LETTER FOR 2026 ANNUAL REPORT
2025
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT
This has been quite the year. There have been many staff changes, as
well as many capital improvements to the property.
Staffing
We hired a couple of people to fill in the role of office manager. They
were not a good fit. In April, we hired Lisa Guse. She has done an
excellent job since starting and I sincerely hope she will be with us for
many years to come.
Carmen, as we all know, stepped away from the office manager role in
June of 2024. She was then hired as our property and rental manager.
Her expertise and knowledge of the camp have been a valuable
resource for the camp this past year.
Seasonals
We have been trying to update some of the policies and practices
regarding our seasonal campers as well as put into practice policies that
are on the books but not always enforced. We are also trying to update
other policies and practices so that we can facilitate our relationship
with the seasonals in a more concise and consistent manner. One
example is that the contracts for the seasonals could be signed in
September for the following season, rather than in the spring. This
helps us know who is staying well in advance so that if there is a
turnover, we can work to fill the vacancies in a timely fashion over the
winter months. It also allows the seasonals to have their site paid for by
the start of camping season, which facilitates paying that cost in
installments over the winter.
Campers
A similar task was taken on for the campers who use our camp sites
over the summer. We have discussed at some length how to ensure
that there is respect and adherence to the policies and practices of
Mulhurst. We have also decided to implement a $25 nonrefundable
deposit when someone books a camp site. We have had too many
cancellations come up at the last minute which have left our campsites
vacant, without any way of filling them. The hope is that the
nonrefundable deposit will entice people to honor their booking.
Property
There have been a lot of improvements to Mulhurst over the last
number of months, inclusive of new flooring in the main lodge, and a
ramp with railings leading to our main entrance.
Summer Program
The summer program went well, at least from my perspective. We had
an excellent staff for the most part. Our numbers were up, and I felt
that we were able to provide campers with an experience of being part
of a community brought together by God’s love.
There were challenges. Although the staff was excellent, there were
needs that arose from some of our campers that we felt we could not
properly address. This will lead us to re-evaluate how we will construct
our staff going forward. We also had a week where no camp happened.
We had originally held that week open for a possible VBS, but that
didn’t materialize. The camp we chose to try didn’t garner any interest,
so the programming committee will have to reconstruct our summer
program for next year with that in mind.
As mentioned above, the staff was excellent, but we were challenged
with the cook. Our first cook didn’t work out, and I was in the kitchen
far more than I would have expected. Our second hire was much
better, but we face the ongoing reality of ever-increasing food costs.
For a little camp like ours, these mounting costs add up, and we need to
take this into consideration as we look to the summer program of 2026.
Please keep us in your prayers for this following year as we continue to
adjust and grow as directed by the Holy Spirit.
Submitted by Matt Lyseng
Executive Director
Mulhust Camp
2025
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT
This has been quite the year. There have been many staff changes, as
well as many capital improvements to the property.
Staffing
We hired a couple of people to fill in the role of office manager. They
were not a good fit. In April, we hired Lisa Guse. She has done an
excellent job since starting and I sincerely hope she will be with us for
many years to come.
Carmen, as we all know, stepped away from the office manager role in
June of 2024. She was then hired as our property and rental manager.
Her expertise and knowledge of the camp have been a valuable
resource for the camp this past year.
Seasonals
We have been trying to update some of the policies and practices
regarding our seasonal campers as well as put into practice policies that
are on the books but not always enforced. We are also trying to update
other policies and practices so that we can facilitate our relationship
with the seasonals in a more concise and consistent manner. One
example is that the contracts for the seasonals could be signed in
September for the following season, rather than in the spring. This
helps us know who is staying well in advance so that if there is a
turnover, we can work to fill the vacancies in a timely fashion over the
winter months. It also allows the seasonals to have their site paid for by
the start of camping season, which facilitates paying that cost in
installments over the winter.
Campers
A similar task was taken on for the campers who use our camp sites
over the summer. We have discussed at some length how to ensure
that there is respect and adherence to the policies and practices of
Mulhurst. We have also decided to implement a $25 nonrefundable
deposit when someone books a camp site. We have had too many
cancellations come up at the last minute which have left our campsites
vacant, without any way of filling them. The hope is that the
nonrefundable deposit will entice people to honor their booking.
Property
There have been a lot of improvements to Mulhurst over the last
number of months, inclusive of new flooring in the main lodge, and a
ramp with railings leading to our main entrance.
Summer Program
The summer program went well, at least from my perspective. We had
an excellent staff for the most part. Our numbers were up, and I felt
that we were able to provide campers with an experience of being part
of a community brought together by God’s love.
There were challenges. Although the staff was excellent, there were
needs that arose from some of our campers that we felt we could not
properly address. This will lead us to re-evaluate how we will construct
our staff going forward. We also had a week where no camp happened.
We had originally held that week open for a possible VBS, but that
didn’t materialize. The camp we chose to try didn’t garner any interest,
so the programming committee will have to reconstruct our summer
program for next year with that in mind.
As mentioned above, the staff was excellent, but we were challenged
with the cook. Our first cook didn’t work out, and I was in the kitchen
far more than I would have expected. Our second hire was much
better, but we face the ongoing reality of ever-increasing food costs.
For a little camp like ours, these mounting costs add up, and we need to
take this into consideration as we look to the summer program of 2026.
Please keep us in your prayers for this following year as we continue to
adjust and grow as directed by the Holy Spirit.
Submitted by Matt Lyseng
Executive Director
Mulhust Camp