Assignment # 19

What are 4 questions that you would ask Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp and why you would ask these questions. We are going to visit the camp on Thursday the Dec 16th.

1. What are some of your recruiting methods that you use to get staff to come work for the camp? This is a great question to see what new ideas or similar ideas that they for bringing in staff to come work at camp.

2. Where do you see the camp in 5 years? Any changes? Why or Why Not. I think that everyone should be thinking about this question, whether they are working for the camp or they own the camp, its a good thing to keep thinking about as you go through each year and learn new things.

3. What is the most popular activity you offer during the summer? I would like to know what the activity may be, so that maybe we could use it, or try it here at Hidden Acres.

4. How do you raise money, what kind of fundraiser do you have to meet your goals or needs. Like i said before, it is always good to find out new ideas from someone else who may own or operate a camp, to see what new things you can try. Most camps need to have fundraisers so they can build new buildings, repair old buildings, or just to raise money for bills or staff to pay.

Assignment #18

Do a SWOT analyses on Hidden Acres. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Assignement #17

Take 3 mesurable vissions for camp, and explain how ur going to do it, and a time line.

Assigment #15

Why are you here at camp?

I am here because i needed to go out and try something new, because i wasn't sure what i was doing in college anymore, and i was unable to get a grip on what i really wanted to do. I came to camp to learn to things and to learn about things from the 8 pillars that LAUNCH teaches.

I am here to work for God , and not just myself or the camp. so that he uses me for what he wants me to do, not what i want to do, or think i should be doing.

Blog Assignment #14

Character: Who am I?
Communion: Who's am I?
Calling: Why am I here?
Community: Where do I belong?

I am a loving person who is a good listener when it comes to personal problems. I like to be here for my friends whenever they need me, night or day.I know i don't always look loving, cause i do get frustrated and mad at stuff, and hostile when certain people do certain things, just ticks me off,so there are good things and bad things about my character. If you truly knew me, then maybe you would see more of the loving caring side of me, maybe not??

I am made in God's image, and He is my father, my creator, and i have been born of this world to bring others to Christ and share the Gospel wherever i go. God has put me in this world, to continue what his disciples were doing, going from place to place sharing His Word.

I kind of talked about it a little bit, I was made by God, in his image, and i am here to spread the gospel and share his name wherever i go, and i have a good technology and music background, and i like to share pictures, music, and video of God's creation to others, and images can just take your breathe away. I am here to be a friend to my friends, to help them when they struggle and talk and listen to them when they need someone to talk to.

I belong wherever God wants me to be, I belong in worse places than i deserve, sometimes i don't even thank God for what He has giving me, I take it for granted that i grew up in a pretty nice home with a wonderful family, and there wasn't a lot of fighting amongst my parents  or family. we are all still together.
I believe I belong where God has placed me, and even if i don't like, i find ways of making it a good opportunity, and try not to complain and make it hard for others. It is really easy to just complain about something, than rather try to come up with a way to solve it. I see this in myself and a lot of other
people, and its in today's culture to be lazy, and not solve problems, but to just give up. that's why we see a lot of divorces these days.

Its also easy to say i belong in a Christian community, because i don't belong with the Non-Christians, but yet we have to live with them, or near them, and understand what they are going through or struggling with. We need to be around what they are going through as long as we know that it is wrong and don't get sucked in ourselves, but to understand how to help them, and share Christ with them in a way that they would understand.

Assignment #11

How do you relate cross culturally, locally, nationally, and internationally?

Assignment # 12

Look up Twin Lakes Bible Camp,(Iowa) and what four questions would you ask about the camp?

1. How do you get staff to come work at the camp?
2. What are some expectations for all staff members?
3. What is the camps mission statement?
4. Where do you see the camp in 5 years? Any changes? Why or Why Not?

Assigment #10

Identify a trend in Christian Camping, gain the facts, and research why should Hidden Acres follow this trend?

Assignment # 8

Choose one of the 3 philosophical tensions
1. Church based vs parachurch based
2. Centralized vs decentralized
3. Separation vs. accommodation

Separation vs accommodation can be philosophical tensions, because not everyone wants the same thing. In class we talked about how people wanted separation from big buildings and be out in the trees in a tent or cabin, and some people prefer accommodation and comfort like the Inn provides, so we need to make try to make everyone happy, so they have many different places to stay, whether its comfort or separation.

Many guys don't mind sleeping in tents or cabins, and like the outdoors and being surrounded by woods, and not a lot of buildings and stuff, but we also think about there wives, and maybe they have a little baby that needs to stay warm, or in more like an indoor building, so maybe she can stay in the inn. Many women retreats use the Inn, and appreciate that we have accommodations that fit their needs, as well as when the men retreats come, we have cabins, or RV, or tent sites available for them to use.

