In Christian Camping

“Are we there yet?”  It’s a question most all of us have uttered at some point in our lives, often with excitement, sometimes with impatience. It’s a question that often surfaces not long after a family pile into a vehicle for what they hope will be an unforgettable vacation.

Glorieta Conference Center, owned and operated by LifeWay Christian Resources, is excited to offer a new type of family vacation – Glorieta Family Camp! 2011 will mark the second season for these one-of-a-kind weeks.

For many families, the words “camp” and “vacation” do not seem to go together. However, at Family Camp, families spend a week in deluxe housing, eat dinner to a different “theme” each night, and have access to a coffee shop and free wireless Internet. Throughout the day, families experience a true time of togetherness – canoing, playing laser tag, hiking, horseback riding, or just hanging out away from the comforts of their homes.

Family Camp provides opportunities for kids to be kids – and adults to be kids again! From our famous pancake toss breakfast to spending an afternoon jumping on inflatables; from crazy games to family trivia, Family Camp is hands-down, good fun for the entire family.

For the more adventurous, there are opportunities for sleeping under the stars. Families can also choose different excursions on “Choose Your Own Adventure Day” that range from whitewater rafting and train rides to Jeep tours and horseback riding.

For the Garrett family of Texas, this was, “a place where all of the family could participate in a Christian and fun environment.”

In addition to the climate of the mountains of New Mexico, the Hicks family of Arkansas chose Family Camp because “of the variety of activities for our family, as well as the time for worship and Bible study. This camp was everything we desired as a family,” they said.

Glorieta Family Camp is a programmed, all-inclusive vacation specifically designed with your family in mind. Whether you are a traditional, single-parent, or blended family, there is a place for you at Glorieta. It has also proven to be a great destination for multi-generational families – there are no age limits for our campers!

The Nehrt family of Michigan unanimously agreed “this has been our best family vacation ever.”

If you are looking for a Christ-centered, family-focused, exciting vacation, check out Glorieta Family Camp. We’re sure it will have everyone in your family excitedly saying, “Are we there yet?”

For more information about Glorieta Family Camp, visit www.glorietacamps.com, call 1-866-794-CAMP, or email us at familycamps@lifeway.com.

At the “Go!” signal, families scramble toward the 700 Easter eggs spread out on a lawn, yelling out the numbers contained in each egg. Each family must find numbers one to 20 before moving on to the next station. 

Laughter, teamwork and bit of competition unfold as the families vie for the title in Glorieta Family Camp’s “Amazing Race.”

The Horne family crosses the finish line first and collects the prize, but for them the experience was more than winning a game – it was an opportunity to work together and communicate. “This was one of the best things for our family,” Brad Horne said.

This summer marked the beginning of a new family tradition at LifeWay Christian Resources’ Glorieta Conference Center located outside Santa Fe, N.M. Family Camp is a new and different kind family vacation designed to help grow and nurture family bonds through Bible study and various camp activities.

“I want Family Camp to be seen and known as a valuable family experience where they are away from distractions and in an environment that gives them opportunities to love on one another and create memories that will last,” said Hal Hill, director of Glorieta. “I think that every family needs an experience like this … multiple times.”

Family Camp caters to the individual family, with every activity and program designed for families of any size and with children of any age. Childcare is available for children under 5.

“Family Camp is a chance for families to walk together and grow closer to God and each other,” said Becky Suggs, Glorieta Camps manager. “We’ll provide the activities, and you participate as you want to,” she continued, pointing out that each activity is a chance to learn new skills and create lifelong memories. 

“We hope to bring families together to learn about God, worship, and grow together, which is the most important thing,” Hill added.

The days were filled with activities and fun, but each morning featured an emphasis on spiritual elements through a celebration and worship time. The theme, “Under Construction,” focused on the fruits of the spirit.

“The spiritual component, it’s a great part of the week … to be challenged to be grounded spiritually,” said Dave Hunt, worship leader for the camp.

