Author Archives: Mike
Thanks Giving
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Today, I am giving thanks for Allen Maderia. He is the West Cocalico Sewage Enforcement. In his hands rest a number of variables relating to the direction of our Septic System repair and upgrade project. Please pray for Allen today and every day for two weeks as he considers our project.
Morning Dew
“If anything of eternal significance is going to happen this summer, it will be because of Jesus Christ. No matter how awesome our program is, no matter how cool our counselors are, the grace of Christ is the only hope we have for a life-changing summer.”
Are you preparing yourself for an eternally-significant summer. It will only happen as we submit our will to Jesus Christ. As we depend upon Him to fulfill His purpose this summer, we will experience eternal significance.
The above quote is from the 2011 Summer Staff Devotional, Morning Dew. All volunteers and paid staff at Camp Conquest will recieve this 10 week devotional written specifically for summer camp staff. We will begin on Sunday, June 12th.
Expanding Work Load
Have you ever gone out to do a simple job and find that it expands ten fold? We have all been there. Last week we were planning to clean up a few trees and some brush along a pasture fence. (Apparently some of the trees were harmful to the horses.) Eric Fetter led the charge and now the entire fence row is clear. He and those working with him did a great job. (Thank you to all those who cut, moved, burned, ripped and pulled.)
Now we have two weeks of volunteer opportunities to finish the work. So if you are a chain saw enthusiast or you enjoy monitoring a good fire, give Ken a call at camp, 717.446.2541. We could really use the help.
Volunteerism
What does it feel like to volunteer at camp? What makes the experience worth doing again? How can I make an impact in peoples lives by working in the kitchen or running a program event?
As the leader of a camp that receives 27,000 hours of volunteer service annually, it is good for me to ask these questions of myself. If I am asking you to serve at camp, I need to be aware of what I am asking you to give up as well as what I am asking you to contribute.
Last weekend, Yara and I volunteered at another camp ministry. Yara served in the kitchen and I worked in program areas. We had a great time. Of the 120 campers in attendance 10 made decisions to follow Jesus. We got to be part of it.
Yes, there were inconvienences related to being away from camp and home for the weekend. But we experienced the blessing of serving. We also gained an increased appreciation for our own volunteers.
So, thank you to all those who serve at Camp Conquest. We truly appreciate you.
Happy Valentine’s Day
God has blessed Camp Conquest with a great team. We have a combination of staff and volunteers that work together to serve the Lord in this ministry of evangelism and discipleship in the camp setting.
But on Valentine’s Day, I need to highlight my favorite team member. God has blessed me with a wife who is the best cheerleader, the best helpmeet and my best friend.
Yara has served alongside of me in camp ministry since the summer of 1989. At that time I worked at an all-boys camp, but we got her a job babysitting the camp director’s children. Since then Yara has served as registrar, camp store manager, nurse, counselor, lifeguard, kitchen coordinator and so much more for 23 years.
In her years of services at camp, Yara has graciously given of herself to the ministry of serving others. Yara serves behind the scenes and in ways no one will ever know about. As she homeschools our four children and as she supports me in my role at camp, I want to say Thank You for all you do.
Yara, Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you and I enjoy serving with you at camp.
Benificiary Building and Bed Bugs?
Ken and I, along with our wives, attended a Camp Conference this past week where we got the chance to enjoy the company of fellow camp enthusiasts. This event is also educational with seminars on such topics as games to play at the pool, staff training issues, how to get rid of bedbugs, how to green clean, and so on. One of the seminars Ken attended was called “The ABC’s of Preventive Maintenance” – he was reminded that the best prevention measures for Camp Conquest is to have someone else do the maintenance. I attended a seminar entitled “Keeping the Bottom Line in Line”.
It was enlightening to learn that many camp boards and leaders have a very difficult time understanding the economic realities of funding a summer camp and retreat facility. ”That’s because nonprofit leaders are much more sophisticated about creating programs than they are about funding their organizations, and philanthropists often struggle to understand the impact (and limitations) of their donations.” (http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/ten_nonprofit_funding_models/)
Discussing this article from Stanford University (follow link above) we found that camps do not have a common language to facilitate an industry wide understanding and comparison of the funding demands of Christian camping. Funding models are hard to project due to industry diversity. As described in the article most camps are Beneficiary Builders meaning they supply services for fees underwritten by contributions.
