Light The Way

Light the Way is the name we chose for a mini-fundraising campaign to add a light onto our entrance sign.  It was such a blessing to see God provide the $600 we needed through two enthusiastic donors.  It was an additional blessing to see God provide the manpower to install the light which included an electrician, a trencher, a tractor operator, and some guys willing to dig.

As we saw the resources come together on this project, it reminded me of a sermon I heard recently about the way God gives us gifts that we can use to bring Him glory.  As we each use our gifts in the context of the body of Christ and the various gifts found there, God uses us together to bring others to himself and to grow the church to maturity. 

Just as the new light on our entrance will allow others to find WCRC in the dark, the body of Christ can work together to be a light that will draw others out of darkness to himself, The Light of the World!

To see more about this in the Bible go to Ephesians 4:11-13 and then to Acts 11: 19-29

To hear this sermon, go to http://www.wcchapel.org/listen/17 and listen to the May 27 podcast. 

For more pictures of the project see our Facebook Page. 

Sometimes We Wait

I grew up sailing.  My family owned this little 12 foot sailboat.  It was loads of fun…sometimes. You see it had no motor.  We were totally dependent on the wind.  I remember some days there would be a pretty good breeze when we launched, but once we got out into the middle of the lake…no wind. Total calm.  And you just had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  And it was hot.  And it was humid.  And you had to wait.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the breeze would return and we would begin to make our way back to shore.

It’s like that sometimes in the Christian life.  We feel dead in the water.  God seems as distant as the wind on a glassy-water day.  It’s during those times that I try to meditate on Philippians 1:6.  It says, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” That means that even when we don’t feel close to God, He is still at work.  He is faithful.  He is there.

Out in the middle of the lake, after all that waiting, something interesting happens.  You become very “tuned-in” to the wind and the air around you. You notice even the smallest movement of air on the side of your cheek or the back of your neck. You hear the tiniest ripple of the waves, hoping for a change.  Was that a faint puff of breeze?  I think it was! YES!  And you see the sail begin to fill.  And you hear the movement of the water as it slaps against the hull.  And you feel the boat begin to respond.  And move!

Sometimes we wait.  And wait.  And wait.  And when God moves, we have eyes to see and ears to hear…because we waited.

AT CAMP!

Getting into God’s Word, AT CAMP

Recently in my men’s Bible study, we’ve been looking at Bill Hybel’s book and video, Just Walk Across a Room.  Bill is the senior pastor of a very large church in the Chicago area.  In one segment he contrasts his life with that of a childhood friend of his who grew up going to the same church as Bill, but later left the faith calling it, “…just a bunch of rules.”  Bill, on the other hand, grew in his faith and now leads others to faith.  In a fairly emotional part of the video, Bill comments that the one difference between himself and his friend was that he found out about grace.  He goes on to say that he found out about grace…AT CAMP!  He doesn’t give the name of the camp, but in other parts of the book he tells about putting his faith in Jesus Christ at camp. 

Statistics show that a high percentage of people serving in ministry had significant life-changing experiences AT CAMP and retreat centers.  Some hear the call to salvation at camp, some hear the call to full-time ministry at camp and others find healing and peace at camp. 

In the mid 1980’s Lloyd Weaver and Bob Mast were asking, “Where do young people make the decision to give their hearts to the Lord?”  As they asked around the big answer that kept coming up: AT CAMP.  Their response: “If that’s where the Holy Spirit is working, let’s build a place for the Holy Spirit to work!”   With this leading, they began the work of building WCRC.

I met with a young man this past weekend who was a camper here in 2003.  He’s now a civil engineering student at Clemson University.  When I asked how he planned to use his education, he said he was going to serve on the mission field in Ghana.  Wow!  I know camp wasn’t the only factor that moved him to serve in this way, but it was one.  Praise God!

Thank you for being a part of this ministry.  People need a place to get away from the fast pace of life where they can un-plug and hear the still small voice of God.  Whether it is a weekend retreat, a personal retreat, or a session of Kaleidoscope Camp, God’s voice is just easier to hear AT CAMP.

A Change in Perspective

Kaylee (at right in the picture along with Chelsey) worked as a camp counselor here this summer.  Her church came for a retreat recently and she told me, “Working at camp really changed my perspective on life.”  I emailed her the other day to ask her if she would care to elaborate.  Her response is below:

“Camp totally changed my perspective on life because it taught me that there’s more to life than just saying you’re a believer.  You gotta act on it. As Christians we have this gift that no one else has, the gift of salvation, and it’s our job to share the best gift in the whole world with people who don’t have it. If we don’t share that gift we aren’t doing what we’re called to do.