After the morning celebration, parents and children went their separate ways for a Bible study time designed around topics unique to the parents’ experiences and the children’s experiences in the family.

For the adults, the time served as an opportunity to come together, share, pray and encourage each other in their roles as parents. They discussed everything from the comical struggle of young boys who do not want to use soap in the bath, to more serious concerns about disobedient teenagers.
 
“We want to set a different example for our children,” one family shared as others nodded, understanding the importance of having a Christ-centered home.

While adults delved deeply into discussion, camp staff taught children, divided by age, about the fruits of the spirit.

Families who attended this inaugural year of Family Camp agreed that the vacation had been the memorable experience they had hoped for.
 
The Nehrt family, from Michigan, came across the country to attend Family Camp, but agreed it was worth the trip. “We take family vacations every year, and our family unanimously agrees that this has been our best family vacation.”

Family Camp 2011, themed “Deeply Rooted,” is scheduled for July 4-9 and July 11-16. For more information, visit GlorietaCamps.com or call 1-866-794-2267.

As many of us know well, it's way too easy to get caught up in the hectic pace of today's wired-in lifestyle. We get so focused on the next meeting, the next phone call, the next tweet or status update, that we forget the things that are really important.

Many times what gets forgotten, or pushed to the side, are our families. The following post was written by John Ashman. John is currently the Executive Director of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions and prior to that was a VP with Christian Camps and Conference Association.

As you read it I would encourage you to think about your own family. Do you need to take some time out and renew your relationships. As you'll see from this mom's perspective, family camp is a great place to do just that.

Camp is a refreshing stream along life's journey...

Laura eased open the screen door and stretched out in the rocking chair, favorite book in hand. Out on the lake, silhouetted by Monday’s sunrise, the canoe carrying her husband and two daughters glided silently through the water. A smile spread across her face as she imagined their conversation.

An earlier rain had refreshed the forest and the fragrance brought back some wonderful childhood memories. Overhead, two squirrels debated the ownership of a cache of acorns. The family from the cabin next door waved good morning and wandered off along the path to the point.

This placid camp setting was a welcome contrast to her familiar suburban scene. She glanced at her watch. Still 40 minutes ’til breakfast. She took another sip of coffee and closed her eyes. This was going to be a wonderful week.

At the urging of some friends from church, Laura’s family had decided to spend these six days at a Christian family camp. The place offered cabin or lodge accommodations, three family-style meals a day, horseback riding, biking, hiking trails, a challenge course, dirtboarding, fishing, canoeing, swimming, beach volleyball, a well-known Christian band, an impressive list of speakers, and more.

But the part of the brochure that caught Laura’s attention was “time out from the rush of life for spiritual renewal.” She needed that, and so did her family, much more than anyone knew.

Finding Time
These days, few of us wash dishes in the sink and ponder the world through the kitchen window. Instead, we stack the plates and utensils in the Maytag and rush to the next task. Come end of day, rather than sit on the front porch and contemplate, we click the mouse or remote and “process.” We live in a hurried, harried world. Freeways, cell phones, business appointments, micro-waves, school functions, online transactions, late-night news, and alarm systems form the borders of our behavior.

Our children aren’t strangers to stress, either. Pushed by parents or peers to perform beyond their years, they’re rushed into maturity by Madison Avenue and the media. It’s no wonder many kids emerge from their teen years frustrated, fearful, and fatigued.

Just over the hill, across the meadow, or through the woods, Christian camps are offering experiences that can arrest our runaway routines. Spending a week at a Christian camp, or conference center, will not immediately unbundle the anxiety of the twenty-first century lifestyle, but it will provide a refreshing break with a chance to relax, reflect, recreate, and re-evaluate priorities.

Time, which seems to be a rare commodity in the “real world,” is abundant at camp. There’s time to eat together, play together, and talk together. Parents can use time to assess family progress and form new goals. Kids can spend time enjoying the miscellaneous pastimes of childhood. So much can get done when there’s nothing pressing to do.