So what is the point – The average leader of a Christian Camp must be financially savvy enough to understand the complexities of Beneficiary Building, proficient in the identification and elimination of Bed Bugs and deft at Preventive Maintenance Scheduling. Please pray that God would grant the camp staff wisdom beyond our years and mercy to cover our inadequacies.
The Manners of Women
“From all that I had read of History of Government, of human life, and of manners, I have drawn this conclusion, that the manners of women are the most infallible Barometer, to ascertain the degree of Morality and Virtue in a Nation. All that I have since read and all the observation I have made in different Nations, have confirmed me in this opinion. The Manners of Women, are the surest Criterion by which to determine whether a Republican Government is practicable, in a Nation or not. The Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Swiss, the Dutch, all lost their public Spirit, their Republican Forms of Government when they lost the Modesty and Domestic Virtues of their women …
“The foundation of national Morality must be laid in Private Families. In vain are Schools, Academies and universities instituted if loose Principles and licentious habits are impressed upon Children in their earliest years. The Mothers are the earliest and most important Instructors of youth.” (John Adams, 1778 as read in Bringing Up Girls, Dobson, 2010).
Our girls (I have two – ages 14 and 10) are under assault by our culture. Just turn on the TV or surf the Web and you will see “loose Principles and licentious habits” being paraded and glorified as the ideal pursuit of young people. What our children need is time with their parents unplugged from the culture and focused on God’s Word and His creation.
That is why Camp Conquest’s parent child programs are so vital. As Christian Parents we have an opportunity to challenge the degradation bombarding our young men. We have a chance to instruct our young ladies in the importance of “Modesty and Domestic Virtues”. But we need to do it in the context of relationship. We need to invest time in our daughters and sons.
Connect with your child at a weekend event at Camp Conquest. Use your time at camp as a springboard for conversation and relationship throughout the year as you “lay the foundation for national morality” within the next generation.
Learning Together
Where can you learn the major events, personalities and geography of the entire Old Testament in less than 5 hours? No, not at Camp Conquest, well at least not yet.
As a family we went to the Mt. Aetna Bible Church for a Walk Thru the Old Testament seminar this past Sunday, January 16, 2011. The presenter was excellent and we laughed our way from Creation, Fall, Flood to Nehemiah, Walls, 400 years, Silence, Chirst. I really should link in a video of the kids doing the hand motions for you to get the full impact of the day (but I do not know how to do that yet).
Let me challenge you. Do you intentionally look for fun ways to engage your family in learning the Word fo God? When is the last time that you and your kids laughed together while studying the Bible? It has been a while for us, but we enjoyed the opportunity this past Sunday.
In everything give thanks
Friday morning I awoke to a beautiful covering of snow. I enjoy the snow – Monday through Thursday, but it was Friday. When it snows on Friday it means a lot of extra work getting the camp ready for the arrival of our guest group. The driveways at camp are on steep slopes that make for “fun” tractor slides.
Negative thoughts were beginning to take hold in my mind about all the extra work and inconvenience that come with the beautiful snow. Just then I noticed a white Jeep parked over at the barn. Doug Tressler, Barry Miller and John McAfee had come in to clear the camp for our weekend of ministry.
I was very thankful for these faithful men. I was also a little repentant about allowing the negative thoughts to disrupt the beauty of the season.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”- I Thessalonians 5:18(KJV)
What did you get for Christmas?
This will be the primary question asked at school this week from one student to another. It is fun to compare lists of what was given and received. As children we focus on the “what I got list” and as adults we enjoy the “what I gave list”.
Camp received a nice gift this year. A donor gave us a Ford F-150 4×4 pick up with a standard cab and bed. It is in great shape and will serve the camp well. Oh yeah, it is red.
My personal favorite gift this year was the one I gave my wife. The children and I worked for about 6 weeks to refinish a dozen school room chairs. We had a great time sanding and staining. The chairs are now around our dining room table and in our school room.
But I do not want to remain focused on the stuff. Rather than “What did you get for Christmas” I would like to ask you “Who did you get for Christmas?” Did Christ remain pre-emanate this season? Was he invited to your table and around your tree? Will he be the focus of your New Year?
