Redwood Camp’s Zayante Lodge is perfectly situated along the Zayante Creek. With its large windows, the room seems to be enveloped by its surroundings. In such a blissfull setting, who would notice the carpet? We did.

During the fall, winter and spring, Zayante Lodge’s Meeting Room is the central hub for all Redwood Camp guest group activities. Throughout the summer the meeting room serves the many primary and junior campers at Redwood as a place to play games, hang out, and be ministered to.

Recently, the room was packed with junior campers playing games, hanging out, singing, and hearing the word of God at Junior Getaway.

After many years of hard, but kingdom worthy use, the carpet has been replaced. Replacing this carpet is especially exciting because it is the first time we’ve installed carpet tiles. This will allow a longer life out of the carpet. Inevitably there will be accidents and spills resulting in unslightly stains. Instead of living with the stains for years, we will be able to change out just the affected tiles. No wonder our custodial, programming, and conference services staff are rejoicing.

Total Cost: $ 11,700

The new carpet tiles in the Zayante Lodge Meeting Room were laid in a “checkerboard” pattern.

Two years ago, Mount Hermon designed a more effective and attractive sign system to help guests navigate the conference center.  We were unable to install these new signs to budget constraints.  But now, thanks to generous donors of Project R.E.P.A.I.R., we have been able to purchase the metal brackets and wooden posts needed to do the installation.  More than half of the new signs have been installed around the conference center with more to come.  Look for the signs on your next visit.

Our friends from the Winkler Bible Camp Cross Current Discipleship School in Canada.

This November was the fifth year that the Winkler group came to Mount Hermon on their annual service mission. The Winkler Bible Camp Cross Current Discipleship School is an 8-month program that combines in-class, Biblical training with various on and off-site ministry opportunities. A unique relationship formed years ago between Cross Current and Mount Hermon has proved to be a great blessing for all involved.

These energtic young people always accomplish many, many volunteer projects on their visit with us each year. This year in particular, they helped with the demolition of Black Cabin. Black Cabin was beyond renovation with a large hole in the roof and growing grass, broken windows, a rotting floor, and no ceiling. The perfect habitat for Mount Hermon’s local varmints.

Watch the video below as Black Cabin comes down!

Here is a list of other work projects Winkler accomplished during their stay:

1. Installation of a gray water system at 12 Prospect
2. Replacement of the water main and rebuild the the steps and decks at Oak, Maple, and Madrone Lodge Units
3. Help transport, arrange, sell Lost and Found items
4. Painted five guest rooms
5. Built a split rail fence at Redwood Camp
6. Refinished and painted tables and blocks at Play School
7. Data entry and office support
8. Dug a trench at the Bird Blind for water and electrical service
9. Split many cords of firewood
10. Spread wood chips at Redwood and Ponderosa Camps
11. Sequoia Trail Maintenance
12. Rearrange prop storage
13. Gardening - and the list goes on

Thank you! God bless you in your ministry and your travels. We look forward to seeing you next year.

We have three new footbridges near the Fieldhouse (a great improvement over the old plywood boards) thanks to more of our unsung heros, our volunteers. The footings were poured in late September by the Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church Men’s group from Yuba City. The actual bridges were built by Jim Cone, carpenter, and friend, Jim Koschene, who came for their annual volunteer trip in October.

Some of the men from the Cornertone Evangelical Free Church in Yuba City build the forms for the footings for one of the bridges.

Jim and Jim lay the last rail to complete one of three of the bridges. They also built a fence to enclose the unsightly air conditioning units behind the Fieldhouse.

The men’s group from the Cornerstone Church also completed several other projects while they were here. The projects included:

• Disassembly of the boat dam
• Yard clean up at 7 Forest “Sorrel Cabin”
• Chopping wood
• Re-roofing the pool pump house at Ponderosa Lodge
• Building a barricade to close off the old green swinging bridge that is no longer safe

We then had a pleasant surprise in the arrival of a missions group from Master’s Commission Urban Missions Institute. There was a delay in acquiring visas for their mission’s trip to Brazil and they chose to wait it out here at Mount Hermon. These servant-minded young people were able to accomplish several tasks during their stay with us. They washed and detailed the camp vehicles, painted three cabins at Redwood Camp, worked in the bookstore, helped with data entry, and washed all the windows in the Fieldhouse. We are so grateful for all they were able to do on their short stay with us. May God watch over them and protect them as they head to their adventure in Brazil.

