Director’s Update
Last updated 6/11/2026
2026 update
Looking at the summer calendar this afternoon for planning, I came to realize that from June 5th through August 9th, there is not a single day that campers aren’t on site. In the month of August there’s a two day period and a 3 day period (just before Fall Festival) when we don’t have groups on site. It’s amazing to see our campus in use, sharing the Gospel for the entirety of the summer. It also explains why we need 20-30 summer helpers during this season!
Hartland celebrates 80 years in ministry this year, and we had an amazing time at our May Gathering at the Reedley MB Church. We were able to raise just over $132,000 at the event towards our ongoing dining hall/chapel construction project. My wife, Rachel, and I are celebrating 20 years of marriage and our oldest just graduated high school. There are many seasons both here at camp and in our lives, and it is beautiful to see them all in their own time. We hope to see you and your family this season at camp, and would love that time of fellowship together.
Spiritual Growth:
As of June 7th, we have welcomed just over 3,052 campers this season, with 89 accepting Christ for the first time, and another 108 who have recommitted to the faith they already claim. Now, the phrase recommit can have varying meanings, so I think it’s important to clarify. If someone is already a believer, but realizes they aren’t living the way they should, they aren’t taking their faith seriously or living for Christ, those are who share they have recommitted. We aren’t speaking of making a new commitment again and again and again, but more of a refocus. There’s never a perfect word to explain things of a spiritual nature, but I trust this offers a little more insight as to what we’re discussing. No matter how we measure, we’ll never fully know the impact made in camper’s lives. We only know about those decisions they tell us about, and we don’t always get to hear about changed lives back down the hill.
Our desire is that campers will continue to be discipled back down at their home church and strengthen their faith and walk with the Lord. Please keep these campers in your prayers this summer.
Major Projects:
The New Dining Hall and Chapel project construction is still ongoing. Wednesday, May 13th between 1am-8am all of the final concrete was poured and placed. I’m also thrilled to share that our generous donor came through with the full $250,000 pledge, even though we raised slightly less from others. On June 15th, the first of the steel should be arriving and we should see portions of the superstructure going up shortly thereafter. This 2nd phase includes the steel structure and roofing and should take around 4 months in total. We are raising funds for phase 3, which will wall in all external sides.
Truck Sweepstakes
We love our Hartland community of friends; one such friend let us know about the ability to do a vehicle sweepstakes as a fundraiser. After reviewing the option with stewardship in mind, we decided to move forward with our first Truck Sweepstakes fundraiser. Between now and December 15th, campers, guests, friends, and volunteers of camp are all eligible to participate. To find out more visit www.tinyurl.com/hartlandtruck as of 6/11/2025 we have raised just over $4,500 within our first 36 hours of the sweepstakes. We will be doing a drawing on 12/23/2026, just two days before Christmas, if you’d like the chance to surprise a loved one with a new truck! Using the link above, you’ll get the same opportunity as our campers this season with an extra 25% in entries. Be sure to participate before 12/15/2026 to participate.
Verses to Ponder:
Mark 4:3-20
“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”
Explanation
And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
The Gospel: You’ll note this section doesn’t change with the director letter updates, it’s that important!
If you do not know Christ as your personal Savior, I invite you to learn more by visiting our Gospel Page and getting plugged into a local church. While we love serving you here at Hartland, consistent discipleship happens at your local church (in your city/town) and it makes a huge difference in your walk when you are gathering regularly with other believers. For those continuing in their walks, we also have Bible Resources available to help spur on the study of God’s Word.
Prayer:
Please continue to pray for all those that minister here at Hartland, from the Hartland staff and volunteers to the visiting Pastors and leaders that boldly proclaim Christ’s Word to a world that desperately needs it.
In service to Christ and His Church,
Joshua Embry
Executive Director/Steward/Minister – Hartland Christian Camp
