IN 2014, the Missouri Annual Conference decided to move in a different direction in regards to camping and retreat ministries. At the time, the Conference owned and operated 4 camping/retreat centers around the state. These were strategically located around the state. As part of the new direction for this ministry, it was proposed that these sites be sold. The new model essentially made access to camping and retreat ministries difficult for families and churches in Northeast Missouri. One of the sights to be sold was located in that area. A grouped of concerned Methodist formed an association to petition the conference to give the site to this group to operate as continued resource for our area. At the annual conference in 2015, it was voted to sell Camp Jo-Ota to the association at a greatly reduced rate. Since that time the camp has continued to be a place of sacred worth where people meet God and grow in faith. This seminar will cover how this transition took place and provide insights we have learned in the transition from a Conference run facility to a regional camp administered through an association. We wil also cover how changing societal dynamics affect how we partner with the conference to reach new generations through camping and retreat ministries.
Presented by Rev. Carl Knapp and Ann Wood
Lecture