I wanted to include part of a song in our Bethel Camp column this week that sums up my thoughts for the week.  In our church we often sing the chorus of this song as a hymn, so when I heard this song by Josh Garrels, I was immediately interested.  You can read a partial selection of the lyrics here and go to your computer and look up the rest of the lyrics if you want to.  I think the second verse is almost better than the first verse.

Farther Along (chorus)
Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by
(verse 1)
Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seen
Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back home
So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright.

The song shares the emotion that many of us feel as we strive to obey Jesus in our daily lives and often need to remind ourselves that though there is pain and suffering here on earth,  we’re looking forward to a “home” in heaven.  In that “sweet by and by” we will look back on our lives and see clearly the reason behind the trials we are now experiencing.

I also like the metaphors used in this song to describe the seductive voice that is attempting to pull us away from faith in Jesus.  He’s like the pied piper who “stole” the hearts of the children.  We must deliberately choose to reject those lies and walk back home to a father-God who waits for us with open arms.  He offers us joy as if  “you struck gold” when we experience true forgiveness.

From what I understand, Josh Garrels felt God urging him to give this album away to anyone who wanted it.  You can get a free download of the entire 18 song CD at www.joshgarrels.com.  I’m always skeptical about “free music” because usually its quality is low.  This is not the case with this new album.  It is in my top-10 albums of all time.

Just a quick note about Bethel Camp and its longing for the return of campers.  The fall retreats in October saw much use of a swing we made so that we could “swing into a pile of leaves.”  It was positioned so that a person could jump off an old stump, sit on the swing and then “swoosh” through the pile of leaves.  There are quite a few pictures of campers enjoying the swing so I’ve included one of them here.  Now at the end of November the space around the swing is quiet and the leaves are wet.  In my mind they (the swing and the leaves) are longing for the campers to return and fill this space with joy.

The board commended the kitchen staff for their amazing food as well as the astonishing fact that they spent on average only $1.29 per meal on groceries. That means that they fed each camper for the entire week for only $18.06.

There was discussion about the scholarships given to many campers as well as the videos produced to give campers a souvenir to take home from camp showing many of the activities and people involved in their week of camp. Each board member was given a 5-minute “summary” video containing video clips of the entire summer to show in their home churches or share with friends. The video is posted online at U-Tube. Just call or e-mail the Bethel Camp office to find out web address.
The board also spent considerable time discussing the proposed plans for a new Chapel/Dining facility. Due to an aging facility, the board is hoping to construct a new structure on the site of the present chapel which would significantly increase the ability of the camp to reach out to young people. Many of you, our readers, may have received a copy of the brochure outlining plans for the new building. Since the mailing of that brochure a week ago, over $2,300 has been given. If you add that to the total given toward the project already, around $114,000 has been raised toward the total needed of $1,200,000 to complete the project. Some of the board members have been in contact with builders and other suppliers who are committing to the project by donating materials or labor which will significantly reduce the total cost of the building. If you would like to receive the informational brochure about the new facility please let us know.

There should be mountains in the background since the building will be located at the site of the present Chapel/Rec. Hall building.

Plans are also in place for the 2012 summer camping session. The staff applications will be sent out shortly and speakers and worship leaders are being contacted so that this next summer’s theme of “Grow in Christ” will be one of the best ever. Former campers will receive camp registration forms in the mail in December so be looking for those and get them filled out soon to save your spot at camp.
As far as news out in nature, I’ve been hearing gun shots going off and echoing across the hollers this past weekend. Gun season for deer opened up and Justin Kurtz who lives and works here at camp bagged a 10-pointer Sunday afternoon. He told me he was taking it down to Manchester this morning to get it worked up into nice packs of meat to fill his freezer and later the stomachs of his growing family.

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt, 1/3 c. butter, egg, milk and 3 cups of flour. Stir until smooth. Mix rest of flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured board. Knead 8-10 minutes. Put in a greased bowl; cover and let rise about 1 hour. Punch down; roll out into a square and spread softened butter on dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over dough. Roll up jelly roll style. Slice about an inch thick, put in pans and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until light brown. Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk or coffee to make a smooth frosting. Spread frosting over baked cinnamon rolls after they have cooled for 10 minutes.

