Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center

What Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center does

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center is a nonprofit outdoor ministry operating on a 60-acre lakeside campus at 223 Low Road in Sharon, Connecticut (Litchfield County). Founded in 1957 as a ministry of the (then) Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ and currently operated under the Southern New England Conference UCC (SNEUCC), the center has hosted overnight summer camp sessions for youth in grades 4-12 across five weekly sessions, plus year-round group retreats for churches, faith communities, schools, and nonprofits. Facilities include five year-round retreat buildings, two seasonal cabin villages (14 cabins, 104 capacity), high and low ropes challenge courses, waterfront access on Mudge Pond, and dining/meeting spaces accommodating groups of 10 to 150 people.

The business model blends program fees with charitable contributions. Summer camp tuition is structured on a tiered basis (Tier 1 $940, Tier 2 $850, Tier 3 $760 for 2026), with a $150 non-refundable deposit and June 1 final payment, plus optional camp store purchases and a scholarship fund. Retreats are priced per person per night (indoor camping $190/adult, cabin $160/adult, tent camping $140/adult). Registration runs through UltraCamp; retreat booking is handled by direct email/phone and a Microsoft Forms inquiry. Distribution is overwhelmingly community-led: the SNEUCC church network, alumni referrals, Silver Lake Sunday church celebrations, and monthly email newsletters are the primary channels. Reported performance indicated a 2024 operational deficit of $355,000 and a summer camper count that fell from 950 (ten years prior) to 250 in 2024.

On November 6, 2025, the SNEUCC Board voted to wind down programming after one final summer in 2026, citing declining enrollment and rising costs. Retreat bookings are now accepted only through October 2026, the Camp Director position has been phased out (effective Dec. 17, 2025), and former Camp Director Tim Hughes was re-engaged as Team Lead to shepherd the final year. The 2026 season will culminate in the "The Road We Came In On" celebration event (August 21-23, 2026). No external investors, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity are involved; the entity is wholly owned and governed by the SNEUCC.

Name

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center

Legal name

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center

Website

https://silverlakect.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center is a 68-year-old nonprofit UCC outdoor ministry in Sharon, Connecticut operating summer youth camps and year-round group retreats on a 60-acre Mudge Pond campus; it is winding down operations after a final summer in 2026 due to declining enrollment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Camp & Retreat Services

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI), Conference Retreat Hotels (THAGALAG)

Keywords

• Summer camp programs
• Group retreat facilities
• Faith-based camping
• Challenge course activities
• Outdoor ministry retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Summer Camp Fees: Tiered pricing structure for week-long summer camp programs. Families select payment tier based on their ability to pay. Includes a tiered pricing model (Tier 1 actual cost, Tier 2 partially subsidized, Tier 3 significantly subsidized).
2. Retreat Programs: Fees for group retreats including lodging, meals, and activities. Pricing varies by accommodation type (indoor camping, cabin rental, tent camping) and age category (adult/child).
3. Donations and Fundraising: Annual appeals, scholarship fund donations, planned giving, program sponsorship, and special event fundraising (Silver Lake Award Celebration). Donations subsidize camper scholarships and operational costs.
4. Merchandise Sales: Camp store sales during summer camp including snacks, drinks, T-shirts, souvenirs, and sweatshirts. Online store for Silver Lake merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center operates a week-long overnight summer camp for youth grades 4–12 on its 60-acre lakeside campus, and rents its facilities to outside groups for multi-day retreats. The center also runs challenge course programs, day events, and seasonal activities as a ministry of the Southern New England Conference UCC.

Product overview

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center offers a suite of overnight summer camp programs for youth and group retreat experiences. The core offerings include week-long overnight summer camp sessions for campers entering grades 4-12, with 5 weekly sessions running June through July, and customizable group retreat packages ranging from mid-week to week-long formats. Additional offerings include high and low ropes challenge courses, waterfront activities, and retreat facility rentals. The center provides tiered pricing for camp programs ($940/$850/$760 for 2026), with financial support through a scholarship fund and program sponsorship options. Registration for summer camp is managed through the UltraCamp online platform. The organization is a ministry of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ, established in 1957, and is located on a 60-acre campus bordered by Mudge Pond in Sharon, Connecticut.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Camp Program Week-long overnight summer camp for youth in grades 4 through 12, featuring traditional camp activities, recreation, and faith-based programming on a 60-acre lakeside campus. Targeted at families seeking accredited, inclusive Christian camp experiences.
• Group Retreats Multi-day retreat facility rentals for churches, faith-based groups, schools, and nonprofit organizations, including lodging, dining, meeting space, and recreational amenities on the 60-acre campus. Targeted at group retreat planners and youth ministry leaders.
• Challenge Course Activities Team-building and challenge course activities offered to summer campers and retreat groups, using on-site high and low ropes elements on the 60-acre campus.
• Day Programs & Seasonal Events Day programs and seasonal events that complement overnight summer camp and retreat offerings, including free community events.
• Online Merchandise Store Online merchandise store selling apparel and promotional items to support the camp and fund ministry operations.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Southern New England Conference of the United Church of ChristcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization and ministry sponsor. Silver Lake is a year-round outdoor ministry of the Southern New England Conference UCC. The Conference Board of Directors made the decision to wind down programming at Silver Lake following the final summer in 2026 due to declining enrollment and rising costs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Camp Hadley: UCC outdoor ministry camp and retreat center in Whately, Massachusetts. Directly comparable as a Southern New England UCC camp offering summer youth programs, year-round group retreats, and tiered-pricing/scholarship accessibility.
• Pilgrim Lodge: UCC outdoor ministry camp on Cobbosseecontee Lake in Maine. Directly comparable as a New England UCC-affiliated summer camp and retreat center with multi-generational faith-formation programming and similar reliance on UCC church referrals.
• YMCA Camp Sloane: Residential summer camp located in Sharon, Connecticut — the same town as Silver Lake. Directly comparable as a long-established Connecticut overnight youth camp offering week-long sessions, waterfront activities, and challenge courses.
• Camp Towanda: Private residential summer camp in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Comparable as an overnight youth camp serving families from the Northeast with tiered session programming, athletic and waterfront activities, and similar capacity scale.
• Tall Oaks Conference Center: UCC retreat and conference center in Linwood, Kansas. Comparable as a denominational retreat venue offering year-round group programming, lodging, and meeting facilities in a faith-formation setting.
• Camp Conrad Weiser: Year-round camp and retreat center in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. Comparable as a faith-based residential camp plus retreat venue offering summer youth sessions and group retreat rentals.
• Camp Mowglis: Long-running boys' residential camp in Hebron, New Hampshire. Directly comparable as a New England overnight summer camp with a multi-decade legacy, structured session-based programming, and similar scale.
• Camp Pinnacle: Private residential co-ed summer camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Comparable as an overnight youth camp with structured week-long sessions, ropes courses, waterfront activities, and a multi-generational alumni base.

Others

• American Camp Association: National accrediting body for youth camps; Silver Lake holds ACA accreditation. Relevant as an ecosystem/standards organization rather than a direct competitor, but useful context for comparing operating practices and benchmarks in the residential camp space.

Broad incumbents

• Frost Valley YMCA: Large year-round camp and retreat center in the Catskills, New York. Comparable as a regional residential camp plus retreat/conference venue, though materially larger and more diversified than Silver Lake across both youth and group-retreat segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/1-EqVdokO-k
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silverlakect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center