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  • Susan Reichart

Mr. Matt's January 2023 report:


The Season is upon us! Maple Syrup Season that is! It is Harvest Time in…Janua


ry? Yep, that’s right! It is the third week of January as I write this letter; it is snowing outside after having an unseasonably warm week which got me into the woods earlier than ever to tap the Maple trees on site. Looking out into our woods, it seems lifeless and inactive; the trees are bare, everything looks dead. Yet this apparent dormancy is actually a time of great activity - we just can’t see it! But there is a Harvest ready to be had of maple syrup! I diligently got all my taps in and am already cooking the sap (40 gallons = 1 of syrup!). Give me a call to go to breakfast! I’ll bring the syrup (which I named Angel Tears), and as we share about our lives, we can celebrate the sweet goodness of the Lord’s working in them EVEN when we can’t see Him doing it!

As I write this report, I will share of some of the sweet goodness of the many years of faithful ministry finally bearing fruit! We also will celebrate the dormancy of our Legacy Dining Hall, trusting that the Lord IS working behind the scenes! And some of my report will be like the sap that is collected. Although the process is the same each season, the experience is always different but so rewarding! I love how our Lord is refining us as a tool and a ministry as the work must go on; children’s lives are at stake and we labor in Hope of a Great Harvest!

CALLING: I often ask myself, “What keeps you at this ministry? Why not do something else?” My answer is that this is a calling. Until every hurting child hears about Christ, and as they become young men and women who have committed their lives to Christ and then create families who are living in obedience to Christ, I/we will not be finished! The Maple season is short and quickly over, usually by mid-March. Once the sap turns milky and sour, we’re done. Like my maple syrup, there’s a short season to reach these kids before they turn bitter too. We must do all we can while there’s still time. We work diligently now so we can spend the rest of the year enjoying this sweet goodness. “…God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him, and does what is right, is welcome to Him.” Acts 10:36


I am happy to report that Pine Valley has completed another year of ministry, our 27th, Pine Valley’s 61st, and we’re staying on Mission: “Rebuilding Broken Lives through Jesus Christ!” Our values are FAITH, FAMILY AND FUN: Faith in Jesus Christ is foundational, we are committed to helping the Family as satan and our culture continues to attack God’s plan and structure! And we continue to build bridges for our campers and staff to Jesus and His Body through Fun!


Staff, Teens and Campers: Finding good godly staff continues to be a challenge, yet the Lord provided just what we needed for another ministry year, both in summer program and our Light of the City choir! There are so many campers who have received Christ’s love. Every week the majority of our Teen campers pronounce at our campfire their commitment to living for Christ! The Maple Syrup of Summer: Please send us your High School and College age children. It will change their life and the Lord will work through them in a mighty way! Year-round Leadership Staff: I thank the Lord for our godly and committed staff who are seeking to disciple our young staff and campers throughout the year and grow themselves in the Lord and His Word! Welcome Erin Marlow to our team; she is helping us reach out to our Vet staff! We would still like to hire a Teen Program Director/Administrator if you know anyone.


Legacy Dining Hall: Delay, Delay, Delay! But…we believe God is in the Delay! We received our Foundation Permit in August and were to begin construction in the fall, then early winter, but as of December 31st, nothing was started. However, we got a call this week that the rebar is finished and construction will begin in February! Like our trees and the sap, there is a lot of movement behind the scenes. The wood is here for the trusses, the plates are being made, and the steel package is being finalized which allows us to finalize our plans and submit the rest of the plans for a permit. Thank-you for your continued prayers!


Angel Tree Campers: Thanks to many of you, 200 Pine Valley campers who have a parent currently or formerly incarcerated ALL received a gift this Christmas! To God be the Glory! PLEASE consider getting your church involved in the Angel Tree Christmas Program. We hope to connect these families with a local church.


2nd Season: We started another round of “Strategic Planning” meetings in November with Arnold Consulting. With that we will refresh our summer ministry, enhance our areas of care and service to all who serve this organization, and for our 2nd Season (September-May), look into different opportunities to fully utilize our new facilities both current and our future dining hall. We want to “Steward” these new facilities to serve our camper families and do it together with the church for the glory of the Lord. More details to follow as we get clarity from the Lord. Just know I am so excited about the potential for impact in these new endeavors.


Growth and Expansion: Our full-time families are growing, Mark & Kelly are expecting baby #4, Abel and Mia have two little ones, and Matto & Jen are holding at eight with the youngest, Bella, officially being adopted in February! Plus, we’re housing interns and young staff who are called to camping ministry. It’s exciting, but we also need to expand our housing options. The good Lord provided us with two older homes in Ellwood City that we’ve been remodeling over the past three years but they still need a lot of work. Plus, Mark has raised most of the funds for an addition to his house but could use help and/or additional funding to finish it.


Connected: We invested $23,000 to update our internet service. Armstrong Cable donated the fiber-optics and we paid to run a 2,000-foot line from Matto’ house down to the camp office. We went from a #3 power to 300! It’s so much faster! In addition, our new Votacall system will connect our buildings for more efficent intercamp communication.

Looking ahead Summer Camp 2023: Pre-covid our attendance was at 740 campers. In 2020 – 249; in 2021 – 444; and in 2022 - 514! We are praying for a full camp in 2023. I have many big ideas but we need workers to go into the harvest!


Finance$: What a tremendous outpouring this year! We were able to end the year in the black! PTL! From last year to this we were able to raise an additional $783,000 for our Legacy Dining Hall giving us over $3 million in pledges and gifts!!! I am looking to raise another $1 Million for this year, Lord willing. Anything left over will be used to expand camping ministry to reach more kids for Christ.