The Little Buckhorn Creek Mennonite Church is having its homecoming services this coming weekend. Everyone is welcome to join them as they celebrate God’s goodness and petition for his power and his grace to be active in our lives as we finish out this year of our Lord. Services start at 7:00 Friday and Saturday Evening and then at 9:30 on Sunday morning. There will be a carry-in dinner after the Sunday service.
There are numerous projects to complete during the off-season months to prepare for next summer’s camps as well as keep the campgrounds in tip-top shape. Let Roger know if you would have some time to volunteer for any of the following projects. Painting cabin floors, cleaning shower stalls and tubs, cutting trees, transplanting flowers and trees, making signs for hiking trails, fixing fences, and lots of similar odd jobs.
Lately we have had the opportunity to host a number of elk and deer hunters for their hunting expeditions in the area. We are located close to the Paul Van Booven wildlife management area and that gives the hunters easy access to that large hunting area. One of the hunters, who had shot an elk with his bow, followed the trail for a good while and then lost it, asked me if I knew of anyone who had some good tracking dogs who could help pick up the scent. I didn’t know who would have those kind of trained animals. If you have a resource like that and want to give me your name and number, I’d keep it here at the camp office to share with hunters who required those special services.
The fall weather has been a real joy to me lately. The cool mornings and warm crisp afternoons have lifted my spirits. I found myself in the middle of the yard the other day with my hands lifted up to heaven and a spirit of thanksgiving on my heart as I voiced out loud the thanks that was in my heart. I told God that he was worthy of all my service. I let him know that he is worthy of great honor. I wanted to take a minute to just stand, breathe in fresh air, feel the joy of being free from the slavery of sin, and show by my actions that I was willing to look crazy to the world if it meant bringing glory to His name.

May the red leaves remind you of God love, the yellow of his holiness, the orange of his grace to combine the red and yellow together in the cross. May the green pine needles remind you of his constant care for you that never wavers, and may the brown leaves that hang on to the beech trees until spring remind you of His persistence in pursuing the ones he loves.

Bethel Camp News — 10-17-11
Thirty-three campers descended on Bethel Camp Friday evening as the Fall Junior Retreat commenced. The campers ranged in age from 10 to 14 and were as individually unique as the leaves falling off the trees. John McFarland the camp speaker for the weekend challenged the campers to realize: 1) that God designed them uniquely, 2) God wants them to use their gifts, 3) God designed them to be holy as they use those gifts, and 4) that a close relationship with God makes the first three possible. Justin Kurtz and Caleb Combs used their gifts of music to lead the campers in worshiping God with songs. They were helped by Katie Driskill and Anthony Gonzales. This group of campers could really sing.
The fun didn’t stop after chapel. The campers enjoyed the snack shop and ate a whole can of nacho cheese with their chips. I think that was because they had worked so hard on the treasure hunt which led them all around camp searching for clues as to where the treasure was hidden. Later, after snack shop, the campers got to know many of the other campers as they took a night hike ending in a really dark clearing where we could watch the stars.
A small group of campers got up early and walked in the dark up the Larkin Holler trail to the 4-M strip mine area and watched the sun rise over the misty mountains of Breathitt county. The changing colors of the leaves never look as brilliant as they do 5 minutes before the sun comes over the horizon. The beautiful reds, oranges and yellows paint a powerful picture pointing to the Glory of God.
The campers filled up on Breakfast Casserole and cereal before spending Saturday with activities, a craft project, more singing and spiritual imput, a hayride, swinging on the new swing and free time to relax with friends.
The counselors and staff are always a big part of camp and do such a good job of spending time talking with the campers. The relationships that are built during the fun times give “emotional stability” to the more serious times of sharing about important decisions we are making in our lives. As the camp director I couldn’t ask for better staff members. They are volunteers (meaning that they don’t get paid to come to camp) but they sacrifice their time and energy (and often their sleep) so that the campers can have a special weekend to remember.
As for other Bethel Camp news, we will be hosting family members for the wedding of Hans Stutzman and Kimberly Miller (Daughter of Tommy Miller) this coming weekend. It is really nice to have nice rooms that can accommodate the guests. Also during the following weeks, there are a number of hunters (both deer and Elk) who will use our guest rooms as their “base camp” while they are hunting on or near the Paul Van Booven wildlife refuge.

The fall retreat at Bethel Camp was attended by 22 campers this past weekend.   The weather provided a great opportunity for being out of doors and experiencing the beauty of God’s creation.

Dave Kratzer one of the cooks from Oakdale (and a well known bread-maker in eastern Kentucky) joined the group Friday evening and shared his bread making skills.  He taught everyone how to form their loaves of bread, and used the bread making experience to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying as the aroma of baking bread wafted out of the kitchen while he talked.  Needless to say, eating the end result was quite satisfying.

