I bet your first thought was, “Where would I get a pile of money?” Someone recently sent in an investment for camp in the form of a pile of money. Over time this individual had been saving her $1 and $5 bills. I suspect that like most of us she typically uses a credit card, but from time to time receives cash at the drive thru window, the convenience store or while shopping at the mall. She had been saving those 1’s and 5’s with the desire to invest them here at Arrowhead to support the camp and our program for adults with developmental disabilities.
So, I bet you are wondering what Arrowhead would do with a pile of money. Well, the timing is just right for this investment to have a huge impact. Last month we were blessed by a team of skilled volunteers who came to camp and replaced the roof on our maintenance building. Not only did they do a great job, but their home church sent us an investment that purchased all of the roofing material. Next week we have another group of volunteers who are coming to paint the exterior of the maintenance building. But that is not all. One of the roofers from last month’s project is coming back to camp (he happens to be a professional painter) to work with our volunteers. He will be leading the painting project which will ensure quality work and give our volunteers a great learning experience. This pile of money will be used to purchase paint and supplies for the project.
What a blessing! Arrowhead does not run with a few full time employees. The ministry is staffed, operated, managed, cared for and moving forward because of hundreds of staff and volunteers who dedicate themselves to the mission of Arrowhead and sacrifice their time, energy and talent as worship to God. We are so grateful and want to say “Thank You!” to all of our supporters.
Our camper bathhouse has been completely renovated and is now open for business. This picture was taken yesterday as the guys finished putting the last board on the privacy fence outside the girl’s side of the bathhouse.
The project started a few months ago with a crew of guys from First Baptist Church in Johnson City. A small army of guys came out week nights and weekends to gut the inside, frame new walls and ceiling, run new plumbing and electrical, hang board, install showers, sinks, toilets, mirrors and much more (including a lot of painting).
We are very grateful to the crew from First Baptist and a number of other skilled volunteers who gave their time and energy to bring this very big project to completion. What an impact it will have this summer as our counselors and staff care for over 250 adults with developmentally disabilities spanning eight weeks of camp.
Staff Training is complete… and tomorrow is the first day of camp! This past week we focused on REDEMPTION through a flower pot project. The staff divided into small groups and spent time painting/decorating their pots. With great care and attention to detail they created some very handsome flower pots. Then, I had each group break their pot into pieces. Throughout week of Staff Training the groups spent time together fixing their flower pots with super glue in an effort to redeem their flowery purpose.
We used this shared experience to unite them as a team and discuss the parallels of God’s redemption story (The Bible). The staff dispensed the same diligence and attention to detail as the renewed their flower pots.
The flower pots are being proudly displayed over the fireplace. Even with their cracks, missing pieces, obvious flaws and general messiness… the flower pots have new life in the life, literally!
As we embark on summer 2012 with all of our defects, glue marks and messiness we are excited to see how God gives us purpose and makes new life in and through us!
Check out the new James Project - PROFILES on our website. Let everyone know which button you are… leave a comment on the blog or post the picture on facebook.
Join us in celebrating 50 years of Shepherds Camp!
Check out the new photo album on our website. It is a concept I saw online called Dear Photograph. It has also been featured in a recent car commercial.
It is kind of like… looking into the future from the past… which is the present, now. Looking forward to a time when the present is the past, I wonder how Arrowhead will change over the next 50 years?
A conversation yesterday came to a halt with the question, “So, how long have you been at Arrowhead?” I paused for a moment, somewhat resembling a husband who was randomly asked how many years he had been married with his wife standing next to him. This was of course, a much less stressful question.
My response was not what my friend was expecting. “Wait, what’s today’s date!”, I exclaimed. “Oh, man! Yesterday was the 14th. Yesterday was 10 years!”
December 14th, 2001 was the day I pulled into camp with a truck and trailer full of my belongings… mostly junk I accumulated during High School. But, I also had a few luxury items, gently used furniture that was given to me by family members. My cousin and I unloaded everything in less than an hour (yeah, it wasn’t much) and I was officially settled in to my new home, new job, new ministry, new life.
10 years! It feels like I just got here… aside from almost a dozen unforgettable summer camps, hundreds of staff and volunteers, a multitude of guest groups, and big changes around camp that have culminated over the past decade.
I have greatly enjoyed the past 10 years. I feel blessed beyond what I deserve. God is doing great things and I am excited to see what He does over the next 10 years.
Thanks to everyone who has filled out an Alumni Form from the website (www.arrowheadbiblecamp.org). We are continually blessed by the thoughts and stories shared through the form.
Here’s one of those stories from a current staff member. He is a Lancaster Bible College student who has been coming to Arrowhead with one of our guest groups… a group that has had an annual winter retreat here at Arrowhead for over 15 years.
“Serving at Arrowhead has helped me care about what God cares about. It was a humbling experience… to serve in the context of camp ministry. It is also a place that is very special to me. I rebelled against God for 16 years of my life until I attended a winter retreat at Arrowh
ead. I still remember sitting in the small room behind the gym on January 16, 2006 where I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I have the opportunity to go back each year and now serve as a leader of my high school youth group. It is the same time every year so I have the unique privilege to sit in that room on the same day and same time every year and thank God for His work in my life. Arrowhead is very special place to me. It is awesome to be able to go back and serve at a place that has played such a huge piece in my spiritual transformation.”
Winter is officially a month away… but we are thinking about Summer 2012 and the James Project. Groups are already signing up. We are excited for the huge impact they will have serving here at Arrowhead AND the impact Arrowhead will have on their lives.
