The Pyoca Yurt Project:
$45,000 raised,
$15,000 still needed.
Please support our new cabins! (Click here to donate)

Friends of Pyoca,

This winter and spring have been busy at Pyoca with confirmation retreats, conferences, and summer camp planning. We’ve also broken ground on our new rustic yurt cabins!

2017 Summer Camp
Check out the Pyoca website for our 2017 summer camp schedule! Camps are filling up fast, so be sure to register soon!

The Pyoca Yurt Project
Construction is well underway for our new rustic yurt cabins! We’ve raised $45,000 so far and are looking to raise about $15,000 more to complete the project which includes 2 cabins that sleep 20 each, bathroom facilities, and large outdoor meeting space. To donate, visit our website or mail a check with ‘Yurt’ in the memo line. And we extend our deepest thanks to all those who’ve supported this capital project so far!

Pyoca Yurt Project: “Day of Service”
On Saturday, April 22, 2017, we are hosting a Day of Service at Pyoca to assemble our new cabins! Lodging is available and lunch will be provided. Please RSVP.

Pyoca Middle School Conference
On March 18-19, 2017, 21 middle schoolers joined 14 volunteers/staff for our first ever Pyoca Middle School Conference. Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks delivered the keynotes themed “Impact’ and Phillip Morgan lead inspiring worship on the piano. Look for this exciting new event next winter/early spring. With Kentucky and Ohio becoming more connected with Pyoca, we should see tremendous growth in programs like the Middle School Conference

2016 Annual Report
Based on income, 2016 was Pyoca’s most successful retreat season and second most successful summer camp season in our 65 year history! Take a look at the full annual report here:
2016 Pyoca Annual Report.

On behalf of the Pyoca Advisory Council, staff, guests, volunteers, donors, and the whole Pyoca family, I want to thank you for your support of this life-changing ministry.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Dr. R. Jacob Hofmeister

Friends of Pyoca,
There’s so much happening at Pyoca right now! Summer camp is coming to a close and the retreat season is gearing up. The Pyoca Yurt Project Fundraiser is being held on Sept. 10, and we’re hosting our second annual High School Conference, Oct. 7-9.

Summer Camp
We’ve had a phenomenal 2016 camp season, ministering to over 500 campers since the beginning of June! With the theme “Fearless Faith,” campers learned to be courageous in their lives as Christians as they deepened their faith and learned the importance of serving others in need. I would like to extend deep thanks to our wonderful staff and volunteers for their great leadership, making Pyoca a transformative and safe experience for our campers and families.

I’d especially like to thank Rob and Nancy Peterson, who’ve been directing Orchard Park Presbyterian Church’s Camp Friendly at Pyoca for 20 years. Last week at camp, family and friends and former staffers traveled to Pyoca for a surprise celebration for the Petersons. Many amazing and sometimes humorous stories were shared, all of them exhibiting the deep and far reaching impact that Rob and Nancy have had on the campers and the Pyoca community. I sincerely thank them for their vital ministry and support of Pyoca’s mission.

The Pyoca Yurt Project Fundraiser
Join us at Pyoca on Sat. Sept. 10 from 3-6pm (after the Presbytery of Ohio Valley Assembly) for the Yurt Project fundraising event.  The open house starts at 3pm with a worship service at 4pm to decomission our last remaining rustic cabins.  We’ll have a silent auction, bbq, and music following the service. Help us honor the past and look toward the future–and maybe take a piece of cabins 1 or 6 home with you!

Pyoca High School Conference: Oct. 7-9
Join us for our second annual HS conference themed “This is My Story” featuring Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort as the keynote speaker and Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez as the worship and music leader!  Last year we had over 60 high schoolers from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky attend. Help us make it even bigger this year. More information can be found at: http://pyocaconferences.org.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Dr. R. Jacob Hofmeister

http://www.pyoca.org/

Dear friends of Pyoca,

The fall retreat/conference season is in full swing at Pyoca Camp, Conference, and Retreat Center.  Last weekend we hosted our first-ever Pyoca High School Conference with keynote speaker and former Moderator of the PC(USA) General Assembly, Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, and singer/songwriter, Rev. Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez, leading music and worship.  60 high school students and 20 youth leaders and staff from Indiana and Kentucky joined us for 3 days of inspiring worship and challenging keynotes on issues of race, gender, and justice.  After the keynotes and worship, attendees broke out into small groups to explore the issues more in depth and deepen their faith through conversation and discussion.  The weekend was also highlighted by Pyoca’s ‘patented’ adventure block with activities including high ropes, climbing tower, boating, and the very successful Mud Run!  During the Mud Run, high schoolers ran a mile-long obstacle course around the lake, complete with mudpits, flooded areas, uphill climbs, and straw bale obstacles.  The weekend was capped off by a moving communion service, and then worship on top of Pinnacle Peak (better known as Mt. Baldy).

Camp Pyoca’s tentative 2016 summer camp schedule is up on our website, and registration goes live on November 1st! This year, we have simplified our summer programs with camp names that correspond to age groups:
Explore for grades 2-4,
Discover for grades 4-6,
Challenge for grades 7-9, and
Transform for grades 10-12+.

Also, new for this year, we are offering the Pyoca Work Camp called Transform–Serve, where campers can serve through mission work at Pyoca and in the local community. We are also continuing our growing Dad’s Camp program which gives fathers one-on-one time with a son or daughter and follows an enriching curriculum that deepens relationships with God and each other.

Another change for Summer Camp 2016 is our pricing system, which gives families three choices to support Pyoca’s excellent summer camp programs.  Scholarships are available as well.  Below is a description and rationale of tiered pricing.

As part of the Pyoca Family, I am deeply grateful for your enduring commitment to support Pyoca’s life-changing ministry. Thanks for everything you do.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Jake Hofmeister

Tiered Pricing Description:

We know that every family has different abilities and resources to pay for camp, which is why, this year, Camp Pyoca is offering a voluntary three-tiered pricing program.  In the past, Pyoca has offered a single subsidized rate which is lower than the true cost of camp, made possible by generous presbytery support, gifts from churches, and individual donations.  The three-tiered pricing model gives families the option to more fully support the total cost of Pyoca’s excellent summer camp.

• Tier 1 is Camp Pyoca’s historically published rate and does not reflect the full cost associated with providing quality summer programs.  Presbytery mission support and donations supplement thisprice to support the full cost of Pyoca’s summer camp programs.
• Tier 2 is a midpoint between the historically published rate and the full cost of summer camp, giving you an opportunity to choose to pay a “little more” to support Pyoca’s ongoing ministry.
• Tier 3 most closely reflects what it costs to run Camp Pyoca including facility maintenance, staffing, utilities, and equipment. Choosing this tier helps Pyoca’s summer camp remain sustainable for years to come.

Prices and a more detailed description will be available when registration goes live on Nov. 1.