Cedar Lake / Indiana / United States
By 1912, Monon Railroad was not satisfied with the current management and began looking for new park managers. E.Y. Woolley, Associate Pastor of the Moody Church of Chicago had the vision of a conference grounds & a summer camp for those who attended the Moody Church. Early in 1914, Woolleys vision became fulfilled when the Monon Railroad gave the church permission to become the new manager of Monon Park. In 1915, Paul Rader became pastor of the church and was very instrumental in the work at Cedar Lake. The Church accepted the wooded park as a gift and promised to take good care of the grounds and lake front. The excursion trains would continue with trains running with tickets sold to Christian groups in need of summer outings. The Church made many improvements, which resulted in an increase in picnic crowds. By 1919, Monon Park was officially sold to the Moody Church for the total sum of $1. The park was now the Moody Assembly Grounds at Cedar Lake.To meet a need for overnight lodging, Mr. Glendenning gave his hotel to the Moody Churchs Conference Grounds. The Reverend Charles Watt was known as an expert carpenter. Watt and his helpers literally cut the huge Glendenning Hotel into two pieces. They then moved the sections deeper into the park property, where they were reassembled to become once again a tourist abode. The building was dedicated in 1919. Other permanent buildings were constructed and named for loyal church members.By 1923, Moody Church experienced financial difficulties, which stopped its work at Cedar Lake. Simultaneously, the work was handed over to Mr. Bowles, Mr. Erickson and Mr. Swanson, three elders of the church. On April 23, 1923, the Cedar Lake Conference Association was incorporated. As a means to purchase the grounds from Moody Church, association stocks and summer homes were sold.The middle and late 1920s were prosperous at Cedar Lake once the economy picked back up after World War I. When John Duff became the association president in 1927, great things occurred. In this same year, the annual conferences, which began in July and ended Labor Day had commenced. In 1928, the Fundamental Young Peoples Fellowship Conference included Arthur McKee as the speaker. Despite the Great Depression, work continued, but it was impossible to generate any cash surplus. In 1929, the first boys camp took place and this was followed in the next year with the first girls camp. The association felt that it could not handle the financial responsibility to pay the insurance for the Glendenning Hotel and dropped it in 1935. Around Labor Day of that same year, it burned to the ground and the damage was estimated at $25, 000. Despite this, Hotel Rest-A-While was completed in July of the following year.During the 1940s conferences, concerts and camps continued. By 1948, the Monon Railroad moved the section of the tracks that skirted the western shore of Cedar Lake about a quarter of a mile west, which left about a half of a mile of lakefront open to purchase by the Cedar Lake Conference Association. Soon enough this land was purchased from the railroad for $15, 000 with the help of a short-term loan from the First National Bank of Crown Point. Several loads of dirt were brought in and the lakefront was re-landscaped. By about 1950, South Gate Chapel was built and construction of the west wing of Hotel Rest-A-While began. In 1958, Richard Boldt became the new manager.In the 1960s, there was a realization that more modern conveniences were needed for guests. By 1964, Cedars #1-6 were beginning to be built. During the mid-1980s, rooms in Hotel Rest-A-While were being remodeled and by the early 1990s, Cedars #7-12 were constructed. With this realization for modern facilities, the Cedar Lake Bible Conference Grounds was renamed the Cedar Lake Bible Conference Center by about 1980. At this time Al Lackey became Executive Director. One of the largest struggles for Mr. Lackey and the conference association during the 19
