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The Rocky Mountain American Baptist August 8, 2005
Editor’s Note: In previous issues this summer we have highlighted camping ministries at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center and Camp WYOBA. In this issue you will find articles about events at Grand Mesa Camp. To find out more about Grand Mesa and to see other photos taken at the camp, visit the Moab (Utah) Community Church’s website: http://www.moabcc.org and click on Grand Mesa Camp.
Every year parents send their elementary kids to camp hoping that they will have fun and grow closer to God. Every year the deans and counselors are called by God to give of their time to plan a week that kids will never forget. These kids will go through various challenges as they learn to live with others and work together as a team. They eat together, clean cabins together, and worship in chapel and at campfire together. They play games, like flour war, and they cheer each other on in talent shows. Some kids will even open up their hearts and share with their trusted counselors what they could never share with others anywhere else. Grand Mesa Elementary Camp is a moment in time that lays a Christ-like foundation in the lives of each child that passes through. Seeds are sown there. Some are planted, others watered, and still others are sprouting into fine young plants. I know personally, because I have been blessed to have been at Grand Mesa Elementary Camp this year. I saw my two youngest children running around having fun with their friends. I saw my oldest daughter, a junior counselor, sharing her testimony of what God had been doing in her life and the joy she showed as she shared God’s love with her cabin kids. I even had the chance to hear God’s voice in my own life as God shared something I needed to hear that week. If you have never experienced camp on top of Grand Mesa, well....there’s always next year. Vicki Conley |
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With the melting of the many inches of snow and the arrival of the mass of mosquitoes, we were finally ready to start a truly awesome week on top of Grand Mesa. Our week began with the arrival of 24 staff persons consisting of some old timers and some new energized leaders from the University of Sioux Falls and Ottawa University. It was apparent during our training that God had big plans for the week ahead. The commitment and relationships that each leader had with our Lord and Savior would be shared and God’s name would be glorified in the ways each of the leaders lived their lives. We spent time praying for each of the campers that would arrive, asking God to put campers with the leader that would best minister to them. As the campers (64) arrived and signed up for cabins, it was amazing to see God’s hand in the middle of the process. It truly happened; each camper seemed to be with the leader that God knew he or she needed. God is not a monument, but a movement! These words became the chant that was heard throughout the camp during our week on the Mesa. From the arrival of the campers to the good byes on Saturday morning, God was moving. Each morning the chapel was filled with praise and worship that most of us only experience at camp. Our camp pastor, Matt Melton (FBC/Delta, CO), shared with us scriptures from the book of Romans that went with our theme, "God of Second Chances." We spent time alone with God reading Scripture, praying, and preparing for family groups each morning following chapel time. Family groups provided the opportunity for the campers to discuss and search out answers about what is going on in their lives. Campers experienced God providing them with answers from Scripture and through life experiences of other Christians. We shared some fun activities in the afternoons and worked on creating a positive Christian community for both the campers and leaders. We threw some paint, hiked the Crag Crest, boated around Baron Lake, played some crazy kickball, and in general just hung out and got to know each other better. On Wednesday night of camp we shared the experience of Stations of the Cross (the journey Jesus took for our salvation). We shared in the grief that was felt when he died and the responsibility that each of us had in that event. We pounded the spikes into the cross, tasted the vinegar, and celebrated the Resurrection. Each evening we ended our day with campfire, a time of singing, sharing, and showing support for each other. Opportunity was given for leaders to share how God had worked in their lives and how each had been given a second chance in their own situation. Adam Padilla (FBC/Grand Junction) led the kids in worship, encouraging them to release their sins to God and seek Jesus. Friday night the campers were given a chance to share with their peers. God moved campers and leaders alike to speak, confess sins, and seek accountability for areas in their lives where they had not given God total control. Many of the adults were amazed at what was taking place and soon realized that we had never really experienced anything quite like this. Yes, we had heard or read about it, but this was new to us. When campfire finally ended at 2:00 am on Saturday there was a peace about the camp. The end of camp is hard. We put our flashlights, bug spray, and paint war clothes away. But putting way the camping gear doesn’t mean that what we experienced is over. It means that our time on the "mountain" to grow and gain strength for the challenges in the "valley" is complete. Now we begin to grow! God moved in the camp. Nine campers accepted Christ. Seventy-five percent