Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, an outdoor Christian ministry nestled in the Litchfield Hills, has announced it is closing its doors after nearly 70 years in operation due to financial constraints.
The Christian camp and retreat center, a year-round outdoor ministry of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ, is located on 60 acres in the town of Sharon. The center operates as a Christian retreat and hosts a weekly overnight summer camp program that has garnered a strong and active alumni base. According to church officials, thousands of youth have attended Silver Lake’s summer camp programs over the decades.
The news of the closure was met with hundreds of comments and reactions on Facebook. Many said they remember attending the camp in their youth, while others asked how the camp can be saved. With comments ranging from sadness over the closure to concern about the camp’s future, the decision to close Silver Lake was purely out of financial reasons, according to church officials.
“Like many, Silver Lake has been part of my life for over 45 years. I have served in many capacities. I too am disappointed and heartbroken by the decision. As many have mentioned the call to ministry — clergy and other lives of service — began here. It seems to me, that a place that creates good people who value living in community is a balm to a hurting, divided world,” said alumni Betty Camp Ceiling.
“A huge opportunity is being missed. The decision to abandon this irrevocable asset is a sad reveal of paradigm shifting at the conference. In an era when so many generations are unchurched and the disconnect from nature and the origins of our food, Silver Lake presents an opportunity to cast our nets wider to offer a welcoming and spiritually inclusive, grounded, environmental ministry to our wider communities, especially youth and families,” said another alum on Facebook.
A group of summer campers listen to a makeshift concert at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center in Sharon. The camp, first established in 1957, is closing its doors after nearly 70 years in operation. (Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Chris Davies)
The camp is run by the Southern New England Conference Board of Directors, the group that made the decision to close the camp in 2026 after a final summer of ministry. The board hired a financial consultant, Kaleidoscope Inc., to determine why the camp was not finically solvent, church officials said in a press release. The decision to hire on a consultant came after years of declining enrollment and ballooning costs that officials say turned the property into a “financial crisis” for the church.
“Silver Lake — a ministry of the historic Connecticut Conference and later the Southern New England Conference — has been operating for 68 years. But in recent times, as church attendance has declined, so has the number of families sending their children to overnight Christian camps. Ten years ago, there were 950 summer campers; in 2024, there were 250. Simultaneously, costs — in particular insurance for such a sprawling, waterfront site — have skyrocketed,” according to the release.
Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, executive minister for programs and initiatives for the SNEC, said that the trend for overnight Christian camps are showing declines across many congregations. She noted that overnight camp experiences tend to cater toward church youth groups, but those same groups have shrunk considerably over the last decade as fewer young people with families attend church.
A cross with the sun rising in the background at Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center in Sharon. The camp announced next year will be its last in operation as ballooning costs and declining attendance have made it fiscally insolvent. (Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Chris Davies)
“It used to be that our youth groups and children were a big part of our summer camp experience,” Davies said. “Today, as we have fewer large youth groups in the church, we have to rely more on folks from outside the church. They may be unfamiliar with the church and might not trust us enough with their kids overnight. That is a really a big ask. It’s not impossible, but it’s understandable.
“It’s our work to meet people where they are and bring them a little bit further in their spiritual journey,” Davies added. “Sometimes churches fall into this mindset of expecting people to come to us. But it’s our collective work to meet people where they are. So some of the issues we’re seeing on the national level are also playing out on the conference level with youth programming.”
The camp posted an operational deficit of $355,000 in 2024, according to church officials. The report from the consultant shows that the total usage of the site dropped nearly 50% in the last 10 years. The summer camp program accounts for just 24% of the property’s overall usage. Because of these constraints, the report found that even if the camp was opened up to other uses beyond the ministry, it would still be financially insolvent for several years.
The camp runs one-week summer sessions for campers entering 4th through 12th grades, according to its website. The full cost of camp for the week is $940. The camp also offers tiered pricing for those who cannot afford the full rate with prices at $850 and $760, depending on someone’s financial ability to pay. All youths from different faiths are welcome to attend the summer camp program. Families do not have to be a member of the UCC congregation, according to officials.
“The board prayerfully faced this difficult decision with full recognition of how painful this transition will be for many people within our community,” said board chair Persephone Hall. “We are fully aware of the gravity of this decision and agreed that the additional funding and effort required for a good goodbye would provide the time and space needed for a tender transition.”
A sunset over Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center in Sharon. The site, part of an outdoor ministry of the United Church of Christ, is set to close after next summer due to financial constraints. (Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Chris Davies)
While board members debated opening up the camp for other uses, they decided that other uses would take away from the overall mission of the camp, which is to be a Christian-centered ministry. Instead, members said they chose to keep the camp open an additional year to allow closure for all campers, families and alumni members despite the “massive financial costs.” In addition, board members said there will be a reunion event planned next summer as a final farewell after 68 years of memories and ministry.
“The board agreed that it is worth the considerable investment to ensure that people are able to come and be present on site and witness the stories and memories of Silver Lake. We want to make sure we do this with as much grace and care as possible, recognizing the impact Silver Lake has had on so many lives. Silver Lake is where I also found my call to ministry,” Davies said.
“There is no question that transformative experiences have happened at Silver Lake and will happen even this coming summer. There is no doubt that this camp has saved lives,” Davies added. “So even as we move forward with integrity, intention and considerable faithfulness to where we go from here, we both honor, support and hold that awareness with both grief and joy.”
After next summer, officials say that they are weighing options for the future of the site. A team will assess the property next year while seeking out opportunities and partners. The board said they will consider all reasonable offers for the property.
“We don’t yet know what the future will hold, but we are committed to exploring faithful possibilities aligned with our missional impact and theological commitments,” Davies said. “It’s just impossible to say at this moment what that may look like. We just don’t know yet. But we are committed to ensuring this last year of programming be open and available to anyone who would like to attend. We want to ensure people are able to come and be witness to the stories and memories of how this site has been a gateway for so many to transformative ministry.”
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected].