Commemorative Ceremony at Little Pine Island
A few miles outside of Grand Rapids, MI, lies a beautiful place known as Little Pine Island (LPI). Established in 1929, it served as a Salvation Army summer youth ministry camp for almost 100 years.
Following the merger of the Eastern Michigan & Western Michigan and Northern Indiana Divisions, LPI was decommissioned. On July 20, 2025, The Great Lakes Division held a commemorative ceremony at the camp, where hundreds gathered to share memories as campers, staff and as Christians.
The ceremony began with opening remarks from Lieutenant Colonel Steve Merritt, divisional commander of the Great Lakes Division, who spent time as a child at the camp. “What makes a place like Little Pine Island sacred ground?” he asked. “Even though it’s beautiful, it’s not about the ground itself. It’s about the individuals that have come and have encountered a living God on this ground. That is what makes it sacred.”
Lt. Colonels Steve and Christine Merritt
Former Little Pine Island Camp Director Curtis Britcher
Curtis Britcher, who has been director of LPI for 35 years, also spoke and was recognized. “It has been a joy to share this space with you,” he said. “I think about your faces, your sharing, your experiences, and how your life was helped while you were here. And we can only thank God for that.”
“This is not the end,” said Salvation Army Kent County Coordinator Major Tim Meyer. “What has taken place here has not been diminished in any way. The same things are taking place at Salvation Army camps around the world, and here in our own Division at Echo Grove Camp.”
In an emotional ceremony, the flag was lowered for the last time. then given to Lt. Colonel Christine Merritt, Divisional Leader for Officer Development, and Camp Administrator for Echo Grove Camp & Retreat Center, where new memories are already being created.
“There is something very different and special about camp ministry,” she said. "Camp ministry is important, so many seeds and so many fruit. As my husband shared, it’s not so much the piece of grass you stood on while you were here as a kid, it’s how God met you in that place.”