No matter how fierce the winds of this world blow or how deafening the thunder of worldly opinions can be, I choose to live in the Light and Hope of Christ! I choose to continue to labor in anticipation of sweeter days ahead. Thank you for choosing to do the same and for partnering with us! Who knows what’s yet to be accomplished for Christ; we will never really know until we’re all gathered around His Throne, and then…OH How Sweet that will be to see our efforts come to fruition…Maple Syrup delicious! I can’t wait!


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  • Susan Reichart

Thank You to the many individuals and organizations who partnered with us to make the 9th Annual Ride for Hope motorcycle event on September 10th a success. Because of your involvement and generosity, $18,972 was raised and will be directed towards the building of our new Legacy dining hall. We are looking forward to September 16th, 2023 - our 10th Anniversary of the Ride for Hope!

Allegheny Financial Group

Allegheny Industrial Engines

Alpine Pools and Spas

Antoszyk Family

ASPIRE GYMNASTICS & FITNESS

Bear Run Campground

BECK CONSULTING

Beiter Design

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY

HomeServices The Preferred Realty

BEST BUY

BreadWorks Bakery

Breaking Bread Co.

Budget Blinds

CARNEGIE MUSEUMS of Art and

Natural History

CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER

CONRAD KITCHEN & BATH

Ellwood City Candy Company

Fair Ground Market Catering

Firetec LLC

Flashback

Foundation Building Materials

Frank Fuhrer Wholesale Company

Fred Solman-Maureen Ditson

Real Estate Team-BERKSHIRE

HATHAWAY HOME Services

Fringe Beauty Lounge

Fun Fore All

H.P. Starr Lumber

Heinz History Center

HENNE Jewelers

Hufnagel & Majors, Inc

Idlewild and SoakZone

JADCO Manufacturing Inc.

Jenny Family

John’s Marble & Tile

Keystone Safari

Kohler Custom Screen Printing

Living Treasures Wild Animal Park

Marburger Farm Dairy

Markich Family

Mathew Jewelers

Martin Family

Monte Cello’s Wexford

Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort

Muddy Creek BBQ

Neal Family

NEW CASTLE HARLEY-DAVIDSON

New Health Solutions LLC

Oram’s Donut Shop

Paff Custom Welding, LLC

PennBrewery

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Zoo

Playthings Etc.

Pymatuning Deer Park

Raisley Funeral Home

Riverstone Wealth Management

Rodden Electric Company

Ron Dunn Insurance Agency

Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA

Ruth Family

Saxonburg Area Rotary

Scott Enterproses

ShuBrew

Sons of God MC, Pittsburgh Chapter

The One Designer

Turner Tractor

Waffles, INCaffeinated

Washington Wild Things

Welling Family

Werner Family

Wesolek Upholstery

Wexford Community Presby Church

Zion Baptist Church Slippery Rock

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  • Susan Reichart

There is something iconic about the picture of family gathered around the Thanksgiving or Christmas table feast. We think of these moments around the table as a time of sweet fellowship and rich connection among family. No matter how flawed these hallmark card moments are in reality, we treasure them. These connection times become part of our stories and are the stuff of Legacy.


When I was a child and I would arrive at my grandma’s house for the holidays, there were things that I could count on.


We would be greeted at the door with cheerful hellos and hugs. We could instantly smell the turkey and all the fixings’, fresh garden vegetables, warm homemade applesauce, and pies cooling on the buffet table.


My grandma, mom and aunts would be happily bustling around the kitchen and that room was seasoned with love and laughter. The men would be carving the turkey and telling each other tales of recent conquest or debating heartily the deeper issues of life and theology. Meanwhile my grandpa was sitting in his arm chair at the head of the table, filling his pipe with minty tobacco and weaving colorful tales for us grandkids while awaiting the presentation of the impending feast. We children ran about the house giggling with joy in anticipation of an entire day with our cousins. Soon we would gather to pray, giving thanks and then we began eating… and eating… and more eating. After a whole day of food, football, and fellowship and before people gathered their things to depart, our family would gather around grandpa’s little organ and


sing. This pleased my grandpa and the sounds of voices harmonizing delighted my young ears. I didn’t want that day to end.

These holiday times around the table were, in hindsight, the stuff of legacy. Those days and specific conversations linger and stand out in hearts and minds for the years to come.

Grandpa’s garden had the rich soil where all the vegetables grew that we ate at our meal, but grandma’s house was the real soil where seeds were planted in our hearts. At the table we were watered, fed, and took root.


At Pine Valley, we are reclaiming the dinner table. We do that in the summer, we do it at Light of the City, we did it at the Story Harvest where many of you planted legacy moments in our kids’ hearts.


How can we ever expect kids to leave a legacy without creating for them intentional moments of connection and conversation as a foundation. We all desire to leave a legacy but no one drifts into legacy, you decide for it, we plan and prepare, baste and bake, and provide spaces for it. The dinner table should be a place for that intentional time.

Our new Legacy Dining Hall will become the living room, dining room, and kitchen of our camp life. It will be a hub for meaningful connection. We are increasingly more aware that many children have never experienced “the dinner table.”




Imagine holidays for kiddos who have no “dinner table.” A kitchen with no food cooking. A living room with no conversation, children with no laughter, or a home with no music. We have the privilege as families to provide daily what some kids don’t ever get on special occasions. This breaks my heart and also reminds me of the responsibility to fight for this in our own homes and in this place that kids call home.

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