Finding God
At camp, God does not hide in the chapel, waiting for the evening service so He can reveal Himself. His presence permeates the program and property. God speaks on the ropes course, helping people discover the truth about trust. He’s present on the trail, teaching people through the intricacies of nature. He’s there in the person of a child’s counselor, bringing peace through the demonstration of patience. The messages spoken and songs sung from the platform are just added benefits.

Chuck Swindoll, author, radio pastor, and chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, has long been a supporter of Christian camping for the entire family. Some time ago, he spoke about the value of total family involvement.

“All the Swindolls have enjoyed and benefited from Christian camping for many, many years,” he said. “In fact, I can’t recall an unhappy or unrewarding experience that we’ve ever had.”

When families get together in a camping situation, they relate eye-to-eye, maybe for the first time in months, without the distraction of television, radio, or phone in the background, he observed. They have time to think through their values and their priorities. And they have the opportunity to establish or strengthen their relationships with Jesus Christ.

The testimonies around Friday night’s flickering campfire stirred the hearts of the households gathered in its glow. Tears welled up in Laura’s eyes as her own husband of 16 years stood to his feet and uttered soft-spoken words of recommitment to Christ and family.

Following the service, the girls ran ahead to the cabin to pack for departure. Taking the long way back, Laura and her husband walked hand-in-hand, then arm-in-arm, speaking without talking. It was a wonderful week. Spiritual renewal did indeed take place. God’s voice was heard.

It wasn’t that He spoke any louder in the serene camp setting. For some reason, it was just easier to hear Him.

What about you? Has family camp played a part in your family's heritage? If so, would you mind leaving a comment and sharing it? If not, I encourage you to consider attending a Christian family camp this summer. You won't regret it!

The Wall Street Journal estimates that in this country 83 cents out of every dollar is directly spent or influenced by women.

Michele Miller, author of the blog Wonder Branding says many marketers fall prey to believing in myths that come with trying to market to women.  Here are some of the most common myths.

1.  You believe that low prices are the most important thing to her.  There are two types of buyers, transactional and relational.  For the most part, women will always prefer relationship over the transactional step of buying based on low price only.  Women want a connection.

2.  You believe that you are marketing to her and to her alone.  The next best thing to blessing a woman is blessing those she loves.  When you provide a remarkable experience for one of her kids, she'll talk about you to her friends.

3.  You believe she's "thinking pink".  Not all women are "girlie-girls". When you design your Web page for a mom, don't think it's as easy as just changing you color scheme to a more pastel palette.  Moms are a diverse bunch.  Choose a much more neutral palette, allowing the photos and copy to make the direct connection with Mom.

4.  You believe she's too busy or too distracted to are about the details.  Do some moms care about the floor plan of her son's cabin or the menu at camp?  You bet.  The more details you can provide on the Web site, the more Mom will appreciate it - and she'll tell her friends.

What do you get when you put a group of guys from Canada, a speaker from Texas, students from across the Southwest, and frigid temperatures with snow together?  FUGE Winter Camps at Glorieta!
 

Over the week of the New Year’s holiday, students from various states gathered to spend four days worshiping together, growing in their relationships with God, playing in the snow, and having a blast with their friends!  Cold temperatures didn’t stop students from spending their afternoons at the snow tubing hill, playing paintball and laser tag, building sculptures in the snow, and so much more! 

Morning Bible Study, led by staff from all over the country, focused on “Live It: Tell It” – sharing the story of what God has done in the lives of students.  Bryan Bailey, camp pastor from Odessa, Texas, and Atlantic, the worship band from New Brunswick, Canada, led students in worship throughout the week. 

A big highlight of the week was the running of the “First Annual Human Dog Sled Race.”  Each church provided a homemade sled equipped with four “dogs” (aka students pulling the sled) and one “musher” (aka a student in the sled).  This offered a great time of competition between the church groups, not to mention a great laugh for everyone involved!

As a director, one of the most memorable things from this year’s first FUGE Winter Camp was watching students ring in the New Year in worship!  With New Year’s Eve hats on and confetti flying, students were able to enter into 2010 praising God!  What a beautiful picture of starting the new year off on the right track!