The other two guests who shared with the group were Ryan White and Nick Armstrong from Kentucky Mountain Bible College.  Ryan led us in some great times of worship and singing.  He often incorporated scripture verses into the songs so we had the chance to think about how God’s word related to the songs we sang.  Nick is from south central Kentucky and was a great inspiration.  God touched his life in a special way 2 years ago and has wrought a great change in his life.  If you haven’t heard his testimony, you will be blessed if you get a chance to hear it.  It is the kind of life change that we’re praying for in the lives of many here in Breathitt County.

Because of the cold mornings, we had a dramatic “polar bear” slide early Saturday morning.  Caleb Combs said, “It wasn’t so bad the first time down, but by the second time my body had just barely warmed back up and … it was cold!”  There were 5 campers and staff that braved the waterslide that morning.

Another highlight was the sunrise hike Sunday morning.  As the group reached the open strip mine land above the dense forest, the entire sky was turning a brilliant orange.  For a few minutes the sun toasted all the clouds with color and we rejoiced in the power of our maker.

There were plenty of times for the campers to sit and talk and for others to play multiple games of “knock-out” on the basketball court.  Many of the campers commented on the number of new friends they had made this weekend.

This coming weekend will be the Junior Youth Retreat for campers in grades 5-8.  It should be a great weekend with John McFarland coming down from Ohio to challenge the campers with the truth of scripture.  Justin Kurtz will be leading the singing and worship with help from Roger Voth, and Caleb Combs.  There is still room available if anyone wants to come at the last minute.

Here’s the last week of camp for the summer. The entire summer has gone by so quickly.  381 campers here at camp this summer.  89 Volunteer Staff members.  What a whirlwind.

Summer Camp finished for the year with the Junior 2 camp (for those who had completed 6th, 7th, and 8th grades). There were 61 campers attending and since the campers were all older, they didn’t have many problems with home-sickness. The week was packed full of activities and plenty of opportunities to make friends and learn a thing or two while you were at it.
Justin Kurtz (who has been working and living at the camp with his family for 3 years now) was the camp director for that week of camp and kept all the activity flowing. Mark Driskill led the Bible teaching time in the morning and Noah Walker (a former camper from Lexington, KY) gave the evening spiritual challenge to the campers. As usual we had a song leader who led us in singing songs of praise to God at the beginning of each chapel time. Jesse Murray (whose parents work at Oakdale Christian Academy) got together a band consisting of other counselors and staff and led us in some great singing times.
Byron Johnson, who has been working at Sears in Jackson, got a week off work to help lead the games and activities. He along with Darren Fisher were our Recreation Directors for the week. For those of you who don’t know Darren, he does all the string trimming (weed-eating) here around the camp grounds as well as works with Tommy Miller at the Miller’s Amish Bakery.
If you know one of the campers who attended, they can point out all the counselors and tell you their names, but there is not enough room here to list them all. They are, however, the un-sung heroes of a week of camp. They live with the campers in the cabin all week. They help get them to bed on time and to meals on time. They lead activities in the afternoons as well as spending time counseling the campers as they talk about real-life issues and how to deal with them. God has blessed us with a great group of staff members this summer who really cared about the campers and gave tirelessly to their kids.
Kendra Fisher, our camp secretary, informed me that our total head-count for the summer was 381 campers. Because of the number of campers who are attending, none are allowed to attend more than one week. We barely have room for all the ones who want to attend. There were a few campers who were put on a waiting list for a week of camp, but almost all of them were able to come when other campers didn’t show up.
Justin said one of the most meaningful times (apart from his getting to join a team for a while and see them surge ahead in the team standings) was singing the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” which includes the line “Here I raise my Ebenezer.” This line comes from a verse in the Bible – I Samuel 7:12 where Samuel set up a rock at an important place and said “thus far has the Lord led us.” The name Ebenezer reminds us of this: God has led us this far and he will not leave us nor forsake us. On the last night of camp after singing that song, many of the campers stepped forward as a visible sign showing that inwardly they were setting up a memorial stone in their hearts. They would look back on this week and remember what God has done saying, “God has led me this far, and as he commits to be with me, so I will commit to him. I don’t need to wait till next year at camp to re-commit my life to God. If I sin I will turn to Jesus, ask for forgiveness and commit to walking with him in a new understanding because of what I’ve been through.”
When we as camp staff see campers who are excited and encouraged to live a life of commitment to God, it encourages us and gets us all ready to start planning camper for next summer.
Also, as far as Bethel Camp happenings… The Bethel Camp Benefit Auction is August 20. Make sure to mark your calendar and if you are free, come join us for the event. There will be a bake sale, lots of items (over 200) for auction including a beautiful quilt. For lunch you can have Smoked Chicken, Burgers, Hot Dogs, or Pulled Pork Sandwiches. It should be a great time.

