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Cover Article
“Heroes of COA!!!"
It seems that year after year, in every camp report, I write
something about our counselor staff at Camp Open Arms (COA). Each year I tell
myself that I should cover some other aspect of COA – there are certainly many
options – the campers, their home situations, the campers' quiet times, the
chapel lessons, the memory verses, the singing, the competitions, the morning
activities, the food, the pool time, the games, the crazy relay races, the guest
speakers, the behind-the-scenes volunteers, the donors…on and on it could go.
However, each year as I attempt to report COA back to you, I am reminded that so
much of what happens at COA is due to the devoted work of our counselors!!!
For the last several years we have enjoyed a group of counselors that have
returned year after year with very little turnover. They know how camp works,
they know each other very well, and they love serving the Lord together.
However, as these young men and women move on through their college years, they
become involved in longer-term summer missions, they pursue career-related
internships, or their lives become busy in other good ways…and they are simply
unable to return. This was the case this year.
For each week of COA we require 16 counselors – 8 guys & 8 girls. This year we
had 7 new workers during our Teen Week and 9 during PreTeen Week!!! These are
VERY high numbers. These workers report to Eastover Retreat Center (where COA is
held) on Sunday night before the campers arrive on Monday and are handed their
folders. These folders contain the schedules for the week as well as the
individual responsibilities of each counselor. The first-timers are typically
overwhelmed at the week ahead of them. However, with help from Coach Fletcher
and from the veteran counselors, they rise to the occasion and embrace the work
they feel God has led them there to do!! By the way, these are not young men and
women who are sitting around with nothing to do. They are busy, busy people!!
Here is a little of what they do in order to get to COA:
-One of our lady counselors landed back in the United States after a missions
trip to Russia, and was at COA within 24 hours!!
-One lady counselor, who was taking summer classes, rearranged 3 final exams,
and even took one online exam at COA just hours before the campers arrived!!
-One of our guy counselors is preparing to be a pilot and rearranged his flight
hours in order to be at COA!!
-One of our guy counselors had just returned from working 6 weeks of sports camp
in Missouri!!!
-Several of our (slightly) older counselors use precious vacation time from
their jobs to serve at COA!!
Our PreTeen Week head counselors for the Boys' cabins were
both first-time head counselors. One of them had never worked at COA before at
all!!!!
Their mornings are early – staff meeting at 7 AM (most, if not all of them are
already up meeting for prayer or having their own quiet times). Their nights are
late -- campers are dismissed to their cabins (where the counselors live also)
around 9 PM. Showers, devotions, and getting campers to sleep pushes their bed
time to around 11 PM. Their breaks are short and few. By week's end they are
exhausted.
All of this is so impressive to me, but it's not the most
impressive part of who they are and what they do! Throughout the course of both
Teen and PreTeen Week these counselors are building relationships and having
very intentional spiritual conversations with the campers. They use their quiet
times to answer camper questions about verses they've read. They use Bible
lesson time to answer questions about the morning chapel lessons. They use the
memory verses to begin talking to their campers about what it means to have a
personal relationship with Jesus. These conversations bear tremendous fruit as
one by one, throughout the week, counselors bring campers to share a spiritual
decision with me. During COA 2011, God used these counselors to introduce 31
campers to Him. Several other campers made other decisions for Him as well!!!
The word, “Hero” is used throughout the weeks by the Administrative Staff to
describe these amazing men and women who show up to minister to these campers!!!
I can't think of a word that better describes them!! They are truly amazing;
they sacrifice a great deal to serve at COA, and they long to see their campers
know and walk with the Lord!!!
It is my great honor to serve with each of them!!!
Superintendent's
Corner
"Connections at Camp"
Perhaps more than ever before, this year’s camp revealed a
series of connections in families and churches that showed up among those
working at COA. Back in the 1970's I had the joy of introducing a young couple
to faith in Christ. Their names are Kyle and Frances Holmes, and their son,
Justin, was a first-time counselor this year. He had the privilege of leading
several campers to Christ himself. What a blessed connection! (By the way, the
Holmes family is raising support to serve the Lord as missionaries in Spain).
In 1985 a young school teacher came to work at camp; his work with the Mission
expanded into other areas, and he continues to be our colleague 27 years later.
He and his wife had their first child in 1990, and now she is a regular worker
at Camp Open Arms. Here she is after campfire of preteen week, “picking some
fruit” with the gospel. She introduced this little girl to the Lord that night.
Kristin and her dad (Steve Fletcher) are another wonderful camp connection!
When COA was born in 1974, Rev. Lindley (my father-in-law) was the Mission
director, and his pastor was Rev. George Law. George was on occasion a speaker
at camp in the early days. His daughter Ruth has worked at the camp since she
was a teenager, and now she has recruited her niece, Meghan, to work as well.
Here Meghan is fishing, casting the “gospel net” to capture this young lady for
Christ. Three generations of camp connections!
From July, 1992 through February, 1993, I served as interim pastor at Emmaus
Baptist Church in Poquoson. There Barbara and I met the Lawings, who have become
our dearest friends. Morrison has worked now 15 years at camp, and Shirley only
a few less. Here she is telling a young lady about the marvelous grace of God in
His Son, Jesus. How blessed has been that Poquoson connection!
Alan and Faith serve the Lord and worship at Mill Swamp Baptist Church near Ivor.
They have been a profound influence on a good number of young people there at
the church. Here (with Barbara) are the pastor’s daughter, Jan, and Bobby (also
from MSBC) helping lead the music at teen camp. The connections continue!
The final note I wish to share here is a 4-generation COA connection. Jim & Lena
Lindley were the camp founders (1). Barbara (their daughter) & I continue to
work at camp (2). Alan & Faith now lead the camp ministry (3). All three of
their sons - Joshua, James, Joseph - can be seen working around the camp, as
well (4). This, of course, is my favorite camp connection!
A Note From Alan
"Praise the Lord!!!"
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