of our campers rededicated their lives to God, and many have stated that they would follow a call to ministry if God were to give them the call. God is a good God all the time! Tracy Eagen . . .in the words of the camp pastor: What a powerful week! This 2005 High School Camp at Grand Mesa was the best I have ever witnessed! Tracy Eagen and Laura White went above and beyond the call of duty to provide the kids with fun relational activities. We had a date night, karaoke, stations of the cross, paint war, commando night game, and much much more! Good clean FUN! God’s Spirit swept through camp all week. It seemed as if every camper made a renewed decision to follow Jesus more intimately. We even had counselors confessing sin and re-dedicating their hearts to Jesus. It sure looked and sounded like a REVIVAL! Thank you for your prayers...we all felt them. To God be the glory! Matthew Melton |
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This year’s Middle School Camp, featuring "Survival Skills" as the theme, was a great success. Betty Schanz (FBC/Grand Junction, CO) and Tracy Eagen (FBC/Rocky Ford) were co-deans. The camp included 63 campers: 32 girls and 31 boys, with 22 staff. Scott Hogue, (FBC/Grand Junction, CO) served as the camp pastor. He led the worship time, focusing his teaching on "Surviving the Small Things:" Betty Shanz
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When the praise team from Old Landmark Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado went to Sighisoara, Romania, the Smiths, the host missionary family there, wrote the following news report: Submitted by Angela Faison, |
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"The Mediation Skills Training Institute . . . was ‘life transforming’ for me . . . My faith and call to peacemaking came together . . . My ministry and life will not be the same and I am equipped to be ‘part of the solution’ instead of being part of the problem." This was the sentiment of a pastor/therapist who participated in Lombard Mennonite Peace Center’s (LMPC) Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders. Other participants in the training have had similar responses. The institute focuses on: individual styles of response to conflict; win-win negotiation skills; skills to mediate conflict between individuals; and tools to effectively manage congregational conflict. A component on group consultation and intervention is also included. Specific attention is given to mediating conflict in the church, though the skills gained are also helpful in other settings including the home, the school, and the workplace. |
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Around the Region |
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FBC/Casper, WY |
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The International Ministries Extreme Team has returned from Georgia. If you haven’t taken time to read the journals on the web blog, go to www.internationalministries.org and click on Extreme Teams/Georgia. Many of the journals were written by Ryan Horne (FBC/Cortez). After returning from Georgia, the team debriefed and attended the World Mission Conference at the American Baptist Assembly at Green Lake, WI. Even though you can read all about the Team’s experiences on the web, you’ll still want to invite Ryan to your church to give you a first hand account. You may contact Ryan at First Baptist Church of Cortez where his dad is the pastor. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1497, Cortez, CO 81321. The phone number is (970) 565-6555. |
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We are working very hard to get the new ABCRM website up and running by September 1. We will have a page on the site for churches to advertise vacant ministry opportunities. These are not limited to pastoral vacancies. We invite you to advertise any open ministry position(s). The ABCRM family is a useful network in your employee search. Send the information you want to share to idvirnak@abcrm.org. |
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A big "thank you" to the BFCCC Celebration Committee: |
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Your ABCRM staff met in Keystone on July 26, 27, and 28. The days were packed with team building, visioning, planning, sharing, and worshiping. This was the first of quarterly retreats being planned for/by the staff. |
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Members of the Region staff have committed to read and grow together. The book discussed during their recent retreat was The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church, by Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass, 2003). |
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If you are reading a copy of this newsletter that has been forwarded to you by your church or a friend, or if you are reading hard copy but have the capability to receive an e-copy, please send us your e-mail address. We will gladly add you to the list for direct distribution. Send your e-mail address to bhoffmeister@abcrm.org. |
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For a moment I would like you to slip away in your mind to another place. Imagine a forest of tall green pines, orange and red sunsets, calm lakes that invite you to come and boat and fish, majestic mountains that echo God’s name, 12 log cabins spread out over 20+ acres, and a beautiful chapel with a cross that overlooks it all. Now, add 60+ kids, 13 counselors, six junior counselors, four great cooks, two camp deans, one pastor, and a nurse, and you have one very awesome week of camp. 
