Tag: Chambers camp

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Journal Joy Notes

Spiritual Enrichment at Family Camp

Chambers Camp - a fun place, a sacred place

JoAnne and I made it to Family Camp July 6-10 this year.  From one standpoint, district pastors are supposed to go at least for one weekend.   But from another and in my view more important one, it is crucial to put oneself in an atmosphere where God has a chance to speak to you.   Preachers get little opportunity to sit and listen; they are usually the ones talking.  So I value the times in the year like family camp when I can listen to messages from others and God can speak into my life through his chosen medium of preaching (1 Co. 1:21).   It addition to evening messages, family camp also provides seminars and Bible classes.   Though I don’t usually get to all the studies and seminars, I generally find the ones I do get to very helpful.    Two seminars I attended this year (one on missions and one on influencing our culture) will help resource me for the year to come.    Two of the three evening messages I heard spoke to me personally and were a great blessing.  

 

In addition, at camp we see so many people that we know.  This year, as last, we visited a high school friend of JoAnne’s who is also a Houghton Alum, Linda Long.   We also ate dinner at camp today (July 10) with extended family we had not seen in a little while, my Mom’s first cousin Janet and her husband Al Benning.   We had delightful conversation.   In addition we saw many friends we have known in our previous church and in the district.

 

We were excited to learn that the camp and district are considering putting a building over the tent pad.   I think it should have been done years ago.  But now is a good time to get it done.  It will help the camp very much.   The big tent is so vulnerable to bad weather.  One year, while I was family camp director, it blew down.  It was a wonder no one was killed.    Another year, when I had H. B. London on the platform, probably the most nationally known speaker we have had, a lightning bolt crossed right in front of him.   God has graciously spared us, but it’s time to end this roulette with weather; do the wise thing, and get the building done!

Categories
Journal Joy Notes

CNY Wesleyan Men’s Retreat exciting and inspiring

Every year the guys who go rave about men’s retreat but I have not been able to go before. Usually, the Houghton board meeting and the Wesleyan men’s retreat are on the same weekend. But this year they were not, so I was able to participate on Saturday.   

The speaker, Jeremy Kingsley, was great. His combination of humor, bluntness, and keep-it-simple inspiration communicated well. I was especially impressed with the theme of his last message. “Humility plus service equals spiritual greatness.”  The food was excellent and plentiful.  The snack bar was even open too.

During the day on Saturday, I joined three other men from our church on a team to participate in the nine activities provided—all very male oriented, of course.  Several of them I had never done before.  There was paint-ball target practice, horseshoes, basketball, archery, and the pit crew challenge.  On that one, team members took turns racing against the clock using an air gun to tighten tire bolts and loosen them on a mockup of a racecar.     I was not fast but I got the job done. I also had a chance to shoot skeet for the first time in my life, actually knocking down two of those bright orange clays.   Our team was proud to tour the disk golf course in one over par!  At the balloon launch challenge, we were deadly accurate.  At the air rifle target shoot, my group was not bad for a man with no practice.

But by far the best part of the day was the time spent in relationships. I had a chance to mingle with so many friends, old and new. We helped each other through the day, and enjoyed conversations, some long, some short.   It was the kind of day you wish for and so seldom get.  Now I know why men’s retreat is so popular.

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Categories
Church Leadership Journal

Blessings to Peter and Susan Moon and Family as They Lead at Chambers Camp

Chambers Camp - a fun place, a sacred place

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3 NIV).

What exciting news to learn that Peter Moon, one of our members, has been tapped as the new Camp Manager for Chambers Wesleyan Camp and Conference Center.   Peter will be responsible for maintenance and promotion of the camp and will play a role in planning as well.   Peter is taking a big cut in pay but believes that it is more than made up for by the tremendous incentive of working full-time for a higher purpose.   He feels called to this ministry.   The family will be relocating to Chambers very soon. 

Of course, this causes a tinge of sadness for us as we will miss seeing the Moon’s as often, enjoying their laughter and friendship, and we will miss their many and varied contributions to the ministry here as well.   But in another sense, we can think of it as an honor when God chooses those from our church family to press into service in his wider vineyard.   It means the Lord of the Harvest has trusted us to disciple, encourage and prepare servants for his work, just as he used the church at Antioch to prepare Barnabas and Saul.   That is an affirmation to the ministry of our church.   Now it is up to us to take the next step too, which we began to do this past Sunday; that step is to pray for them, and send them off with blessing even as the church of Antioch did.