Separation vs accommodation is one of the philosophical tensions that we have in camp ministry. We try to work on everyones needs/wants but we will always have some kind of tensions between the two.

Assignment #7: How do you see God through nature? Go outside and tell me.

I see God through nature, by looking at the trees in the fall and watching the leaves change colors and then fall off, but they become so beautiful, and i like to take pictures and capture what God has given us, such a wonderful thing for us to see. There are so many colors.

When we were at Backbone State Park, in Northern Iowa, we got to see lots of trees changing colors, but we always got to see the deer in the morning and the sunrise and sunset at night. I don't have a really nice camera to capture what I see, but i do have a camera and that's all I need. I like to take pictures whether or not someone else thinks there good, its what I think is good to me, that God has shown me to see.

I saw God in nature, even when it was just our campfire, it burns so hot, and so orange, and I love fire, I'm a Pyro- playing with fire and fireworks, (oops, if you don't know by now, its true hehe). God was giving us heat, to stay warm with, and he made it hot enough for us to cook our food with. People say everything happens for a reason, but it is really just God working in our lives, showing and teaching us everyday things.

God shows us nature, and it is something he has created for us. He shows us how special He really is, and how He works in everyday things, such as the trees turning colors, or the colors of the sky in the morning or at night. God is everywhere, and we all can see him differently than others, but He is always there next us.

Assignment #6: Find a Christian camp that belongs to CCI, and give a description.

Assignment #5

How do you know you are being called by God?

Assingment #4

What is the relationship and what is the difference between parachurch and church ministry?

The relationship in both a church and a parachurch is that they both are ministries for reaching out to people. For those that don't know what a parachurch is, it can be a missionaries, a Christian camp such as Hidden Acres.

The difference in a church and a parachurch, is that a parachurch is supposed to be temporary Another difference is that there may not be a pastor there to learn from every week, so you shouldn't substitute a parachurch, for a church and think that you don't have to go to a church because your working at a Christian camp or whatever.

A parachurch is a ministry made to follow a church but not necessarily serve the church all the time. The church is made by God and the parachurch is made by man. Parachurches are sociological understood and evaluated, and churches are Biblically understood and evaluated.

Assignment #3

Explain the pros and the cons of being a denominational camping organization?

I think the pros of a being a denominational camping organization at Hidden Acres allows us to use standard policies such as no drinking, or drugs, and help provide a safe family environment, that builds a strong Christian fellowship among everyone who comes to camp.

Some cons of being a denomination camping organization, is that a certain denomination may not agree with our denomination, and that may discourage them from wanting to come to our camp.

Another pro would be that also might help prevent certain groups of people, such as a cult from coming to camp. They may see that we are Christians, and they may not want to come to camp because of it.

Another con is that if we do allow a different denomination, we aren't exactly sure what they might do, for there specific beliefs or traditions, and they may cause some problems with the organization.

Assignment #2

How does understanding the worldview of other religions help you minister to other's needs, even if you never meet someone from the particular faiths?

I think that understanding the worldview of the other religions helps me understand what other people might be believe versus what i may believe. It also let you understand where they are coming from, and how or what you can do to help them, if it could be in a specific way or not.

Assignment #1

Why should everbody understand a ministries statement of faith?

I think everyone should understand a ministries statement of faith so they know what the staff believes, so you can respect there believes, becuase they may  not be the same as yours, but that you understand the differences between what you believe and there statement, because if yours is completly different maybe you shouldn't go there.

Hidden Acres Statement of Faith is the Evengelical Free Church of America, and we have been talking about the CCI Statement of Faith, and what the differences are between them. For example the EFCA is much simpler and shorter than the CCI which is more in depth and kind of hard to read through all of it. The CCI is broad when it talks about every point, kind of like leaveing it open to anyone, so they dont leave anyone out. 

During class we talked about examples of why a group should understand our statment of faith here at Hidden Acres, so they knew what to expect when they got here.We do not want a cult or some kind of group like that. We must think what would be good for this camp, and the effects a group might bring with them. Whether it may be alchol, drugs, or sex, As a Christian Camp, we do not want that to be going on here, and we have reputation of the camp and the church to think about here.

From the Inside Out with lyrics

Who Am I Casting Crowns

A New Beginning

This is the middle of week 2 of my 9 month Internship at Hidden Acres Christian Center, near Dayton, Ia.I have been doing all kinds of work, such as mowing, weed whiping, pulling weeds, tower- belay/ zip line, clean the lake- dump out all the water in the canoes, and pick up around the lake, meals- preperation of the food lines, and making the food, and doing dishes of course, and finally cleaning carpets with the carpet doctor haha. It has been pretty good so far, lots of heat, and sun though.. and rain and storms too.