1) Declining Loyalties: People are starting to leave their traditional camps and shop around for a new one or a camp that is more of what they want. I suppose that this generation is starting to question traditions that had been a part of their growing, but now they have families of their own, so they want to make sure that they are getting the best that people have to offer.
2) Better Business: Camps are starting to do a better job in the business aspect of running a camp. A couple decades ago they weren't very business savvy, but now they are hiring marketing specialists that connect with potential clients on a more personal level.
3) Extreme Market Segmentation: The market for camps, and really for everything now, has become extremely wide and varied. There are a lot more groups, ethnic or otherwise, in the market, and most of them want things a certain way, so camps have to figure out how to cater to everyone's desires at basically the same time.
4) Tentative Exemptions: I know that Hidden Acres is a non-profit organization and is thus tax exempt. But some people (government folks) don't really like that because they're trying to come up with more revenue for themselves.
5) Technological Advances: There has been an explosion in technological advances so much so that now people sometimes don't even think to look for things anywhere other than the internet. So camps are having to learn how computers work and how to keep a website up to date. If you combine all that with new business methods of traveling around and advertising, you need to look for different kinds of people with unique skill sets like a big personality, a people person, and someone who can handle technology.
6) Compromised Values: The culture is always changing, and a worldview that many people hold right now is Post-Modernism. People think that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that everything is relative and truth is what you decide it is. With this mentality in people it is difficult to stay relevant and know how to minister effectively to people while not compromising the Gospel.
I think that in order to deal with the values being compromised in our culture the first move is to become informed about what is going on and what exactly people are thinking about truth and church and God. I read an incredible book by Timothy Keller recently called The Reason for God. In it he talks about different arguments that people are using against Christianity, and Timothy then takes those arguments and shows how they are actually proof for God. He addresses post-modernism and the relativistic society that we live in. Since this issue is a matter of the heart there isn't a lot more that we can do other than know and present the truth in a gracious way other than, the way Lee Brice puts it, "Never lets your praying knees get lazy." God does Crazy things when we ask Him. For some reason He chooses to listen to His children when they implore Him with a humble and contrite heart. Praise God!!!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Arlington Beach Camp and Conference Centre
Arlington Beach is located on the shores of Last Mountain Lake in Cymric, Saskatchewan. They are affiliated with the Free Methodist Church in Canada. It has been running since 1960. The Arlington Beach House, which seems to be their logo, was originally built in 1910 as a hotel on the lake and has been an attraction to the lake ever since.
Statement of Faith:
I could not find a statement of faith on the Arlington Beach website, but I'm assuming that since they are a part of CCI, they had to agree with CCI's statement of faith, so here it is.
We believe in:
The Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
The triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His substitutionary atonement for sin, His bodily resurrection and His personal, visible return to earth to reign in righteousness and glory;
The person of the Holy Spirit and His work of conviction, regeneration and sanctification, who indwells every believer equipping them with gifts for service and witness;
The necessity of new birth, in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and the importance of a life fully committed to the will of God in Christ;
The church as the one, universal body of Christ who is the Head, called to be God's redeemed people.
Mission Statement:
I also could not find a clear cut mission statement for Arlington Beach, but i did find something similar to a mission statement. It was in the "school" section of their website, so this particular statement might only be for the outdoor classroom part of their program.
Our goal here at Arlington Beach is to turn the natural setting that surrounds us into a classroom like no other – a classroom without limits – and an exciting adventure in learning.
This program exists to provide honor to our creator through environments and experiences where children of all ages can gain increased awareness of the restoration, protection and respect of the earth.
Activities:
Arlington Beach offers a wide variety of activities on their lake like swimming or canoeing and their wilderness area such as hiking. They have a lot of sports related activities like beach volleyball or whatever you can come up with on their sports field. They also have some special activities like the climbing wall, zip line, and the mud bog. Arlingon Beach also has some winter activities such as ice fishing, ice skating, and, my personal favorite, quinzee building. Quinzees are shleters made from hollowing out a mound of snow, kind of like and igloo except that a quinzee is one whole piece of snow, not blocks of snow.