We are grateful for every one of our volunteers and the countless projects and tasks they do.

Several well worn cabin decks and stairs sorely need replacing at Ponderosa Lodge.

The volunteers enjoyed a beautiful day as well as great fellowship.

Each deck was repaired by a team of 6 to 8 men led by an experienced carpenter.

Volunteers mean so much to the continuing ministries at Mount Hermon. Recently at the Hillside Men’s retreat approximately 50 men gave their time and skills to bless Mount Hermon and further God’s Kingdom by participating in a service project at Ponderosa Lodge.

These men gave nearly 250 hours of service time, replaced five cabin decks, three handrails and seven sets of stairs representing over $8,000 in materials. They also hauled away all the old materials and scrap and cleaned up the area around each work site.

Thank you Hillside men. We are are truly blessed and amazed at all you were able to accomplish by God’s grace and the gifts He has given to each of you.

One of the newly replaced cabin decks and stairs.

Mount Hermon’s 2007 Summer guests, employees, and residents
suffer minimal delays during the repairs to Conference Drive.

Over the last few years, a portion of Conference Drive near the main entrance dropped six inches.   The need to secure the road became apparent when during heavy winter rains that same side of the road slid.  Friends of Mount Hermon generously raised $250,000 at Labor Day Family Camp in 2006 to cover the full cost of repairing the road. 

When construction began this spring, a failed retaining wall was discovered below the surface.  The engineers decided to utilize the retaining wall into the current plans making the road even more secure.  The change in plans delayed the project and increased the cost by $47,000.

The road was paved September 4 and opened to the public for use two days later.  The foot path was also reopened with the addition of safety railing built by one of our own Mount Hermon volunteers. (Thanks Jerry!)

On September 6 both lanes are once again open with the

addition of safety railing along the foot path.

The “nuclear reactor” supplies on-demand hot water to the Dining Hall.  
 Now you see it …

Now you don’t!

The Conference Center Dining Hall utilizes a custom, high-tech on-demand hot water system to maintain proper sanitation.  This system went out just before the start of summer.  You can’t just pick-up one of these at Home Depot, so we knew there would be a some delay in its replacement.

In the interim, we rented a portable hot water system (commonly referred to as the “nuclear reactor”) to provide hot water to the dining hall.  The rent was $2,500 a month.

A new hot water system was installed the first week of August and the “nuclear reactor” was taken away for good!  This project was completed for $36,000, including all rental fees.

With Chiller one out of service, Chiller two alone cools the entire
Dining Hall as Summer 2007 Family Camp begins in June.

A new, more efficient and powerful chiller, installed September 5,
cools the entire dining hall in place of the older two.

If you were at camp in late August, you know it got hot! And of course that’s when the Air Conditioning in the dining hall went completely out leaving guests, cooks and service staff with no respite from the sweltering heat.

The Dining Hall AC is run most of the year to maintain a comfortable environment for our guests. Chillers are a vital part of any commercial Air Conditioning system because they cool water, which in turn, produces cool air. Our system included two chillers. Chiller one went out earlier in the year, so we managed most of the summer on only Chiller two.

On Wednesday morning, September 5th, a giant crane arrived to place a new, more efficient and powerful, Chiller behind the dining hall. The old units were removed and the new single unit was installed for $90,000. Friends at Mount Hermon’s Labor Day Conference generously gave $14,500 towards the cost of the new chiller. Praise the Lord!

The new Conference Center Pool Fence looks great. What a huge improvement from the menacing barbed wire! Adult Summer Camp guests watched as the last sections were welded together this week.

If you look in the foreground of the picture, you can see our beautiful new pool chairs.

We’ve all heard it said, “It’s the little things that make the difference.” These “little things” are often huge when they help impact lives for Jesus Christ! Mount Hermon has need for certain items that will directly or indirectly help facilitate ministry. That’s way we’ve created a “wishlist” of current needs.

Please review our list at http://www.mounthermon.org/advancement/projects/ and prayerfully consider any item(s) that you might like to donate or contribute a monetary gift toward its purchase. Please use the contact information provided on our list.

Remember, it’s not the size of the gift that makes the difference, it’s what God does with it!