January News

Church visit season, family fun at camp, staff reunion highlights, and more!

January 13, 2026

Camp at Church

Throughout the winter and spring, Director Robyn and Assistant Director Hannah like to visit as many churches with connections to Skye Farm as possible. These visits allow us to spend time in worship and fellowship with the congregations of our campers, supporters, and neighbors, share brochures and information about this year’s camp and retreat programs, talk with church members about the process of sending kids to summer camp, and explore more ways we can partner with local churches.

Robyn with the Sunday School at Adirondack Community Church last spring

Skye Farm church visits can include one of our staff sharing a children’s message, sharing about what Skye Farm does and what we’re up to this year during an announcement time, bringing special camp activities to a Sunday School class, chatting and sharing with church members during an after-church coffee hour, joining in a youth group gathering, or whatever other creative ways churches come up with to integrate camp into their church experience!

If you’re interested in coordinating a visit to your church, reach out to us at [email protected]. While we may not be able to visit every church, if our schedules don’t align we can still provide you with materials like brochures, videos, and photos to incorporate at your church.

Additionally, take note that Sunday, February 8th is Camp & Retreat Ministries Sunday! More information about this conference-wide recognition of the life-changing ministry taking place at our Upper New York camp and retreat centers will be available and sent out to churches soon.

Highlights from the Annual Summer Staff Reunion

It was such a joy to welcome some of our summer staff back for our annual staff reunion the first weekend of January! We spent time playing in the snow, reminiscing about summers past, playing games, and getting excited about summer 2026!

The bonds built between staff at Skye Farm can last a lifetime, and the teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and community of faith we build together make us all stronger.

If you or someone in your life is interested in working at Skye Farm this summer, our staff application is open!

Program Highlight: Family Fun

Many of us in the Skye Farm community treasure the moments we’ve been able to share with our family at camp. Part of the beauty of our community is how intergenerational it is, how fun can be shared and memories made by campers at any age.

In 2026, we have more opportunities than ever for families to enjoy time at camp together! Click the titles of the programs below to find more information and to register.

Our Winter Family Fun Day will be taking place on Sunday, February 15th. From 1-4pm, you can enjoy guided snowshoe hikes to the Castle and beyond, sledding and fun in the snow, and space inside to warm up by the fire with hot chocolate, cookies, and board games!

This year’s Open House is on Sunday, June 21st, also from 1-4pm. Open House is an excellent chance for new summer campers to see camp for the first time, meet the staff, and get more comfortable and excited about camp before they arrive for their week of camp. However, it’s also a fantastic day for friends of Skye Farm of all ages to visit camp, see the staff, play some games, and enjoy time together. Come join us!

Little Ones offers a first taste of summer camp for our youngest campers and their families. Little Ones campers experience the unique camp environment alongside their parent, grandparent, or other trusted adult, learning more about our world, our Creator, and living in community. Kids and their adults get to enjoy swimming, canoeing, short hikes, songs, games, arts & crafts, and more! This year, Little Ones is running August 9 - 11th.

Family Camp is back in 2026! In the latest evolution of a long-time favorite Skye Farm program, family campers of all ages are welcome to join us for a weekend at camp, full of swimming, boating, tasty camp-favorite food, and classic camp activities of all kinds. This is also a great opportunity for Skye Farm alumni to reunite for some summer fun at camp and reminiscing around the campfire! This year, Family Camp is running August 21 - 24th, with options to stay either Friday - Sunday or Friday - Monday.

The Skye Farm Foundation Fall Festival is an exciting new event for 2026! This day retreat on Saturday, September 26th will be full of fall fun, with games and activities for all ages, wagon rides, and a delicious camp lunch. This is a free event, with donations to the Skye Farm Foundation welcomed. More info to come!

Skye Farm Community Cookbook

Don’t forget: the Skye Farm Community Cookbook is available now! With over 50 recipes from camp alumni, this collection has classics from the Skye Farm kitchen as well as personal favorites from multiple generations' worth of staff and volunteers.

Cookbooks are $20, with all proceeds going to the Skye Farm Foundation, our independent nonprofit that fundraises to support Skye Farm. Cookbooks can be ordered online and shipped directly to you, and ordering two gives you free shipping! We'll also have a limited quantity available for sale at Skye Farm Foundation events and in the camp store next summer.

Celebrating 20 Years of Partnership with CCE of Warren County

The ability to serve the youth of our county, our neighbors, at Skye Farm is a blessing, and we wouldn’t be able to do it at the level we have for the last 20 years without our partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County! Click here to check out this article written by Assistant Director Hannah to learn more about this amazing program.

Upcoming Events & Dates to Know

  • February 8th - Upper NY Camp & Retreat Ministries Sunday

    • Church Visit at Burnt Hills UMC, 9am & 10:30am services

    • Church Visit at Cobleskill UMC, 10:30 service

  • February 15th - Winter Family Fun Day

  • February 19-22 - Young Adult Winter Retreat

  • March 1st - Church Visit at Calvary Latham UMC, 10am service

  • March 15th - Church Visit at Adirondack Community Church, 11am service

  • April 1st - Early Bird Registration Deadline

  • April 12th - Church Visit at Voorheesville UMC, 10am service

  • April 19th - Church Visit at Shenendehowa UMC, 9am service

Stay tuned for more information about these events coming soon!

Thank you for supporting Skye Farm, whether that means trusting us with your family, volunteering your time, spreading the word about what we do, helping get kids to camp, or making financial gifts. If you’d like to make a donation to the Skye Farm Foundation, click the link below.

Did you know? The Skye Farm Camp and Retreat Center Foundation, Inc is an independent not-for-profit corporation founded in 2021. The Foundation's mission is to promote and ensure the long-term future of Skye Farm Camp. The Foundation raises money to fund special projects, ongoing operations, and, most vitally, an endowment fund to ensure that Camp remains a vibrant and life-changing mission and refuge for generations of campers to come.