I think that Hidden Acres may want to look into getting a trampoline of some sort because it seems like those are fairly popular with other camps. If Hidden Acres doesn't want to look at a trampoline then maybe we would look at a quinzee building contest, but that could just be a canadian thing.......:)
Statement of Faith:
I could not find a statement of faith on the Arlington Beach website, but I'm assuming that since they are a part of CCI, they had to agree with CCI's statement of faith, so here it is.
We believe in:
The Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
The triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His substitutionary atonement for sin, His bodily resurrection and His personal, visible return to earth to reign in righteousness and glory;
The person of the Holy Spirit and His work of conviction, regeneration and sanctification, who indwells every believer equipping them with gifts for service and witness;
The necessity of new birth, in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and the importance of a life fully committed to the will of God in Christ;
The church as the one, universal body of Christ who is the Head, called to be God's redeemed people.
Mission Statement:
I also could not find a clear cut mission statement for Arlington Beach, but i did find something similar to a mission statement. It was in the "school" section of their website, so this particular statement might only be for the outdoor classroom part of their program.
Our goal here at Arlington Beach is to turn the natural setting that surrounds us into a classroom like no other – a classroom without limits – and an exciting adventure in learning.
This program exists to provide honor to our creator through environments and experiences where children of all ages can gain increased awareness of the restoration, protection and respect of the earth.
Activities:
Arlington Beach offers a wide variety of activities on their lake like swimming or canoeing and their wilderness area such as hiking. They have a lot of sports related activities like beach volleyball or whatever you can come up with on their sports field. They also have some special activities like the climbing wall, zip line, and the mud bog. Arlingon Beach also has some winter activities such as ice fishing, ice skating, and, my personal favorite, quinzee building. Quinzees are shleters made from hollowing out a mound of snow, kind of like and igloo except that a quinzee is one whole piece of snow, not blocks of snow.
I think that Hidden Acres may want to look into getting a trampoline of some sort because it seems like those are fairly popular with other camps. If Hidden Acres doesn't want to look at a trampoline then maybe we would look at a quinzee building contest, but that could just be a canadian thing.......:)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Separation vs. Accommodation
2nd Corinthians 6:16-18 “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord almighty.”
People can quote this passage in defense of a separation view of the world which is where people think that Christians should be completely removed from society and not have anything to do with modern culture in order to not be corrupted by society. However when you take the context of this passage, Paul is talking about marriage between believers and unbelievers. So when I read that passage it sounds like he is saying, “Don’t marry an unbeliever because you don’t share the fundamental beliefs about life.” Yes, Paul is quoting scripture found in Isaiah 52:11, but the phrase “come out and be separate” was often used as a prophetic warning like in Revelation 18:4.
John 17:14-19 “I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
An accommodating view of the world is where people think that Christians should be culturally relevant and change their “style” to accommodate the changing culture. People who hold this view of the world can cite john 17:14-19 in defense of their view. I think this view is a little more “right” than the separation view partly because of this scripture and probably because I was raised on the “in the world but not of the world” doctrine. (side note: we couldn’t find a reference for that exact phrase anywhere in the Bible) I wouldn’t say that I’m completely for the accommodating view, but I would say that I lean more toward accommodation than separation at least when the truth of the Gospel hasn’t been compromised.
I think that being a younger generation also has given me a little slant towards accommodation. I’ve grown up in this culture and that’s really all I’ve known, so it’s not hard for me to take an accommodating view.
One example is that of Bible teaching and activities at a retreat or conference. Yes, theoretically it's good to have an entire weekend taken up with Bible teaching and nothing else, but if you spend four hours in chapel listening to a speaker or studying the Word, I'll guarantee that you're gonna lose one or two people from your audience. however if you balance the teaching and preaching with some physical activities and fun things to do then it gives stimulation to both the body and soul, and I think that you'll get better "results" from the teaching if you have times in between sessions to process things. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, but not enough is bad also. So it's another tension.