Life change happens at camp – this week proved no different!  Many students professed Christ as their Savior for the first time.  Others surrendered to ministry and made other commitments for their new year. 

And, FUGE Winter Camps aren’t over yet – we have two more sessions in March.  The first is March 9-12, followed by another session March 16-19.  Groups can choose to stay on campus during the day or go skiing at Ski Santa Fe.  We will work around your schedule!  There is still room available – so register soon!

This post was provided by Camp Director Becky Suggs

Earlier this year, I wrote an article for Christian Camp and Conference Association's InSite magazine entitled, "A Stand-out Experience" (read article here). The purpose of the article was to provide Christian conference centers with some strategies they could use to compete with local hotels.

At Ridgecrest and Glorieta, it's not unusual for us to compete with a secular hotel or conference center for many of our groups. This has become especially true as we've added new and upgraded facilities that are equal to, and in some cases, nicer than our secular competitors. However, it's not the nicer facilities that we believe differenitiate us from other hotels and conference centers. Here are the three things I believe set Ridgecrest and Glorieta apart from our competition and allow us the opportunity to create stand-out experiences for our groups.

Ministry Serving Ministry - Unlike our secular competitors, we are a ministry and we see our role as that of serving other ministries. Our sales and event staffs work hard to build genuine relationships with our group leaders. We want to know what their hopes and dreams are for their ministries and then look to see how we can partner with them to help achieve their ministry objectives.

Spiritual Environment - Ridgecrest and Glorieta were built for the specific purpose of helping to equip the saints. Our mission is to provide the best conference center environment for experiencing spiritual transformation and renewal. This is not to say the Holy Spirit can't move at a secular hotel or conference center, but that's not why they exist. Our purpose is to point people towards Christ and to provide a place where, away from the distractions of the world, people can have a fresh encounter with our Creator.

Personal Service - One of the realities of the hotel industry is the larger the hotel, the less personal the service. Even when the service is excellent (Broadmoor example), the great majority of the hotel employees will have no idea why you're there. Again, not their focus. On the other hand, at Ridgecrest and Glorieta, we have a group of employees who pray each week for the groups and individuals scheduled to arrive that week. We work hard to communicate to all of our employees why a group is on campus and what we can do to personalize the service we offer to each group.

 What about you? If you plan or go to meetings/retreats with your ministry or church, what makes them a stand-out experience?

As you would expect, the hotel itself was beautiful and my room was probably the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in. I especially enjoyed the flat screen TV built into the wall above the bathroom vanity. (Never had to miss ESPN!)  I also enjoyed the nightly turndown service, the well equiped fitness center and simply having to call Housekeeping when I was in need of ice (explained why there were no ice machines on the guest room floors).

All of the facilities and amenities were what you would expect when you're paying to stay at a 5 star resort, so no real surprise there. What was a surprise to me was the overwhelming friendliness of every staff member I came in contact with. It wasn't really until the end of the second day that I really began to take note of this.

As I was walking to that evening's general session, I passed four different room attendants heading into the tower I was staying in. Each one smiled and spoke to me as we passed each other. That's when I realized these guys obviously take customer service training very seriously. In many hotels and conference centers the primary emphasis of customer service training is directed at the front of the house employees (front desk clerks, bell staff, wait/banquet staff, etc) and not much attention is given to training back of the house employees (housekeeping, maintenance, kitchen, etc).

Based on what I experienced, this is certainly not the case at The Broadmoor. They understand that many guests have more interaction with housekeeping and maintenance staff, in and around the hotel, than they do with front desk clerks and banquet waiters. I have no doubt they spend a significant amount of time on customer service training with all their employees.

The end result is a very friendly hotel where service is done right. The really cool thing is that you don't have to be a 5 star hotel to provide friendly service. All is takes is dedication to training all employees in providing excellent customer service.

