Update: The CEBA Loan has been repaid!
Crowsnest Lake Bible Camp began the month with a project: repay our Canada Emergency Bank Account (CEBA) Loan before 31 December, so that we could take advantage of available loan forgiveness.
It was extraordinary to see contributions arrive, day after day, from friends old and new; from friends near and far. Every morning, we got an update from Kirsten, our office administrator, often with commentary.
"This is incredible," Kirsten said one morning.
"Incredible," confirmed Mike Oosterhof, the treasurer. They really summed it up accurately, and succinctly, but I felt like this was an occasion begging for a little of David Graham's trademarked grandiloquent verbosity:
"Somewhere between amazing and incredible - it certainly is Good News. I hesitate to say it because it sounds kinda corny and maybe a little too sweet (like High Fructose Corn Syrup) but it is good to serve a Good News God."
Thank you - to all who prayed for us, or sent a contribution. This is such an encouraging - and much needed - piece of Good News.
We're gonna be writing a lot of Thank You notes. I've never been more ready.
Merry Christmas. God bless us, every one!
In Christ,
David
(Original Post Below)
Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few."
~ 2 Kings 4:3
About the CEBA Loan
Crow took out a $60,000 Canadian Emergency Bank Account (CEBA) loan during the height of the pandemic. This government loan comes due at the end of December 2023. We have two repayment options either:
- Repay 66 percent of the total amount ($40,000) by December 31, 2023 - in which case the government will forgive the remaining 34 percent ($20,000); or,
- Repay with 24 monthly payments of $2,639 from January 19, 2024, to December 31, 2026 (total is ~$65,000)
The first option is obviously preferable. Crow must ensure that we have $40,000 cash, available in hand for this purpose by the end of the calendar year.
Update 1:
First of all, some people thought this was a live link to our bank account, but it's not, it's just a picture that we will update every day at noon with our progress. We also learned that our preferred way to receive donations is e-transfer and not Paypal. This is because it takes a long time to process donations and you can not specify what you are donating toward. You can still donate through Paypal but you will need to send us an email with additional details.
Update 2:
How much are you short?
We really are short by whatever the amount shown on the loan tracker. Thus far, we have raised $20,000 to cover the CEBA loan, and we would like to raise the balance before the end of the month, so that we can avoid borrowing money to cover the shortfall. Settling this CEBA loan is our immediate top priority. We've already raised $20,000 toward this special initiative. That (combined with thousands of years of God's faithful provision for his people, followed by 60+ years of God's provision for this camp) gives us a lot of confidence that we will raise the other half before the deadline. We are very thankful, and encouraged to have made this progress.
What will you do if you don't raise the full $40,000?
Our priority is ensuring that we settle the CEBA loan on time, and in style: the consequences of missing that deadline are just too dear. So, in case of emergency, we would borrow funds to cover any shortfall. Don't let that dissuade you from donating! We'd very much rather cover this CEBA loan without borrowing.
Thanks, everyone!
Updated: Dec 20, 2023