Another example could be music. I suppose that if everyone in the world had been raised on hymns and praise songs that there wouldn't be much conflict, however, not everyone has a taste for hymns, and sometimes newer music speaks louder to some people. So it becomes another tension trying to figure out what type of music will speak best to the group you are serving, or what they need to hear. And I think that it would be beneficial for some people to remember that the people on stage are praising God also with the music that they are playing and the lyrics they are singing.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Trail Markers
So, today in class we learned about different stages in the christian walk and were given six different "trail markers" in every Christian's life. Our assignment is to blog about our personal journey and where we are with these "trail markers" in our own life; tell our story. So here goes mine.......
Pre-conversion:
I didn't live a whole lot of life before I became a Christian, and I grew up going to church every sunday even nine months before I was born. I suppose that I was a normal child growing up, and by "normal" I mean whiny and fussy and completely self-centered. In fact we have a home video of myself taking my older sister's doll from her and then screaming when big brother tried to take charge and give Laura's doll back to her. So I guess I had a fairly normal pre-conversion childhood in a Christian home.
Conversion:
Well, I don't remember much about my conversion. I know that I was in Sparkys at the time, so I guesstimate that I was about 6. What I do remember is that one night after Sparkys as I was getting tucked into bed I told my mom that I wanted to "pray the prayer" and ask Jesus into my heart. So, I did and have been saved ever since.
Growth in Intimacy:
Well, being so young when I got saved I didn't really understand what I was doing or what was going on. Only recently have I started to really understand that I was probably just reacting to expectations. But also recently I have started understanding what the Christian life is all about. Sure, around eighth grade I started thinking that I needed to get serious about my faith, but that just simply resulted in me feeling bad that I wasn't stronger in my faith. I haven't really ever felt close to God, but just recently I started trying to spend time getting to know God and spend time with Him.
Development of Skills:
Well, I have always wanted to learn how to work with my hands and how to make things. I've never really had a chance to learn those things at home, but here at camp I'm working at the new chapel and learning many new skills that I've wanted to.
Servanthood Ministry:
Well, I have always liked to work and serve others in addition to being raised that way. I had suspected that my spiritual gift is serving, and when we took our spiritual gifts test at the beginning of LAUNCH, it was!!! So, I guess I think I'm doing a lot of servanthood ministry. I think that I'll probably be serving all my life.
Evangelism and Mentoring:
Well, during high school I had the opportunity to help a a troubled underclassman with his school work. Looking back now, I realize that instead of just trying to be his friend and letting Christ shine through my life, I tried to share Christ with him and show him "the error of his way". Unfortunately he died this past summer. While I was hanging out with him at school I was introduced to another guy, and we struck up a friendship. However for me, it was just taking him and his brother to youth group and saying "hi" in the halls. Looking back I regret my actions and hope that in the future I will be a more loving and friendly person.
Where I Would Like to Grow:
I think that the area I would most like to grow in would be intimacy with God. I think that if my relationship with God is right, then everything else will fall into place, at least that's what the Bible and other people have told me. Plus I want to know God more.
Pre-conversion:
I didn't live a whole lot of life before I became a Christian, and I grew up going to church every sunday even nine months before I was born. I suppose that I was a normal child growing up, and by "normal" I mean whiny and fussy and completely self-centered. In fact we have a home video of myself taking my older sister's doll from her and then screaming when big brother tried to take charge and give Laura's doll back to her. So I guess I had a fairly normal pre-conversion childhood in a Christian home.
Conversion:
Well, I don't remember much about my conversion. I know that I was in Sparkys at the time, so I guesstimate that I was about 6. What I do remember is that one night after Sparkys as I was getting tucked into bed I told my mom that I wanted to "pray the prayer" and ask Jesus into my heart. So, I did and have been saved ever since.
Growth in Intimacy:
Well, being so young when I got saved I didn't really understand what I was doing or what was going on. Only recently have I started to really understand that I was probably just reacting to expectations. But also recently I have started understanding what the Christian life is all about. Sure, around eighth grade I started thinking that I needed to get serious about my faith, but that just simply resulted in me feeling bad that I wasn't stronger in my faith. I haven't really ever felt close to God, but just recently I started trying to spend time getting to know God and spend time with Him.
