[dropcap style=’box’]T[/dropcap]he times they are a changin’.” This famous song notes how events of the 1960s re-shaped America’s cultural landscape. Fervent change continues, creating a technologically focused electronic age far different from the post-Vietnam era of a young Bob Dylan.
We have to change with the times to stay relevant and make a difference with youth and adults who typically spend somewhere between 8 and 12 hours per day glued to an electronic screen. Unfortunately, this often replaces direct experiences with armchair video snippets of someone else’s life.
We have to change with the times to stay relevant and make a difference with youth and adults who typically spend somewhere between 8 and 12 hours per day glued to an electronic screen.
God continues to let us know that people from all walks of life yearn for adventure and direct experience. Enrollment is up and the phone rings from those wanting to create a greater connection with Almighty God and others.
Summit Adventure’s changes are key to the vitality of our ministry. These include:
- Our badly outdated website got a facelift–excellent, effective, and sorely needed! Now mobile friendly and reflecting the many changes that technology forces us to address if we want to be seen on the screens of young and old.
- Revamped programs include the College Semester, Men’s Life Renewal, Patagonia and Ecuador Service and Adventure, Mt. Rainier 5-day summit attempt, day trips for lodge guests and retreat groups, and fully customized courses ranging from corporate training to exploring Yosemite winter.
- Summit Lodge’s impressive makeover staggers those who knew the place in years gone by. Upgrades include four cozy guest rooms, library, modern kitchen, 2 “glamping units” that house 12, wedding venues, a 600 square foot rear deck, and quick access to Bass Lake.
- A healthy mix of new and veteran staff keeps Summit programs humming along. Alex Witmer is our newest program director, Jamison Glazebrook our social media/website manager, and Hannah Glazebrook our special projects coordinator. Bryan Feller helps us market. Carey is the Summit Lodge founder and president. I remain Summit’s executive director. Together we try our best to stay relevant.
All the “new” at Summit is exciting. But we also realize that people and groups in any era need practice working on crucial principles–effective communication, focused time with God and others, serving one another, responding to various challenges that test our faith and expand our comfort zones.
These principles are perhaps more relevant to our society than ever before. While screen time and electronic addictions increase, a great many indicators show that life satisfaction decreases. In addition, I suspect most people would agree that life is, despite all the technology available, getting more complicated.
Participants on Summit Adventure courses are in foreign situations that expand their comfort zones without the distractions of technology. Life is simple and uncomplicated on Summit’s adventures, but hopefully NOT easy. And Summit has a 45-year history whereby highly trained professional guides and instructors facilitate the passage from discomfort and challenge to learning, growth, and renewal.
Participants on Summit Adventure courses are in foreign situations that expand their comfort zones without the distractions of technology. Life is simple and uncomplicated on Summit’s adventures, but hopefully NOT easy.
Life is about change and we are proud of our efforts to stay close to those changes. Yet there are also many constants that mark the human condition, and Summit Adventure continues to offer courses to help people effectively and productively address these issues.
If you’re ever close by, stop in and check out the new and old. We would love to visit with you!