Special Constituency-Related Announcement

Jim Micheff, Michigan Conference President

Michigan Conference President Jim Micheff shares essential information regarding the Camp Au Sable building proposal that will be discussed and voted at the upcoming Michigan Conference constituency session on September 24. Additional details regarding the proposal can be accessed by clicking the following button.

Building Proposal & Info

[Read video transcript]

Greetings Michigan Conference family,

With our constituency Session only a few weeks away, I wanted to alert you to a significant agenda item that will be addressed at the constituency. We will decide if now is the time to replace the Kitchen and Auditorium at Camp Au Sable.

Camp Au Sable is the number one place where kids and adults of all ages commit or recommit their lives to Jesus. It has also become an important crossroads and training center for our conference. 

What began as a youth-focused summer camp, with Bible camp and Pathfinder events, has grown into a conference-wide training facility ministering to the needs of all our constituents. 

Family programs, such as marriage and men’s and women’s retreats, along with Health, Sabbath School, and Personal Ministry training workshops, are a few examples of the various activities taking place there. In addition, Michigan Conference churches regularly use the camp for campouts and retreats.

In the early 1950s, the current dining room served as the dining hall and auditorium for our events. Over the years, the kitchen has been remodeled and adjusted to maximize the current space. An auditorium and additional housing have also been added to help accommodate our needs.

The camp administrative committee, referred to as AUSMIN oversees the camp, and the Long-Range Planning committee helps to plan for future needs. For years we have been repairing and maintaining camp facilities, trying to get as much use out of our existing buildings. The kitchen and dining hall was built in 1948. The auditorium was added in 1994. 

These buildings are revealing structural challenges, and both committees recognize that in the not-too-distant future, we will need to address major repair costs. 

The cost to do so, utilizing the appropriate service providers and upgrading to the current code, including fire suppression, is projected to be over 5 million dollars.

Last year, with the recommendation of AUSMIN, the Michigan Conference Executive Committee authorized a feasibility study to be conducted by Lew Seibold and Ariel Solis, both Architects and former chairs of the Architectural program at Andrews University.

They addressed several questions. Would it be better to remodel or tear down and rebuild? And would it be more cost effective and efficient to build a separate kitchen/dining hall and auditorium or keep them together as they are now? 

After analyzing the study, both AUSMIN and Long-Range committees concluded that it was better, in the long run, to rebuild rather than remodel and to have the kitchen and auditorium together.  

This year, the Michigan Conference Executive Committee authorized Mr. Seibold and Mr. Solis, along with Daniel Bacchiocchi, both an architect and building contractor, to prepare a proposal for our constituency delegates. 

The feasibility study and their preliminary architectural work indicate that the cost would be 15 million dollars at the current material prices.

Our communication team has uploaded the proposed architectural plan and additional information on our website. If you are a delegate to the upcoming constituency, I encourage you to review that information. It will be helpful as we discuss this item.

We solicit your prayers for our Constituency Session on September 24, as this will be one of the critical topics of discussion as we determine if the time has come to replace the kitchen, dining hall, and auditorium.

Regardless of the outcome, we know God will continue to use Camp Au Sable as His special place.

God Bless you and have a wonderful Sabbath!