As followers of Jesus, he is our example in everything. When Camp says in our mission statement that we are “a community of Christ” – this is what we’re saying: we’re a group of people dedicated to the purpose of following and being like Jesus. So the question is, how do we follow Jesus as…
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Mt 6:9-15), he described two big realities where “thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” are realized in the human world: First, he said “give us this day our daily bread”, acknowledging that God’s provision for human need is a central…
Recently, a thirteen-year-old guest at Camp asked Operations Director Kevin Smith, “how do I donate?” Kevin was honestly a little surprised, but was happy to see this young member – who was on retreat with one of our owning churches — taking some initiative. Kevin directed him to the website Donate page, and the young…
Defining Discipleship 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded…
This past weekend, Camp hosted three women’s retreats at Camp. Though the retreat groups were very diverse in background – one was from an urban church plant in Philadelphia, one was from a Garifuna Mennonite church in Brooklyn (an Afro-Caribbean Culture), and one was from a multi-ethnic faith community reaching out in North Jersey. Though…
I believe the most important thing to God is not our personality, knowledge, or talents, but our availability. How willing and ready are we to respond when He calls, and how ready are we to do what He says? What use to the Lord are people who could do what he wants with excellence and…
At our February NYC LMC District meeting, we’re discussing the Belonging phase of The Journey Map. In this first phase on the map, individuals and groups on a spiritual journey begin the process of connecting to each other and evaluating the place they may have in each other’s lives. Have you ever been an outsider…
Yesterday we began tapping maple trees, officially opening maple syrup making season at Camp Deerpark! Last year, the transition kept us from producing syrup, so it feels great to be back to it. Starting off, however, has been a bit of a challenge since things are pretty arctic around here. The entire ground is covered…
One small contribution I can make is to share story with you. This could be valuable in several ways: First, I’m coming to the Mennonites from the outside — from non-denominational GenX “simple/ organic/ emergent church“. Sometimes people coming from outside-in have a helpful perspective for those trying to move from inside-out. Second, as an…
On the surface, winter with its cracking and cold seems like the enemy of life. Everything sleeps as though dead, and Camp — quiet and empty — sits waiting. But under the surface, winter is revealed to be a friend to life, not an enemy. In the deep frost, God opens the soil for Spring’s…