Another way camp has changed my perspective on life is that I’m not as scared to go out of my way to help people. At camp I was surrounded by so many wonderful people that would go out of their way to help anyone out, whether it was a spoken word or a silent prayer. It helped build the staff up to be a community of brothers and sisters in Christ (pretty ironic considering the theme was Dive into Community this summer)…a huge extended family.

I was a camper for six years before I became a counselor, and even then it impacted my life greatly. I think it’s safe to say that without camp I wouldn’t be nearly as far in my relationship with God as I am today.  Camp is a place filled with love and awesome Godly people, and the perfect place to start, build, and maintain your relationship with Christ.”

Kaylee, thanks for sharing!  Maybe you have a story of how God changed your perspective here at WCRC.  Please email us or post a comment or go to our website and click on the “Tell Your WCRC God Story” button.  We’d love to here more about what God is doing through this ministry.

Praising God for New Life in Christ

Below is an encouraging story from a mom whose son came to Kaleidoscope Camp this summer:

Jenn, my son was a participant of Kaleidoscope Camp this past summer where he committed his life to Jesus.  He is now taking the next step in his Christian walk and has asked to be baptized.  His baptism will occur this coming Sunday.  I know it is unlikely that you and his counselors would be able to come, but I do want to extend an invitation for you to join us in this celebration.  He had three counselors and I don’t recall their names…I forgot to ask my son before composing this email!  I realize that these young men may be spread across the world by now, but would love for you to reach out to them if you have their contact information to let them know since they played a big part in his experience.  If any of you are able to come to the baptism please let me know so I can provide more details.

Thanks to you and your summer camp staff, for all the work you do and for the investments that you make in our children’s lives!

(Counselors were Matt, Jonathon, and “Poncho”)

Do you have a story about how God used WCRC to change a life?  Go to our website www.wcrc.info and click on the Story Button to email it to us or leave a comment on the blog here.

Thoughts on Hurricane Irene

As you all know, Hurricane Irene blasted through here last Saturday. We were without power until noon Friday. Though we had a number of trees come down, none did any damage to any buildings. We are thankful!

After all is said and done, the transition from having power to not having power and back again is an interesting scenario. Not having power is down-right inconvenient. But, the memories generated can actually outweigh the inconveniences. By the third or fourth day your hands know where to reach for the flashlight, you’ve almost stopped flipping light switches, and you’ve had a memorable time connecting over the fence with neighbors. Time seems to slow down or even stand still.

I call this an involuntary un-plug. We go into it kicking and screaming and wondering how we can survive without our electric-powered conveniences, but we come out of it with fond memories of a more relaxed pace with time to talk to friends.

That of course reminds me of the ministry of WCRC. We like to remind folks that from time to time it is good to un-plug — to disconnect yourself from the busy-ness of life; to slow down and really talk with people, and to get away to a place where you can hear the still small voice of God.

Maybe it’s time for you to unplug. Visit our website and see the different options, or just come by for a cup of coffee and relax on the deck.

We’d love to see you and help you unplug!

Below is a picture of a tree we lost in front of Magnolia Center followed by one of Steve Robertson and James Wight helping to clear the entrance lane.  THANKS!

Dive-In to Community!

Our theme this summer for Kaleidoscope Camp is Dive-In to Community.  I’ve experienced community in a very tangible way lately.  As many of you know, I spent some interesting days in the hospital lately and for about 24 hours, my earthly existence was sort of “up in the air”.  Turns out my diagnosis is not life-threatening, but wow, there was a huge outpouring of prayer and concern, and I was really humbled by the love expressed by all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  The emails and notes and calls were followed by visits and meals delivered to the house and offers of various kinds of help.  One friend even drove my wife to Charlottesville and stayed with us for four days!

What a blessing to belong to the family of God!  Two of the memory verses for our Kaleidoscope Campers are below.

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 12:10a
^“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

As our campers grow in their relationship with the Lord, isn’t it neat to know that they can be a part of the family of God and experience His blessings through loving one another and being devoted to one another.  And there’s more.  God will use this to draw others to Himself. Praise God!            –Bob Briscoe

Above, Kaleidoscope Campers enjoy a devotion on what it means to live in community.  (Nice cabin too, thanks to the many staff and volunteers and donors in the WCRC community!)