15th Anniversary Summer Guild
The Beauty of Holiness
July 13-18, 2025
About the Summer Guild
The 15th annual Summer Guild is designed to invite you into the presence and power of God through the arts, guest lectures, fellowship, worship, and prayer.
The Lamplighter Guild consists of six days of life-transforming inspiration and instruction in the arts. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation, master teachers from around the world present instruction in story creation, scriptwriting, stage and voice acting, sound design, digital music composition, photography, filmmaking, painting, and biblical theology. Mornings open with scripture, prayer, and insights from world-class speakers, followed by intensive sessions in each discipline. Students receive hands-on instruction and discipleship in their chosen field of study throughout the day, along with inspiration from keynote speakers. The Guild is an awakening—a renaissance of creative excellence framed by the Word of God and demonstrated by faith.
Our Mission
Know God intimately with compelling early morning devotions, inspiring keynote speakers, and master teachers from around the world.
Proclaim Him passionately with fellow creatives ages 16+
Enjoy Him infinitely with Bible-infused mentoring, exquisite meals, and a glimpse of the Divine.
Celebrating 15 years!
Classes & Electives
Creative Writing
with Daniel Schwabauer
Course Description
Course description coming soon!
Biblical Theology
with Dr. Mark Hamby
Course Description
Visual Arts
with Mark Baral
Course Description
Mark Baral is a landscape painter originally from the Midwest. Throughout his life Mark has consistently and intensely pursued art in various forms. At age 15, he had the opportunity to take private lessons with internationally renowned artist, Adam Clague. Over three years, Adam instilled in Mark the fundamentals of figure drawing and a love for outdoor painting.
Since his time with Adam, Mark has also enjoyed opportunities to take workshops with G. Russell Case, Dan Gerhartz, TJ Cunningham, Josh Clare, and Daniel Keys.
He is grateful to his Savior, Jesus Christ, for the ability to pursue representing beauty every day.
Mark will be teaching landscape oil painting during the week.
Voice Acting
Teacher TBD
Course Description
Your voice is your instrument—acting is how you use that instrument.
Throughout the week, students will learn how to tune their “instruments” and enhance their acting skills through improvisation, cold reads, building a character, auditioning, and working as an ensemble to tell compelling, truthful stories. There will also be a crash course in the voice over industry, covering topics such as home studios; tech; coaching; marketing; booth etiquette; and the all-important mic technique! Most importantly, it’s going to be a ton of fun!
Whether you are new to a booth, or are an experienced pro, come and jump on in to the wonderful world of VO (voiceover)!
Sound Design
with Allen Hurley
Course Description
Allen Hurley, the master-mind behind the sound design for Lamplighter Theatre, will be teaching sound design at this year’s Guild!
Learn to tell stories through sounds that will help your audience to see with their ears.
Allen Hurley specializes in creating rich, layered sound effects that make you feel like you’re actually “there.” From celery sticks, to cornstarch, to leather shoes, students will learn to use creative methods to create immersive and lifelike sounds that ignite the imagination of the listener.
Timber Framing
with Josh Coleman
Course Description
Timber Framing is an ancient craft using traditional wooden joinery to build structures that combine carpentry, engineering, and art. Hand-chiseled mortise and tenon joinery, held together with wooden pegs, create structural sculpture which can serve to span greater distances than each individual member could on its own. With the use of hand tools, students will learn the basics of chisel and mallet, drilling for wooden pegs, fitting joinery together and raising a completed timber frame.
Working shoulder to shoulder, we will emphasize the value of teamwork, cooperation, and communication to create something new that would not be possible for each of us on our own. Our lessons will be from the Bible and our guide will be historical architectural designs from around the world.
Plan to work hard, have fun, share wisdom, and learn new carpentry skills.
Additional Classes and Teachers coming soon!
Keynote Speakers
Additional Speakers coming soon!
Dr. Mark Hamby
For over 30 years, Dr. Mark Hamby has been using rare stories of long ago to inspire one to know God intimately, proclaim him passionately, and enjoy him infinitely—and he gives God the credit for all of it.
