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 young people could go to get away from there 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 residence. 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 a 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.
