Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center is a summer camp and retreat center in Sharon, Connecticut. An Outdoor Ministry of the Southern New England Conferene of the United Church of Christ (UCC), Silver Lake hosts close to 1,000 young people each summer and more than 3,000 retreat participants in the retreat season, September-May. In addition to groups from UCC churches, we regularly offer retreat space to other Christian denominations, Jewish groups, school groups, and hobbyists. Our summer program is open to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identification, or sexual orientation. No matter where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.

Mission Statement

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, a year round outdoor ministry of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ, is called to covenant with God and with the churches and people of the conference in the work of forming life-sustaining leaders for the church and the world, by offering:  

• Experiences of inclusive and nurturing Christian community
• Opportunities to grow and participate as Christ’s disciples
• A model of sustainable environmental stewardship of God’s world.

We worship, learn, play, serve, and work together, respecting the right of private judgement. We seek to provide a safe environment of acceptance regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, reflecting our unity in Christ and respecting the faith journeys of all of God’s children.

Meet Our Executive Director

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center is a place where lives are changed and leaders are nurtured. Seeing that this happens is the responsibility of the Executive Director, who oversees the invitation to participate, the maintenance of a safe environment, the creation of a nurturing program, and the extravagant welcome offered by staff.

The Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer joined Silver Lake in 2016, coming from several years of ministry as Associate Pastor of the First Congregational Church UCC of Essex, Vermont. He has prior camp experience in Vermont and Idaho, and has served on the Board of the UCC's Outdoor Ministry Association. A graduate of DePauw University and Eden Theological Seminary, he and his wife, Abby, have a young son, Keadyn.

Our Staff

Program Director - Jennifer Kronholm Clark 

As Program Director, Jennifer Kronholm Clark hires and trains the paid summer staff and recruits and supports the volunteer leaders, or deans, and the counselors of the summer conference program, and creates print, email, and web publications.

Administrator and Registrar - Ruth Choate

Ruth is the Administrator and Registrar at Silver Lake. She serves as the summer camp Registrar, helping families with registration questions and health forms. She also helps out with communications: She is the first person you see when you arrive, and you will likely talk with her on the phone when you call. Ruth is also responsible for databases, fundraising support, and helps with social media marketing.

Retreat and Finance Manager - Ashley Nichols

Ashley will work with rental groups to create retreat experiences that meet their goals. From sales to booking to hospitality, Ashley will ensure that each guest feels welcomed and supported at Silver Lake, whatever the reason for their stay.

Ashley will also be responsible for the financial management of Silver Lake, handling the budget and working with vendors.

Food Services Manager - Lynn Boettger

Site Manager - Matt Taylor

Program

Summer Camp at Silver Lake

Wake up early to enjoy Morning Dip in the misty lake, or sleep in until the breakfast bell. Enjoy a delicious breakfast, help out with dishes or composting or Freds, then join your conference for Morning Watch. Your morning will be filled with games, crafts, discussions, swimming, or ropes adventures. After lunch, take a rest for quiet time and mail call. The afternoon brings interest groups, store time, gardening, more games and friends and fun. Refuel at dinner, then come together as a community for All Camp Worship. Enjoy nighttime activities, maybe a campfire, and settle down with evening vespers. We bet you fall asleep right at lights out; it's a full day! Wake the in the morning and do it all again!

 Retreat Groups at Silver Lake

From January through May and from September until December Silver Lake hosts retreats in our five winterized buildings and sometimes even in our non-winterized cabins! We host all kinds of groups, from church groups to school groups, youth groups to hobbyists, looking for space in which to hold their own weekend or weekday retreat program.

Location

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center is located at 223 Low Road, Sharon, CT, 06069. Located in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Silver Lake is just over the boarder from both Massachussetts and New York. 

Facilities

• 2 sets of seasonal cabin villiages each with its own fully-enclosed common building
• 5 year-round retreat buildings
• A summer and a winter dining hall
• 2 outdoor chapels
• An outdoor ampitheater
• A low-ropes and a high-ropes challenge course
• Numerous various-sized fire pits throughout the site

Silver Lake was founded in 1957, the same year the United Church of Christ was formed. The historic Connecticut Conference of the UCC, then known as the Missionary Society of Connecticut and now part of the Southern New England Conference, purchased the property in Sharon, which had been Camp Easton for boys, to be the summer camp site for the Connecticut churches.

Silver Lake welcomed our first conferees (campers) to the first series of summer conferences (camp programs) in the years that followed. In the 1960s and 1970s, four winterized retreat buildings were built, allowing Silver Lake to host church retreats in the fall, winter, and spring, and to expand our summer conference offerings.

Other

Silver Lake is a place where people experience nature, make new friends, and explore their faith. With more than 60 acres of wooded land on lakeside shores, Silver Lake offers many opportunities for young people to take risks and try new things with the support of an intentional Christian community. 

Time and again we hear from our summer campers: "Silver Lake is where I can be the real me!" We invite you to take the plunge this summer and find your true self, new friends, and a closer connection to God.