"All Aboard!"Balancing teamwork

We just finished a second great weekend retreat at Bethel Camp.  Two weekends ago was the Spring Youth Retreat (with 41 campers),  this past weekend was the Spring Junior Youth Retreat (with 36 campers).  The first one was for campers in 9^th-12^th grade.  The second one was for those in 5^th – 8^th grade.

The weekend retreat is a little like a week of summer camp except that it is squeezed into a weekend (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon), and we don’t do water activities because it is too cold to want to go down the waterslide or walk in the creek at this time of the year.  But we can fit in a lot of fun games and some awesome times of spiritual renewal.

This past weekend, we got water whether we wanted it or not, but it came in such a way that it added excitement.  Friday, starting at 6:00, we had a good evening of games, singing, and a chapel message by Mark Driskill.  Then, soon after we had all settled in our beds for the night, the storm hit.  The marble-sized hail was loud as it hammered on the roofs.  The rain came down hard for about 40 minutes.  Then the thunder receded into the distance and we all settled back into our beds for some sleep as we listened to the water running dripping off rocks behind the cabins.

Saturday dawned bright and clear.  The group that met at 7:00 AM for an optional hike to “window rock” completed their early morning exercise and were back to camp by 7:45.  That is some pretty quick hiking.  I’m not sure why those campers wanted to get up at 7:00 for a hike.  They knew that the rest of the day would be packed full of activities.  However, Proverbs 20:29 does say, “The glory of young men is their strength…”

The cooks had breakfast for us at 8:30 and we needed every calorie in it to keep up the flury of activity all day long.  There was chapel in the morning with Mark getting all the campers to yell, “Somebody please get the door.”  The message challenged us to remember that Jesus is knocking on our hearts door and just waiting for us to let him in.  Jesus has amazing gifts he wants to give us if we will only open the door for him.  Roger Voth led the singing time with some loud renditions of old camp favorites like, “Romans 16:19,”  “If I had a Little Box,” and “Be Bold.”   The rest of the morning and afternoon was filled with activities: basketball, kickball, crafts, and archery.

The drizzling rain started soon after lunch causing a group that was down at the ball field playing Ultimate Frisbee to come up early when they saw lightning.  About 30 minutes later the rain had stopped and we were debating about going back down, when the lightning started again.  So we altered the schedule and went to the recreation hall for some games and snack shop.  We had only been there about 15 minutes when the second storm of the weekend started with fury.  It was amazing to see over 2 inches of rain fall within 45 minutes.  The wind drove “sheets” of rain filling every ditch to overflowing.  Why is it that a person seems closer to nature and the physical world at camp?  I find myself noticing all kinds of things that I normally wouldn’t give a second thought.

The storm stopped soon after snack shop time and we were able to have the hayride as planned.  We got the added bonus of seeing all that rain water flowing into Little Buckhorn Creek.  There were little waterfalls everywhere and the kids had fun watching for them.

With all that rain my shoes were “soggy.”  I couldn’t wait to go back to my house and get out of the wet shoes, but the kids were in no hurry to go to bed.  They wanted to do more singing (like an accapella version of “Love the Lord your God) and then play a game of capture the flag in the dark.  I don’t think wet shoes bothered anybody else.  They were having too much fun enjoying their friends at camp.

Sunday morning after eating bacon and scrambled eggs with all the fruit we wanted, we enjoyed our last chapel service and even had time for the game of “Dare Base” that we postponed because of the rain on Saturday.

It might have been a little wet, but that didn’t make much difference.  The important thing was getting together with friends and having a time to listen to God and hear what He was wanting to speak to us.