Development of Skills:
Well, I have always wanted to learn how to work with my hands and how to make things. I've never really had a chance to learn those things at home, but here at camp I'm working at the new chapel and learning many new skills that I've wanted to.
Servanthood Ministry:
Well, I have always liked to work and serve others in addition to being raised that way. I had suspected that my spiritual gift is serving, and when we took our spiritual gifts test at the beginning of LAUNCH, it was!!! So, I guess I think I'm doing a lot of servanthood ministry. I think that I'll probably be serving all my life.
Evangelism and Mentoring:
Well, during high school I had the opportunity to help a a troubled underclassman with his school work. Looking back now, I realize that instead of just trying to be his friend and letting Christ shine through my life, I tried to share Christ with him and show him "the error of his way". Unfortunately he died this past summer. While I was hanging out with him at school I was introduced to another guy, and we struck up a friendship. However for me, it was just taking him and his brother to youth group and saying "hi" in the halls. Looking back I regret my actions and hope that in the future I will be a more loving and friendly person.
Where I Would Like to Grow:
I think that the area I would most like to grow in would be intimacy with God. I think that if my relationship with God is right, then everything else will fall into place, at least that's what the Bible and other people have told me. Plus I want to know God more.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Research: Kanakuk Kamps
History:
Kanakuk Kamps, located in Branson, MO, started in 1926 as Kugaho Kamp when 50 boys from Texas spent 8 weeks in the Ozarks to build character and stamina alongside good Christian role models. In 1932 Coach Bill Lantz became the director of Kugaho and changed the name to Kanakuk. He also brought in the Four Squares and I am Third doctrines (see below in The Mission). Then in 1934 the Coach purchased Kanakuk. In 1955 Spike and Darnell White purchased Kankuk from Coach Bill, and then in 1976 Jo and Debbie-Jo White purchased Kanakuk from Spike and Darnell. In 1978 Kanakuk opened it's K-2 Kamp and since then it has opened 7 more Kamps for a total of 9 today.
Statement of Faith:
These are the foundational truths of scripture that guide Kanakuk Kamps in it's mission.
ONE TRUE GOD: Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10 - 11 We believe the one true God has revealed Himself the eternally self-existent "I AM", the creator of Heaven and Earth.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Colossians 1:15-22; I Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 3:18 We believe that Jesus Christ is the "Image of the invisible God" and that in Him "all deity dwells in bodily form." We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for sin, His literal bodily resurrection from the dead, His present ministry of intercession in Heaven, and His personal future return to the earth.
THE HOLY SPIRIT: John 14:16; Romans 8:14, 16; Ephesians 1:13; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:13 We believe the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin and regenerates, indwells, seals, sets apart, and empowers believers for service and for holy living and a holy life. We believe that "God is at work within us both to will and work to His good pleasure" and that "He will continue to perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus."
THE GODHEAD: Genesis 1:26; John 1:14, 15:26, 17:21; Ephesians 4:4-6 We believe in the unity and trinity of the Godhead existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. These three persons are One God having the same nature, attributes, and perfection.
MAN: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:22; Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12 We believe that man was created in the image of God but was separated from God by sin and shall be judged; And only through the Blood of Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
SALVATION: Ephesians 2:8-10; I Corinthians 15:3-4; John 1:12 We believe in salvation by grace, a free gift from God apart from works. Salvation comes through repentance, a turning from one's own way to God's way, and accepting Jesus Christ in personal faith.
THE SCRIPTURES: II Timothy 3:15, 16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21 We believe both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible to be the inerrant holy word of God, inspired in every part by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the revelation of God for the equipping of man and is the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
The Mission:
Developing dynamic Christian leaders through life changing experiences Godly relationships, and spiritual training.
Kanakuk Kamps' motto is "Exciting Adventure in Christian Athletics."
Kanakuk Kamps is not like typical summer camps. We incorporate the best of sports camps and the best of Christian camps together with 2,500 hand-picked, dedicated, kid-loving Christian athletic staff to offer your child a summer camping experience like no other.
