Applications have already begun to stream in as the Pembina Valley Bible Camp (PVBC) begins preparations for their upcoming season.

The camp continues to create a unique, community-focused experience, for a singular purpose, shares Executive Director for PVBC Chris Harms.

At the group's AGM, the organization covered last year's finances, and shared what changes took place at the camp, and plans that are in the works.

Chris Harms sharing a story during the AGM."It was a good year," says Harms.  "In 2017 we had an amount of staff turnover, so 2018 was a refreshing year of rebuilding and coming together as a staff group. We saw an increase in our camper numbers in 2018, so that was encouraging." The camp attracted 245 campers to the program last year.

In 2018 the organization had total revenue of $394,742,89 and expenses of $411,715, for a net income of -$16,972.11;  2019 is budgeted to have a net gain of $343.95.

Harms says there weren't many changes to the camp and it was more of a year for maintaining the current facilities and programming.

Looking to this year and forward, Harms says the camp will need to invest in a new boiler and a reverse osmosis water system for the dining hall.

The camp suffers from the infamous "camp water" shares Harms; sometimes campers will have hydration issues from not wanting to drink the water, and this system could solve that problem.

Programming and projects rely on funding, and Harms notes that often a project's completion is thanks to a generous donation.

As a team that's on the front-line, Harms says, "it's hard to put into words the encouragement.  We've got what sometimes feels like an insurmountable amount of work. It requires funds to do it, which we're always uncertain where it's going to come from, so when groups in the community are behind us it's just a huge morale boost."

Harms says they are excited for the opportunities to invest in the kids that come to camp and the young adults who serve there. He notes the organization is only here because of the continued support from the community.