Bethel Camp hosted a young adult retreat this past weekend and 28 college-age young people from Kentucky, Ohio, and North Carolina attended the event. Bill Burns served faithfully in the kitchen along with help from a number of other individuals creating delicious meals like beef stew, pork loin roast and generous helpings of vegetables, and a meal of 3 cheese stuffed shells with an Italian salad. Chocolate chip cheese cake, peanut butter pie and a moist chocolate cake covered with carmel and whipped topping gave a wonderful desert finish to the meals. Since the weather was cold, hot apricot cider, tea, and plenty of coffee warmed up the spirit of the weekend. However, the focus was not on the food… the food was just a catylist to building community. There were lots of activities that continued to build friendships even though the lingering cold outside made staying inside the most comfortable place to be. Two Nintendo Wii’s had been set up with large screen projectors so there was a lot of competition in bowling, tennis, and even “cow racing.”

Kendra and Amy enjoying Wii Boxing

Saturday’s warmer weather provided some excellent opportunities to be outside since the sun’s rays took the chill out of the air and by Sunday morning many of the “retreaters” were complaining of sore and pulled muscles. Evidently, the games of volleyball and ultimate frisbee had prompted many to do more strenuous exercise than had been done for many weeks.

Clark in perfect form

Needless to say the playing field was wet and muddy but the soggy, soiled clothes didn’t dampen the spirit of competition or the stories of conquest by both teams.

Like every retreat at Bethel Camp, spiritual formation was a focused activity of the weekend. Mark Driskill, Phil Swartzentruber, and Roger Voth facilitiated discussion among the group as they wrestled with subjects like: (1) How my ability to see clearly in the spiritual realm affects my beliefs about myself and my God, (2) How suffering is integrally connected with our decision to follow Jesus, and (3) How prayer is a reflection of both my beliefs about God and my acts of obedience to his will. A girl from Kentucky was telling me, “I didn’t expect to be welcomed into the group since this was my first time at camp. I really felt accepted and encouraged by everyone.” That example of supportive community is a huge encouragement to spiritual growth. Many of the young adults were exchanging e-mail addresses and phone numbers as they left with the intent to continue to encourage each other to grow spiritually.

Discussion time

Roger Voth, the camp director commented, “I was encouraged to see the hunger for spiritual growth as well as the depth of character that was present in these young people. I’m expecting God to do some amazing things in our generation.” Some of the participants had to leave as soon as the retreat finished on Sunday to get back and study for tests and complete homework assignments. (One person even had an online test that had to be taken before midnight Sunday night and had a 4 hour drive home before he could take that test.) Others were able to stay for a couple more hours, and one group even took a short ride in the camp pick-up to the top of the hill where the sheep were grazing and got to see the 5 lambs that have been born in the last couple of weeks.

The next event planned at camp is the High School Youth Retreat for students in grades 9-12. The dates for that retreat are March 26-28. You can get a registration form and more info from our website: www.bethelcamp.org

Have a good week and remember to let Christ purify your eyes so that you can clearly see His glory and the beauty of his bride, the church.

The past several weeks at Bethel Camp have been pretty busy, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be slowing down anytime soon, as we are beginning to make final preparations for this years summer camps. Most recently we hosted a large group from Guilford, Connecticut called “Pilgrims Fellowship”. The group was made up of 54 youth of high school age and 9 adult sponsors.
Throughout the year Pilgrims Fellowship does service projects in their local community as well as fundraising for their one big service trip, which is what brought them to our area. Pilgrims Fellowship was here working with the Home Development Alliance out of Hazard. During their time in eastern Kentucky the group spent their days putting on roofs, framing houses, digging trenches, plumbing and doing other work projects to help those in need. In the evenings after a long hard day of work they returned to camp to clean showers, a hot meal, and a place to relax and recuperate.
It’s always good to have more faces around here at camp. Having Pilgrims Fellowship here was a different experience for us though. They were mainly using the camp as lodging for the night and a place to eat some meals. Typically when the camp hosts groups, the camp staff is involved somewhat with the programming for the week. With Pilgrims Fellowship, however, we were simply responsible for fixing the evening meal. This was a great arrangement for us here as we could get some preparations for the summer done in the morning and then work at getting dinner ready in the afternoon before the crowds returned. While they were here at camp Pilgrims Fellowship was in charge of all their own programming and activities – we simply acted as their host. All in all it was a good for camp as it brought us some needed income, and it was good for the youth to have a place to recover from the long days of service and hard labor.
One of our goals here at Bethel Camp is to increase the use of our facilities during our “off-season”. Our summer camping program will always be the center of our ministry, but we also want to reach out and be of service to our community. If you have a group who needs a place for a retreat, campout, or just room to run, please don’t hesitate to contact us about our facilities and rates at (606) 666-4911