J.R. Loofbourrow provides an update on the ministry taking place at Mount Hermon as well as an update to to the repairs to the buildings damaged by the storms experienced last winter.  Thank you for your prayers and concerns about Mount Hermon during these times. Be encouraged! God is continuing to transform lives. 

Want to see more? Check out the live webcam during the construction of Sequoia Lodge.

What a Winter! 

Here's what happened & what you can do to help

“This was the winter of our discontent.” Shakespeare wrote.  Here at Mount Hermon the winter of 2010 was one for the record books, with snow on Highway 17 and harsh weather that extended well into the spring. Our hillsides and majestic Redwoods provide a beautiful landscape but when coupled with strong winds, continual rain and storm runoff; it is a recipe for disaster.  Rather than a winter of discontent, we PRAISE our Lord for his hand of protection and provision…

Sequoia/Parkway

On Saturday, November 20, severe winds toppled a large fir tree which struck our Parkway Cabin, damaging two of its units. The same night another huge fir crushed Sequoia Lodge up behind the Administration building.

God’s Hand: Out of our hundreds of guest groups we have only TWO that stay one night checking out on Saturday after lunch. The weekend of November 20th happened to be one of them!  On almost any other weekend there would have been campers staying in both of these lodge units. God’s great hand of protection was on us!

Pine

On Friday morning, February 25, 2011, another deluge inundated our already-saturated ground. Behind Pine Lodge a cluster of redwood trees slid down the slope, burying Meditation Chapel and covering Sequoia Trail. Worse, the soil these trees pulled away undermined the foundation of Pine Lodge coming critically close to taking this historic lodge right down the hill.

God's Hand: Once again the Lord’s hand of protection was upon us! This slide occurred in the early morning, so blessedly no campers had checked in for the weekend.

A “deep pier” foundation will be required to shore up and stabilize the hillside along with a retaining wall, but Praise God, there was little damage to the actual structure.

Conference Drive Slide

March 23 brought intense hail and rain causing a steep slope behind Terrace Way to collapse, completely blocking Conference Drive with trees and mud, and cutting off power to many residents. But Mount Hermon’s staff was prepared.

God's Hand: In February, our entire staff had been through emergency preparedness training by simulating a full scale earthquake disaster. This was the first ever training of its kind in Santa Cruz County and it prepared us amazingly well to deal with the slide and power loss on March 23--The BEST NEWS is that amid all this “chaos” God brought new life. At a stormy March Junior Getaway at Redwood Camp, 14 kids (4th thru 6th grade) gave their lives to Jesus!

The Ask

These are three examples of how the winter of 2010-2011 has readjusted our ability to effectively serve while extending Christ’s love to a greater number of guests. Each housing unit is a vital hub in enabling Mount Hermon to reach out and share the love of Jesus to those who come onto these humble grounds. We hope to have Parkway back on line by early June, Pine back in operation the first of August and Sequoia in early 2012.  Of course, this will only be possible as friends of this ministry respond to meet the need.

Thankfully, the provision of our insurance helps mitigate the financial damages.  Mount Hermon will be responsible for $250,000 of the almost $600,000 it will cost to bring all of these cabins to full repair.  In addition, as a result of these claims, we anticipate seeing substantial premium increases over the next five years.

We are confident in the selfless, generosity of those of you who are called to support this ministry and know God will provide. Would you talk with the Lord about playing a part in giving new life back to these sacred spaces through your gift to Mount Hermon?

Your response by the end of July will allow us to keep up with the cash needs of construction and stay on the most favorable time table to get these units back in service. We anxiously await all the great things God will do within each of those four walls.