The Ripple of Hope campaign · Phase one
More room. More young lives meeting Christ.
The Ark is where camp gathers, and after fifty years the room is out of space before the season starts.
What your gift to the Ark does
Every gift to the Ark goes to one building and one purpose: a revived cornerstone of camp with more room for fellowship, discipleship, and gospel-centered community to grow. It is the first project of the campaign because it is one of the most used buildings in all of camp.
Built in 1976
The space where the memories live
For fifty years, the Ark has been one of the loudest spaces at Hume Lake. Broom hockey tournaments that have become the stuff of legend. Pickup basketball all summer long. Epic dodgeball matches every night of Football Camp. But at Hume, play has never been an add-on or simply a way to fill time. It is intentionally woven throughout each day because play uncrosses arms. It shows campers that camp is fun, that following Jesus is full of joy, and it softens hearts so that even the student who wants nothing to do with chapel may be more open to hearing the gospel when the time comes. And amid all that fun come the quieter moments that matter most, like the winter night a friend said yes to Jesus during a side conversation in a building that was already old when their parents played broom hockey at camp. Nearly every family with a history at Hume has a story that happened within these walls.
That is exactly why it is worth saying plainly: the Ark has been loved hard for fifty years, and it shows. Renewing it isn’t about replacing what people remember. It’s about breathing new life into a beloved space, expanding the areas beyond the rink and court, and creating more opportunities for play, connection, community, and ministry that happen there. It’s about equipping the Ark to serve Hume’s mission even more effectively for the next fifty years.
- 1976The year the Ark was built
- Fifty yearsHome to broom hockey, basketball, and so much more.
- Every seasonEvery camp. Every retreat.
What more room actually does
- More space means more young people connecting and gospel-centered community growing.
- New meeting rooms answer a real request. Churches, retreat groups and small groups already ask for more space than Hume can provide.
- More room for play. Expanded recreation creates more opportunities for fun, shared experiences, and memories that last. More importantly, play has a way of uncrossing arms, helping turn the student who wants nothing to do with chapel into one who is open to hearing the gospel.
- Wider fellowship areas are where the unplanned gospel conversations actually happen.
What it becomes
A hub bursting with possibilities
The renewed Ark is designed around the hours between sessions: coffee at nine, the game after dinner, the conversation that lingers on the way out. A snack shop and coffeehouse. A game area. Upgraded courts. Warm viewing over the rink. Flexible meeting rooms for church time during camp and groups to gather throughout the year. Every one of them is an opportunity for community and connection, where relationships deepen, conversations matter, and the impact of camp extends far beyond the fun.
The plans, in motion
A walk through the renewed Ark
The architects’ flythrough of the renewed Ark and the grounds it sits in, from the entry through to the water at dusk. Everything in it is a rendering: like the images below, it is for illustration and is subject to slight variation or change.
Interior: the loungeFor illustrative purposes only, subject to slight variation or change.
What’s new in the Ark
Five things the renewed Ark adds
Snack shop & coffeehouse
A snack shop and coffee bar, where campers, families, and retreat guests can enjoy time together during free time.
Game area
A purpose-built game area: foosball, ping pong, plus more. It is a place where a camper who knows nobody on Monday has three friends by Wednesday.
Upgraded courts
Renovated courts for basketball, dodgeball, and pickleball that double as a roller rink for throwback roller-skating fun. Recreation is how Hume reaches the student who would never come to a chapel first.
Rink viewing
A warm, built-for-it place to watch the action, giving counselors, leaders, parents, and the half of the cabin not playing a comfortable alternative to the cold rails while still being part of the fun.
Meeting spaces
Flexible meeting rooms for churches, adult ministries, youth groups and retreats. These are the gathering spaces our churches and groups have needed for years.
Talk to us about the Ark
Gifts of this size usually start with a conversation.
The Ark is phase one of the Ripple of Hope campaign, and most of what builds it comes from people who wanted to understand the project first. Hume’s Development team can walk you through the plans, the phasing and the naming opportunities.
Not ready to give yet?
Follow the build instead
Construction updates, renderings as they are finalized, and the moment the doors open, with no obligation or expectations attached.
Follow the build
Renderings, progress updates, and the day the doors open.
The Ark is one project of eight.
See the full picture of what God is doing through the Ripple of Hope campaign at Hume Lake over the next three years.
See the campaignOther ways to give
Not everyone gives by card
A check in the mail, a donor advised fund, or a conversation with someone at Hume. All three reach the same place.
By mail
Make checks out to “Hume Christian Camps” and send to:
Hume Christian Camps ATTN: Development 5545 E. Hedges Fresno, CA 93727Donor advised fund
Recommend a grant to Hume through your donor advised fund. Hume is set up for online requests through several of the larger providers.
Start a DAF requestTalk to someone
Hume’s Development team can take a gift over the phone, answer a question about a fund, or help with a gift of stock or property.