EXETER – For decades, the Canonicus Camp and Conference Center on 300 bucolic acres has hosted religious retreats, innumerable summer camp programs and fall festivals.
But its future is less certain now that its owners, the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island , made the “difficult decision” to sell the property.
The Rev. Courtny Davis Olds, executive director of the church group, told The Journal that the Board of Ministries is exploring options to sell the property for development, land conservation or portions for both.
Town tax records assess the Exeter Road property at $3,045,100, which encompasses an 18-acre pond and includes nine separate buildings, including a 200-year-old house.
Why sell the property?
The church association, made up of 67 Baptist congregations, announced its decision on its website , noting it came only after years of serious discussions, the painful reality of annual deficit budgeting and increasing insurance costs to run and maintain property.
“Decades of deficit budgeting and drawing too heavily on unrestricted endowment funds have resulted in ABCORI’s being at a critical financial crossroads,” the board reported.
Only through two unplanned infusions of revenue – a major bequest and a portion of the sale of a church property – was the church association able to fund its operating costs through the last and current fiscal years.
“The fact is that there has been a deficit averaging $100,000 per year for many years,” reported the association’s Interim Executive Minister Doug Harris. “My deeper research has shown that the deficit is created primarily by owning and operating the Canonicus Camp and Conference Center.”
A wider issue among churches nationwide
Harris said the dire financial situation wasn’t unique to Rhode Island American Baptists.
“Most regions in the country have had to face this reality over the past 20 years or so," he said. "The old models for programming and financing of church camp properties are no longer viable.”
History of the Canonicus Camp property
Stanley Lemons, a church historian and former professor at Rhode Island College, told The Journal that the Rhode Island Baptist State Convention first purchased property for the camp and conference center in 1946.
In 1950, on the shore of the camp pond, the property was named Canonicus Camp and Conference Center in honor of the Narragansett sachem who befriended Rhode Island founder Roger Williams.
For years, various organizations rented the camp and conference center for events.
Hasbro Children's Hospital and CVS Pharmacy hosted a free summer overnight program called Asthma Camp. Supervised by a medical staff, children participated in outdoor and indoor activities while learning how to manage their asthma.
The center also played host to Women’s Discovery weekends, events hosted by the Institute for Labor Studies and Research and the group Rhode Island for Community and Justice.
In autumn, the center hosted Columbus Day fall festivals, complete with hayrides, canoe paddling and apple pie contests.
Change in insurance forces the group's hand
But this year, the board reported that its longtime insurance carrier declined to renew its policy.
Only after an “exhaustive search” did the church association find new liability coverage “but at a significantly higher cost and with significantly more exclusions than its previous policy.”
Those exclusions included waterfront activities, the ropes course, and the practice of insuring volunteers.
And the association was “unable to obtain a new property insurance policy, which means that losses resulting from a fire, flooding or major storm would not be covered and could have a devastating impact for ABCORI.”
The Board of Ministries says it will host two informational sessions next month for church members to ask questions. Meanwhile, its executive committee will explore possible sale options.
“The full board then will discuss and vote on the specifics of the sale once that information is available.”
Money from the sale of the property “will generate funds to expand the ministries and programs ABCORI provides for its member churches and their pastors, as well as to develop new ministry opportunities.”
Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: To stay afloat, RI Baptist Churches Association puts 300-acre camp in Exeter up for sale
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