Dr. Lew Sterrett
Throughout his lifetime Dr. Lew has expressed his concern for Biblical leadership development as a director of a major camp and conference center, a founder of a discipleship school, a former president of CHA (an instructor safety certification program) and as a certified youth, marriage, and family counselor.
It's an investment, not a cost.
Individual Student Pricing
$2495.00 per person
-$295.00 scholarship (automatically applied at registration)
$2200.00 final total cost
This includes housing, meals, and tuition.
*Family Pricing
A family must consist of 4 or more immediate family members registering together to receive the family rate.
Ages 4 and under – FREE
Ages 5-11 – $375/person
Ages 12+ $1620/person
Pricing covers meals, classes, and all general sessions Sunday afternoon through Friday lunch.
*You are responsible for your own overnight accommodations and transportation. Children under the age of 16 must remain with a parent at all times.
Registration Deposit
A non-refundable registration deposit of $495 is due upon registration. Payment may be made by credit card or check. The full tuition balance is due no later than June 13, 2025. Payments made by credit card will incur a 3% credit card fee.
Housing
Guild staff will assign rooms and housing locations in Mount Morris Sunday through Thursday nights. Most locations are within easy walking distance of the Lamplighter campus. Transportation will be available where needed.
Additional Nights' Lodging in Mt. Morris
Lamplighter will have limited guest housing available for anyone wishing to arrive in Mount Morris and stay overnight Saturday, July 12. This housing is also an option for anyone needing to remain in Mount Morris Friday night, July 18. Guest housing is first come, first served. When these rooms are full, anyone else requesting lodging for those nights will need to make their own hotel arrangements. No meals will be provided before dinner on Sunday, July 13 or after lunch on Friday, July 18.
Shuttle Service — $40
Lamplighter provides shuttle service to and from Rochester International Airport (ROC). Attendees flying in or out of alternate airports will need to arrange their own transportation to and from the Guild.
Refund Policy
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January 1-May 14: full refund, less $495 deposit.
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May 15-June 15: 50% refund, less $495 deposit.
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No refunds will be issued after June 13, 2025.
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Those who are unable to attend due to an unexpected illness or health crisis may have their tuition applied to the following year’s Guild event.
Where:
23 State Street, Mt. Morris, NY 14510
When:
July 13-18, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
How old do you have to be to attend the guild?
16 and up. However, students younger than 16 can attend the event if accompanied by an adult chaperone (chaperones must also register as student, but may take a different course than their student).
What should i bring?
- Bible, notebook, and pens: please be sure to bring a hard copy of the Bible. (We ask that you do not use smartphone or digital Bibles during the Guild.)
- An umbrella.
- A water bottle.
- Bug spray (organic is recommended).
- Resort casual clothing (slacks, jeans, T-shirts or button-ups, dresses, skirts, modest shorts, etc). Please note that some classroom and guest house spaces may not have air conditioning. Be prepared to dress light but modest.
- Clothing for a more formal dinner on Wednesday evening.
- Clothing and shoes to participate in ropes course, volleyball, or other athletic activities.
- Sweater/Jacket in case of cooler weather.
- NON-SLIP tennis shoes for walking between classes, hiking, and leadership activities.
- Shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletries.
- Backpack or bag for carrying your class materials and personal items.
- Discipline-specific requirements. (You will receive an email with these requirements.)
- Please consider bringing any musical instruments you play as there may be an opportunity to use them!
Can I change which course I'm taking?
You may change your course during the first days of the Guild. However, some courses require specific materials, so come prepared with the required items for the course you choose in your registration.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
Scholarships are awared based on a students eligibility and on availability of funds. You can apply for a scholarship after registering for the Summer Guild. We recognize that attending the Guild often requires taking steps of faith. Keep moving forward with faith, and may you see God continue to provide in ways you never would have imagined!
Help a Student Attend the Summer Guild
If God has given you the desire and the ability to enable His work through others, please consider making a contribution to the Lamplighter Guild Scholarship Fund.
Generous contributions for the first Lamplighter Guild made it possible for many students to attend who would have otherwise not been able. Because of your gifts, these students encountered God in a life-altering way that many have not yet been able to put into words.
