In the 2020 Virtual Auction, Choctaw beaded Christmas ornaments, a Thanksgiving wreath, and a handmade table attracted the most bids while the Camp Quilt and the Southern Sampler Quilt brought in the biggest bids.
by: Matthew Graybill
“You have been outbid!” Eighty-five registered bidders received this text message or email a total of 408 times at the first virtual Camp Sale event, October 3-7. Each bid represented a statement of affirmation for the ministry of camp as well as appreciation for the many handmade items for sale. Like you, we were disappointed we could not gather to share in a bowl of gumbo or warm donut. The loss of working together, fellowshipping, and seeing old friends was echoed by many within the Pine Lake community.
Not to be defeated, PLFC supporters responded to the virtual auction with high levels of engagement and enthusiasm. Because the virtual auction could be accessed from anywhere, several folks across the United States & Canada were able to bid and win items as well. Many bidders dove deep into the competition for coveted handmade and unique items. Perhaps you watched with your mouth open as the Choctaw beaded Christmas ornaments (from Nanih Waiya Indian Mennonite Church) racked up 23 total bids and sold for $500 or as the wooden step stool (by Duane Maust) shot up to $240! The Camp Quilt ($1,150) and the Southern Sampler Quilt ($875) received the two highest bids.
A deep sense of gratitude sits with me as I think about the event as a whole. It was both humbling and thrilling to witness your level of involvement in the new format as well as in the communities that sold baked goods (Meridian), BBQ plates (Jackson), and gumbo & jambalaya (Gulfport), or held a craft & bake sale (Des Allemands) to benefit Camp Sale. Resilient and faithful, Pine Lake supporters still found ways to come together to care for camp. Pine Lake is blessed with a committed community that engages with and promotes this ministry. So we say, “THANK YOU” to each person who contributed items, bid, won, or donated to this year’s sale. You make camp a special place for each person to grow closer to God, nature, and each other.
Mr. Willie presented with a wall hanging for his kitchen by members of World Renew.
“In His service, World Renew volunteers,” were the final words at a home dedication Meridian resident Mr. Willie on March 20. Mr. Willie had a tree fall on and destroy part of his home during an EF-2 tornado in April 2018. As a result, he was left with no kitchen or bathroom for two years and had to use homes of other nearby family members. “Now, l live in a mansion,” said Mr. Willie thanked World Renew facilitators Gary & Bev Van Noort and Jack & Pat Buist after the dedication.
For nearly two months, dozens of volunteers helped rebuild the back side of his house in just 5 weeks. World Renew: Disaster Reponse Services “set up camp” at Pine Lake from February 6-March 20 to provide relief to homeowners affected by the tornado. In that time, PLFC was the host site for 95 volunteers who served at Mr. Willie’s and several other storm damaged homes. After working in the rain and mud each day, volunteers kicked back each evening to renew their strength and energy with conversation around the table or a walk around the lake. One group of volunteer students from Grand Valley State University even spent a few days at PLFC cleaning cabins and painting bathhouses. Then students prayed over the cabins for campers to take their next step with Christ this summer. Praise God!
Ms. Mavis Scott’s home was built from the ground up in only 5 weeks by another group of volunteers from Orland Park Christian Reformed Church (Illinois). At her home dedication on March 12, dozens of volunteers, community leaders, and partner agencies gathered to give her the keys to a new home. She is thankful for a home “that isn’t falling down” (Watch Ms. Mavis in her own words). This church even secured a $20,000 grant to help Ms. Mavis. As hands and feet of the Church, each volunteer gave their time, skills, and finances to demonstrate Christ's hope to not only people in need, but an entire community. Pine Lake is humbled to have played a supporting role in this example of love. The Meridian community as well as our Pine Lake staff are inspired by World Renew’s mission and call to service. Thank you to each volunteer and partner agency for your role in this mission.
A heartwarming news report of the impact World Renew volunteers made in the Meridian community.
