Serving God by Serving People

This past weekend we had a great retreat. A local group of ladies came in for a fun weekend of scrapbooking. For them, it was a retreat from their spouses, kids, routine schedules, daily chores, and the obvious lack of time for scrapbooking. They are one of our long term groups that is a pleasure to serve. Our greatest excitement is the opportunity to - clearly present the gospel of Jesus Christ AND then living out the gospel as we meet their basic needs. The Kerstetters, their daughter and two of her friends drove up from southern Pennsylvania to serve at camp for the weekend. They have been coming up to camp the past few years...making a big IMPACT on the ministry. This weekend was no different. They served in the kitchen, prepared food, cleaned bathrooms, and worked outside to get camp ready for the summer. They did a great job - the group was served well and the camp is looking more and more ready for camp to beginning. What a blessing to have them with us again...serving alongside us - Serving God by Serving People.

We're MISSIONARIES!

Staff are always listening to me talk about the MISSION of Arrowhead. From the moment they start serving at camp...they start hearing me call them MISSIONARIES. Camp really is a mission field and our staff are the missionaries. I'm not just talking about a short term missions trip. I'm talking about REAL missionaries who are SENT OUT! Our staff pack up all their stuff, leave their family, friends, and local church - to come here to camp for the summer. They pick up and move here to live. They eat here, sleep here, work here, serve here, grow here, hangout here. They come to live with a new people group...a new culture. They come to experience life (camp life) with the local culture (our campers). They in turn, invite the campers to experience camp with them and thus invite the campers to experience Christ.

If that's not a missionary...then who are those people "oversees" that your church is supporting?

Check it out. I was speaking with one of our local staffers who just got back from a missions trip to Mexico. This is what she had to say:

"On the first night that we arrived in Cancun our missions team was gathered around listening to the plan for our ministry to the week. While I was listening I realized that this felt a lot like camp! At the beginning of every week/weekend at camp we do the same thing. We all meet together, talk about the plan for the week, and pray together. God showed me that when we serve at camp we really are missionaries. So often I thought of working at camp as doing ministry, but not necessarily being a missionary. At camp, we serve God by serving people; in the village in Mexico we did the same thing. All of us who give our time to serve at camp are really missionaries ministering to the campers and showing them God's love."

Do you know some of the staff who will be serving at camp this summer? I challenge you to support them as you support other missionaries from your church/family. Pray for them, send them letters of encouragement, come for visit, mail them a care package, invest in their future. They need your support while they are on the mission field this summer.

It's an Explosion!

Day Camp Count Down
84 DAYS

It's like a Day Camp EXPLOSION! We are continuing to pull together resources, peoples, money, equipment, staff, and all kinds of odds & ends in preparation for Day Camp this summer (which is FREE). We have tons of volunteers from the community. We have a "knock your socks off" program that will challenge, encourage, educate, and care for our campers. We also have handfuls of individuals and families who are investing in Day Camp to help us make camp FREE!

Check it out:
Arrowhead Parable Christian Store has also caught the Day Camp FEVER. Shoppers can invest $1, $5, $10 (or more) at the registers...and a hand print will be placed up on the wall behind the counter. Each hand represents more individuals and families who are making Day Camp possible this summer.
Then, on MAY 17th - the bookstore is having a huge sale ALL day. A portion of the proceeds that day will be given to Arrowhead to support Day Camp!
So...get to the bookstore to see the hand prints and don't forget to stop by on May 17th for the sale.

Our Spring Retreat

Last weekend was our Shepherds Camp spring retreat. It was a great weekend all around. The weather was perfect...sunny in the 70's. The camp was packed full with campers, staff, volunteers, and new friends. We had all the classic camp activities - crafts, music class, Bible time, games, chapel, and tons of great food. With such nice weather we also had the opportunity to go on hay rides, have a picnic outside on Saturday, and play bocce ball on the new courts. The most exciting part of the weekend was meeting some new friends from Lancaster Bible College. HisStory, a new drama ministry from the college came up for the weekend as our special guests. They performed on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, presenting the gospel to our campers while also having a fun time with some crazy games and skits. They came into a new place with new people as a newly formed group...and they did a fantastic job. We also had a few NEW counselors - who came on staff specifically to serve at the retreat. Shepherds Camp continues to grow and it was a great blessing to have these new counselors serving with us. They were a vital part of a great weekend. As always, our Shepherds retreats are a fun opportunity to see reconnect with all of our camp friends for a weekend where Christ is the focus.