Here’s what TLA had to say about their week as a James Project group this past summer:
“The summer did not slow down as we then hit the road with our team of 5-Level Leadership Athletes for New York to serve as staff members in a week long program for mentally and physically disabled individuals at Arrowhead Bible Camp (June 20-24). I can honestly say this week challenged, inspired and changed all of us in ways that none of us expected as we learned the true meaning of terms such as love, servanthood, and friendship. Bonds were formed with the campers and within our team that made it very difficult to leave with the common statement from the athletes in attendance being, ‘This was the most impactful week of my life… I’ll never be the same!’”.
Check out our new James Project video on the website media page.
We are anticipating a big year of ministry in 2012. We will be kick starting the new year with the unveiling of our new logo. Stay tuned to the blog and our website to see Arrowhead’s new look.
We almost had to change the name of this weekend to “Shepherds Late Summer Retreat”. Temperatures hit the mid 70’s. Activities and free time were spent outside. We even hit the greens on Saturday morning for some mini golf. The only indication that it was fall were the bright red, orange and yellow leaves all around.
We had a great weekend for the Shepherds Fall Retreat. It was fun to reconnect as a staff and reunite with our campers.
Check out our website for a full photo album from the weekend: www.shepherdscamp.org (go to the media page).
Join us next Saturday, the 17th from 11-3 at Ross Park Zoo for the 14th annual BUDDY WALK! It is a jam-packed awareness event for Down Syndrome and developmental disabilities. Keeping in step with the past few years, we are anticipating over 1,000 people in attendance for the walk. With games, interactive booths, tons of food, t-shirts, the infamous basket raffle, face painting, juggling, balloon animals, Irish dancers, caricatures and prize raffles it is going to be non-stop fun. You do not want to miss the live entertainment: Talking Hands and Brotherhood on the main stage!$5 and a can of food for CHOW gets you all that, and of course, entrance into the Zoo! (There is no cost to individuals with developmental disabilities)
Shepherds Camp will be one of the interactive booths: featuring two of the greens from our brand new 9-hole mini golf course. We invite you to stop by… play a few rounds of golf, grab some food, check out the live music and see the animals as we raise awareness and support our local community.
In the midst of a very rainy week we had an amazing evening for the Bocce Bash. The fantastic weather this past Tuesday was matched by the wonderful turn out. We had over 100 athletes, parents and care providers from the Special Olympics here at Arrowhead for evening of Bocce Ball games. There were six courts running in addition to our two new handicap accessible courts. Parents, care providers and our campers enjoyed watching all the games from our brand new bleachers. It was like having the B-Mets stadium right in our own backyard!We love partnering with the local Special Olympics teams to create such a tremendous event that is a camper highlight during one our two week sessions of Shepherds Camp. We are absolutely excited for the big Special Olympics Tournament scheduled for this fall here at Arrowhead.
Sitting just got a whole lot easier.
The new bleachers have been assembled and are in place. They are a tremendously visible addition to our program activity areas here at Arrowhead. One set of bleachers overlooks the brand new Bocce Ball courts while the other fits perfectly by the ball field for a great view of camper games.
Now all we need are some of those giant foam fingers that say, “Arrowhead” on them. Someone even suggested a t-shirt canon for the Bocce Tournaments or camper/counselor kickball.
What you see:
Our brand new top of the line Bocce Ball courts are a tremendous addition to the recreational programming here at Arrowhead. The new courts are Olympic size made with 6”x6” boards on a level pad of crusher dust. Each court is also handicapped accessible. The new courts continue to be one of our campers’ favorites and they make a big statement as you pull in the camp driveway.
What you don’t see:
In just a few days two huge sets of bleachers will be arriving at camp. One set will be installed at the ball field. The other set will be installed next to our new Bocce Ball courts! We are excited to see the huge impact these new bleachers will have on the safety and enjoyment of our recreational program areas which are a big part of Shepherds Camp and our partnership with the Special Olympics. We are grateful for the funds granted to us by The George A. and Margaret Mee Charitable Foundation which has allowed us to fully purchase and install both sets of bleachers.
Remember the last time you sat in traffic… crawling along at a snails pace… for hours?
Well, at Shepherds Camp we call that more fun that a person should be allowed to have. Hayrides are a camper favorite at Shepherds Camp. This year our hayrides are extra special because they fit right in with our western theme - WANTED: a person after God’s own heart.
Yesterday we were blessed with abundant sunshine, warm weather and a hay wagon full of fresh hay bails.
We are in the midst of Staff Training, preparing for a full summer of ministry here at Arrowhead.
We have a diverse group of staff from all over the country who are excited to call Arrowhead their home, job, hang out, ministry… life for the next few months. On the first night I was hanging out with some of the new staff, listening to stories of where they live, how they got to camp and their expectations of the summer.
Breanna (from South Carolina) exclaimed that God told her at Walmart… that Arrowhead was where He wanted her this summer. While standing in line at the check out a friend asked her if, “she was going to serve at that camp, Shepherds, this summer?” Breanna had been praying and thinking about the opportunity and as she thought about her response… God gave her a confirming desire to say, “Yes!”
Breanna explained it with a quiet and firm confidence. God had called her to Arrowhead this summer.
I am excited to see how God uses this place and this summer to impact the lives of our staff as they in turn impact the lives of our campers. We have had a great week of Staff Training and we are looking forward to the start of camp on Monday morning!
Is today at Arrowhead Parable Christian Store starting at 10am. We will also have a few of the holes from our NEW 9-hole mini golf course set up in front of the store.