Hopefully, when you visit Ridgecrest or Glorieta, you will experience friendly service from all of our employees. That's certainly our desire. If that's not the case, please do not hesitate to let us know.

This past month we hosted a brand new event at Ridgecrest, Youth2Christ - The Urban Connection. It was a weekend event aimed at urban youth and was attended by over 200 youth and adults. From all accounts, it was a successful event. Everyone had a great time and more importantly, lives were changed by the Holy Spirit.

Plans are already under way for next year's event and details should be up on our website soon. In the meantime, please take a couple of minutes and watch the video below to experience a little of this year's event. You'll even get to enjoy a great Kirk Franklin soundtrack!

Today, as I was looking through the books in my office bookcase, I came across a blast from the past. The book is titled Without Reservations - An Uncensored, Unabashed Look At How People Behave In Hotels and is a compilation of guest stories from Holiday Inn hotels during the early 90's.

As I looked at the book, I remembered first reading it when I was the general manager of the Holiday Inn Townlake in downtown Austin, TX. The book was loaned to me by Oscar Sanchez, my front desk manager at the time. After reading I must have set the book aside and forgot to give it back when Oscar left to go to another hotel. So, Oscar, if you read this... I'm sorry man!

From experience, I can tell you that guests really do some strange things when staying in your hotel. I wish I would have been smart enough to right down all the crazy stuff I've seen over my hospitality career. While I don't remember all of them, here are just a few that I'll never forget.

• While helping to open the Crowne Plaza Galleria in Houston I remember I man coming down to the front desk and complaining about the toilet in his room. Not an unusual complaint for most hotels. However this one had a twist. See, we had really rushed the last couple of days of construction in order to get the hotel open in time for the Houston Homebuilder's Show and when you rush construction, some things tend to get missed.  When the desk clerk told him she'd send maintenance right up to fix the toilet he told her the problem was not a 'broken' toilet. No, the problem was he didn't have a toilet at all, only a hole in the floor of the bathroom! Big oops!
• One night, when serving as the Manager on Duty, I got a call on the radio that someone was shooting off a fire extinguisher on the 4th floor. Grabbing two security guards to go with me, we headed up the elevator. When we got off the elevator, we didn't see anyone and it was very quiet. Thinking we must have missed them, we started to head back down to the lobby. However, before we could, we noticed CO2 powder running down the corridor carpet so we followed the trail. The trail led us directly to a room on that floor so we knocked on the door. Imagine our surprise when a young man opens the door with a fire extinguisher in his hand. Talk about finding a smoking gun! Needless to say, he and his buddies had been partying in their room just a little too much. They ended up spending the rest of the night in jail...
• One Saturday afternoon, while working as the F&B Director at Holiday Inn East in Montgomery, AL, I got a call from the front desk saying someone had reported a 'bum' loitering in our Holidome. She asked if I would check it out and if true, politely ask him to leave. I said sure, but before I could walk out of the restaurant, one of my waitresses came running into the restaurant all excited. I asked her what was going on and she breathlessly explained that she had just see Hank Williams, Jr in the Holidome. Turned out he was the 'bum' that had been reported to the front desk. Evidently his tour bus had stopped next door to the hotel and he was just walking around to stretch his legs. Needless to say, I didn't ask him to leave. Even though he did look a bit like a bum...

What about you? Care to share an unusual hotel experience with us?

This is an excellent article from Fuller Youth Institute that gives great insight into "Guy Land," the world that your boys grow up in. It also offers some suggestions for how to walk with them through "Guy Land". Having worked closely with boys in middle school and high school for the past 10 years, I find this article to be right on target. This is the adolescent boy world. If this is news to you, then I encourage you to read the entire article, and perhaps even take a closer look into your son's day-to-day life. Who is he spending time with? What are they doing? What do they really talk about? And who is leading them into the rest of their life? Are they leading themselves? Or is there an loving, caring adult walking beside them through these crucial years of transformation? Enjoy the article and please feel free to comment with any questions or concerns...

Click this link for read more:  http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/2009/08/just-guys/