This summer at Daycholah Center the staff that is normally counseling campers are spending their time deep cleaning absolutely everything and helping the year-round staff re-envision how we have been using some buildings and what their future use might be.  The process has resulted in one building previously used for storage of construction material to now being used for the shelter of some of our boating fleet and another garage being completely disassembled.

This second building has been a thorn in our side for a number of years.  It was poorly located and had developed a number of structural issues.  About two weeks ago we started simply taking the building apart one piece at a time.  At this time nothing but a pile of concrete block stands more than five feet high.  First of all, I am thrilled and amazed at how the staff have tackled this project, for a crew with little construction experience they did not shy away and made great progress.

Secondly, removing the building has really opened up a great view!  When a building has virtually always been there, for at least as long as any of us can remember, we don’t realize how much it can be affecting our perspective of the entire property.  This building was sitting directly next to one of our main entrances and was restricting the view of both the house and the greater property sitting between it and the lake.  Now with the building gone, we can see a welcoming entrance to the house and even glimpses of the lake from between the trees.

This experience highlights a crucial concept.  There are times in life when it is important to step back, take a deep breathe, and try to see things through a new lens.  We have been saying this from within the UCCI circles for quite some time now.  The community we served 30 years ago has changed significantly and if we are not adapting with those changes we will be left behind.  This year has provided us with an amazing opportunity, an opportunity to step back, take a deep breathe, re-examine everything that we do, and then look at things from a new perspective.

Removing a building has opened up views none of us have seen before.  That is just one small piece of a much larger picture.  There will be a day when the pandemic is in our rear view mirror, and UCCI is positioning ourselves to have an amazing future in front of us when that day comes.

~ Rev. Nathan Athorp