World Renew Disaster Response Services
Mr. Willie presented with a wall hanging for his kitchen
L-R Mr willie daugher, Pat Buist, Gary Van Noort, Bev Van Noort, Jack Buist
This post was written by Matt Graybill, Executive Director and was part of PLFC's April 2020 newsletter update Check it out!
The following a summary of the reflections that Matt Graybill, Executive Director, shared at the dedication of Tall Pines Fellowship Center on August 30, 2019.
Matt Graybill, Executive Director, shares reflections from the Growing the Pines Capital Campaign journey
Our theme for the weekend is “God is Faithful.” It’s a fundamental truth about God’s character. He is faithful. It is supported numerous times in scripture and expressed through covenants in the Old testament and prophesy of the coming of Jesus Christ. We see the faith of God’s people as well. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Hebrews 11. It’s commonly known as the “heroes of faith” chapter. By faith Abraham… By faith Noah, and so on.
When I reflect on the reason why we’re here in Tall Pines this morning, it’s to celebrate God’s faithfulness. Not just because we have this new facility. It’s because there is a place like Pine Lake.
Expanding on that chapter of Hebrew, I decided to reflect on the “heros” of camp.
Hand written minutes from the first meeting of what would develop into Pine Lake Fellowship Camp
By faith a group of people met to talk about starting a camp in Nov. 1965
By faith, the funds were put up to by 74 acres and three horses
By faith, Family Camp started in 1967
By faith, the Lodge was dreamed and constructed and changed the trajectory of Pine Lake. That facility is nearing 20 years old.
By faith, many people have come into relationship with Jesus Christ.
And by faith, in the fall of 2008, Pine Lake launched the “Growing the Pines, Building the Future” capital campaign. If you were at Camp Sale in 2008, you may remember watching the appeal video for the first time. This campaign vision was to expand ministry capacity and construct a new facility, Tall Pines Fellowship Center, to meet the needs of the PLFC Association and other churches in the southeast region. The vision was clear, but there were still questions: 1. Can we (Pine Lake) raise that much? 2. Where will the money come from? 3. Would camp be able to meet its operating expenses? 4. Would other fundraisers suffer? 5. Will this ever be accomplished?
Over the last 10+ years, God has provided answers to each of these questions!
Funding is complete and $459,000 has been raised, which meets our campaign goal.
The money has come from many faithful donors, organizations, and PLFC budget surpluses.
Pine Lake has met and increased its budget each year of the campaign with no shortfalls (42% increase since 2009)
PLFC has added fundraisers like the 5K Trail Run & and experienced increases in existing events like Camp Sale
Construction will soon be completed.
By faith this all happened. He is faithful.
Timeline of Construction:
2008 – Kickoff of campaign resulting from 2-3 years of long-range assessment and planning the goals is to raise $80,000 for site prep, foundation, & steel shell construction
Spring/Summer 2011 – Foundation prepared, slab poured, and steel shell erected
Spring 2012 – Phase II – Framing on Lodging end begins
2013 – Plumbing, electric, insulation, and drywall installed in the Spring.
January 2014 – Volunteers from ON serve for two weeks and finish the first floor lodging for our First guest group to reside there (Midway Baptist Church Youth Group)
Spring 2015 – Framing on kitchen/office end begins
Good Friday 2016 – First guest group stays in top floor lodging end (Amor Viviente Church Retreat)
2017 – Framing and rough finish on North and South walls of the Meeting/Gym are completed.
May 2018 – PLFC Staff move into new office space!
Summer Camp 2019 – Meeting area AC installed & 2 BR apartment ready for occupancy (Suzanne resided there for the summer)
Week before Labor Day 2019 – Kitchen installation & set up!
To Come: Meeting/Dining area to be finished & Kitchen appliances installed
A few of many Work Teams & Folks who helped!– Diener Construction, Dale Kanagy, Duane Maust, Amor Viviente, Cliff Maust, Members of Des Allemands Mennonite, Jubilee Youth Group, Jubilee Camp out, Glen & Pat Detwiler, Cal & Shirley Hostetler, Bob Wideman & Co., James & Rachel Metzler, Wayne & Polly Comardelle, Two groups from Ontario who framed, 8th St. Mennonite, & so so many others.
