC Chaplain Bob McKenzie sends a prayer letter to subscribers.

Would you like to subscribe?

LET'S PRAY TOGETHER

Below are things we are praying about:

Pickup truck for our maintenance department (daily use) PURCHASED

Pray that the TEN BUCKS A MONTH Club will continue to catch on. TBAM is a very important part of our plan to repay the SBA loan once we begin making payments. You say," $10 won't really make a dent." I say, "Tell that to the $1,800 already coming in each month!"

Bobcat/Skidsteer – this is a big piece of equipment that is critical in helping us manage the creek rock as well as countless grounds applications. (used 3-4 days a week)

Access (not ownership) to an excavator with a grapple. This goes a long way to help us deal with the lifecycle of our mature trees and wooded areas. It also is a necessary part of maintaining our creek. We can do A LOT in a few hours. (6-12 days/year)

4,200 sq. ft. of NuCore Ashen Oak vinyl flooring for the two meeting rooms in the lower level of Johnson Lodge. Since the flood last year, we have been living on concrete.

We have $9,700 to go toward the total cost of $14,500.

Still need 2 well-maintained golf carts. A side by side would also work.

The floods have always taken out golf carts, and something else always takes priority when it comes to replacing them.

Still praying about rollup garage doors for the Youth Chapel.

All but the shell of the Westmoreland Youth Chapel was destroyed in the 2021 flood. It was a significant meeting space for groups between 75-200, and we are missing it. There's an idea to use garage doors to replace the side walls. We would leave the doors up any time we don't have a group using it. Future flood waters would simply flow through it, and with a good pressure washing, we would be ready to go again!

God provides for His purposes in a variety of ways. It's impossible to pin God down and say,

"This is how it's done."

We contacted the Tennessee counterpart to FEMA to check on the status of our appeal. If you remember, CGC was ruled an ineligible facility, and no funds were awarded. FEMA's view of CGC was more akin to a sports camp, when every event we host centers around worship.

Construction Continues with the New Cabin

Concrete delivery for footers.

Concrete delivery for footers.

Footers dry. Block foundation complete.

Waiting on final permit to proceed. The new floor level will sit a few inches higher than before.

NEW CABIN

The dorm consists of 4 pods that hold 20 people each. Doors 1 and 4 lead to the upper level. Each pod will have a private restroom. The capacity of the cabin will be an increase of 30 above the former dormitory.

The SBA is interested in us again! They have requested a couple of new documents, so we know we are on their radar. We have submitted those documents, but still have no timetable about receiving funds.

Little House

on the Prairie

This is what remains of the west side of Poplar Lodge compliments of the late-summer flood of '21 that damaged the guest rooms. Since then, it has been CGC's laundry Room. The show must go on!