Kanakuk is based on four main principles:
The Activities:
Kanakuk offers a great variety of activities which includes all of their sport camps, quite a few activities just at their outdoor pool including a blob and water slides, another few activities on their lake including water skiing, tubing, swimming, canoeing, sailing and kayaking, an archery and rifle range, a tower and ropes course with a multi-person zip line, mini golf, and adventure kamps which are survival kamp, scuba kamp, and aviation kamp.
Idea for Camp:
I think it would be a fun idea to look into building a floating diving board for the lake or get a floating trampoline for the lake. If not that, then I also think it would be fun to look into setting up a multi-person zip line so that family members or friends can go at the same time.
Kanakuk Kamps, located in Branson, MO, started in 1926 as Kugaho Kamp when 50 boys from Texas spent 8 weeks in the Ozarks to build character and stamina alongside good Christian role models. In 1932 Coach Bill Lantz became the director of Kugaho and changed the name to Kanakuk. He also brought in the Four Squares and I am Third doctrines (see below in The Mission). Then in 1934 the Coach purchased Kanakuk. In 1955 Spike and Darnell White purchased Kankuk from Coach Bill, and then in 1976 Jo and Debbie-Jo White purchased Kanakuk from Spike and Darnell. In 1978 Kanakuk opened it's K-2 Kamp and since then it has opened 7 more Kamps for a total of 9 today.
Statement of Faith:
These are the foundational truths of scripture that guide Kanakuk Kamps in it's mission.
ONE TRUE GOD: Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10 - 11 We believe the one true God has revealed Himself the eternally self-existent "I AM", the creator of Heaven and Earth.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Colossians 1:15-22; I Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 3:18 We believe that Jesus Christ is the "Image of the invisible God" and that in Him "all deity dwells in bodily form." We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for sin, His literal bodily resurrection from the dead, His present ministry of intercession in Heaven, and His personal future return to the earth.
THE HOLY SPIRIT: John 14:16; Romans 8:14, 16; Ephesians 1:13; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:13 We believe the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin and regenerates, indwells, seals, sets apart, and empowers believers for service and for holy living and a holy life. We believe that "God is at work within us both to will and work to His good pleasure" and that "He will continue to perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus."
THE GODHEAD: Genesis 1:26; John 1:14, 15:26, 17:21; Ephesians 4:4-6 We believe in the unity and trinity of the Godhead existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. These three persons are One God having the same nature, attributes, and perfection.
MAN: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:22; Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12 We believe that man was created in the image of God but was separated from God by sin and shall be judged; And only through the Blood of Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
SALVATION: Ephesians 2:8-10; I Corinthians 15:3-4; John 1:12 We believe in salvation by grace, a free gift from God apart from works. Salvation comes through repentance, a turning from one's own way to God's way, and accepting Jesus Christ in personal faith.
THE SCRIPTURES: II Timothy 3:15, 16, 17; II Peter 1:19-21 We believe both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible to be the inerrant holy word of God, inspired in every part by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the revelation of God for the equipping of man and is the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
The Mission:
Developing dynamic Christian leaders through life changing experiences Godly relationships, and spiritual training.
Kanakuk Kamps' motto is "Exciting Adventure in Christian Athletics."
Kanakuk Kamps is not like typical summer camps. We incorporate the best of sports camps and the best of Christian camps together with 2,500 hand-picked, dedicated, kid-loving Christian athletic staff to offer your child a summer camping experience like no other.
Kanakuk is based on four main principles:
- I'm Third
God First...Others Second...I'm Third - Four Square Life
"And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man." -- Luke 2:52 - Let Your Light So Shine
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." -- Matthew 5:16 - A Rock at a Time
Big things may be accomplished - one small step after another.
The Activities:
Kanakuk offers a great variety of activities which includes all of their sport camps, quite a few activities just at their outdoor pool including a blob and water slides, another few activities on their lake including water skiing, tubing, swimming, canoeing, sailing and kayaking, an archery and rifle range, a tower and ropes course with a multi-person zip line, mini golf, and adventure kamps which are survival kamp, scuba kamp, and aviation kamp.
Idea for Camp:
I think it would be a fun idea to look into building a floating diving board for the lake or get a floating trampoline for the lake. If not that, then I also think it would be fun to look into setting up a multi-person zip line so that family members or friends can go at the same time.
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