History
The Loft was founded in 1963 by Walter and
Gladys Landis. With a desire to offer a place to retreat, this young couple decided that they would build a camp where
youth could go to get away from their routine lives. The original cabin was built with a lot of sweat and
even more love. Much of the buiilding materials were shipped to the new location in the back of Pappy's Station Wagon.
Constructed mostly from wood pulled from a torn-down barn, the Loft was beginning to take shape. The footers of the
Loft were piles of concrete blocks. Even though he had help from family and friends, his hardest working assistant
was his wife, Gladys. The Loft was used for over 40 years as a facility for youth groups to come for their
winter weekend retreats. The groups spent their time studying the Bible, worshipping God, and enjoying bonding
time with fellow teens. They would go sledding, play games in the snow and other winter activities. Over the entire
40 years Pappy and Grammy would drive to the cabin and cook full meals for the kids. Even though the meals were great
the most memorable part of the weekend was always Grammy's home made "Bippies"! The ministry continued
to grow and soon all of the winter weekends were booked by churches who found The Loft to be a special place
to go to get away. Pappy and Grammy began to grow older, and the winter trips to PA from WY started to get long. Soon
after, the ministry was taken over by other members of the family.
In 2003, Jason and
Amy Auckland (Walter’s granddaughter and grandson-in-law) decided to take on the responsibility of the Loft.
As they redeveloped a plan for the ministry, they noticed many services that the Loft was not able to provide.
The Loft sat on 1 acre of property in the Poconos and much of the land in the surrounding area was beginning to be
developed. The hiking trails were dwindling, the tube run was wearing down, and the pond for ice skating
had been purchased by a private resident. Each of these areas, at one time, was a big draw to youth groups,
but now they could no longer be offered. Many of the churches were beginning to outgrow the Loft and needed
to attend a larger facility that could handle more students. In order for the Loft to continue to
offer the best youth retreat center possible, there would have to be some major changes made in the facility.
What we are doing now...
In
2006, the new board was formed for the Loft Ministries. We purchased 45 acres of land in Great Bend, PA.
The new property has a wooded hiking area, a pond, and some great slopes for tubing. The property
has multiple sites for general activity and sports fields, as well as new buildings. It is situated 15
miles from Elk ski resort, as well as 2 miles from a loading dock for the Susquehanna River. The camp is
located 15 miles from Binghamton, NY, a city that hosts multiple national tournaments in sporting events.
The land offers opportunity to expand the Loft Ministries to camping, leadership retreats, corporate affairs, and sports
camps. It may also serve as a facility for weekly camps, rather than limiting to weekends.
