In response to a nationwide call for training, the National Council of Churches' Outdoor Ministries Committee has planned a high-caliber event for camp/retreat leaders wishing to learn important fund-raising skills. The timeliness of this course could hardly be better, as revenues from conference apportionments allocated for camp/retreat ministries continue to drop in many locations at the same time that our facilities and programs need upgrading. It is critical that we find new ways to be stewards of this crucial ministry which touches so many.

Do not overlook this tremendous opportunity to learn key techniques and principles that will help undergird your center, its faith formation and Christian hospitality endeavors, and overall operations. Now is the time to establish a strong financial future. Whether you serve as a site or conference staff person or Board member, sign up now. Class size is limited to 50! The Principles and Techniques of Fund-raising for Outdoor Ministries Course will be held March 23-27, 1998, at Pilgrim Park, Princeton, IL. This comprehensive five-day camp retreat/ministries course is designed by the highly acclaimed Fund Raising School of Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy. It will be led by Dr. James Reid, PhD, CFRE who has more than 32 years of experience in fund-raising for nonprofit educational institutions. The course will provide a rich variety of resources you can carry home to share with others and implement. For further information and a registration form, contact Bill Wealand right away: phone (614) 885-0722 or e-mail Bill_Wealand@aol.com.

The NCC Outdoor Ministries Committee has negotiated a special rate and subsidizes the cost for each participant; the cost to camp/retreat leaders will be $599, which includes lodging and meals. (Normal cost for the event would be $695 plus meals and lodging.) Run, don't walk, to register.

"This has been one of the top two or three professional workshops I have attended in the past 20 years." -- Allen Dietz: AmeriCorps Parenting Education Project

"This is definitely the kind of course to take. . . . It will be worth your while."-- Attendees from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

"By putting into practice only some of the tools and techniques I learned in the course, the annual campership fund appeal has increased from $5,000 to nearly $20,000 each year. During the past two years, with the skills learned in this course, we have raised $235,000 for a sewage system and $200,000 for new cabins." -- Bill Wealand, Outdoor Ministries Director, West Ohio Conference, United Church of Christ