A Vision Realized.
For so long, we only imagined what a finished facility would be able to accomplish for his Kingdom. And because of God’s faithfulness, we’re on the cusp of completing this capital campaign project. It’s can be easy to look back over the course of 11 years of this endeavor and forget all the effort involved. There were intense times of decisions and construction (periods of lamenting), followed by of delays in raising funds, and then those steps repeated. But through it, we see God’s hand in providing people to fund not only this project, but annual operations God provided skilled labor and volunteers to work on the building, as well as many others who prayed, consulted, advised, encouraged, and fed others.
From the outside, this is only a building, but it’s what happens on the inside that counts. The shared mission of reconciliation to God, His creation, & one another is the heartbeat of Pine Lake. It unites Association members, charter churches, campers, thousands of guests, staff, & volunteers in prayer, corporate worship, community, Christian service, and celebration.
And so we celebrate together and dedicate this gift to be used for His glory! Amen!
Glen Detwiler & Matt Graybill share memories
A captive audience on a day of celebration
Butch Clay, President of PLFC Board of Directors, shares a devotion at the dedication.
Gerald Beade, shares a laugh & memory with Glen D.
Family Camp 2016 marked a milestone in the history of Pine Lake Fellowship Camp’s ministry. The weekend was centered around the sessions & activities, but there were many opportunities for people to share with one another about how God is currently working in their lives. The communal feeling is a huge part of the weekend. Over 200 people spent time at PLFC to help celebrate! Whether it was your first or 30th time at Family Camp, your presence at PLFC was welcomed.
The Legacy Panel was one highlight. Titus Bender, founding visionary of PLFC, & others took part in a panel where they shared from their hearts about the early years, development, & other struggles of camp. Audience members took part in asking questions & sharing about their experiences. Panelists included: Titus Bender, Glenn Myers, Gerald Beadle, Shawn Beadle, & Jeff Landis. The discussion was moderated by Duane Maust.
“The mission of Pine Lake Fellowship Camp is to draw people of all ages and of diverse backgrounds into renewal of Spirit, body, & soul and into reconciliation with God, creation, & each other.”
Our theme for the weekend was “Celebrating 50 Years of Renewal & Reconciliation.” Glenn Myers shared a message on the subject of renewal at our Saturday morning session. Butch Clay shared a message on reconciliation on Sunday. What a weekend it was to celebrate the faithfulness of God’s people! People who heard His calling and chose to follow Him in what would become Pine Lake Fellowship Camp. It also demanded many others to join the vision in each of the following 50 years. Countless times, it was mentioned how PLFC has developed into something beyond what was comprehended in the late 1960’s. Perhaps the highlight for the early generations was to see so many young people at Family Camp, knowing that the future ministry of Pine Lake is in good hands for the coming generations.
And so it is that we pray for each person who comes to camp. We pray that he/she will meet God & grow in his/her faith for years to come. May God continue to bless Pine Lake Fellowship Camp.
“Father, be with us. Draw us to thee. Kindle each spirit and make it a lamp to glow in thy glory, radiant for thee at Pine Lake Fellowship Camp.” –Gladys Rutt, 1982
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the weekend a huge success. From providing meals to helping with the zip line, you played an integral part! Thank you!
From the very beginning of its ministry, Pine Lake Fellowship Camp has been focused on the mission of reconciliation. Some would say that bringing people together is what camp does best! There are many stories of God working in the lives of his people at Pine Lake. And since it is Valentine’s Day, we thought it’d be fitting and fun to share the story of a couple whose relationship was impacted by the way God has used camp in each of their lives and led to marriage.
Ruskin and Judy Clay have both served as members on Pine Lake’s Board of Directors for several years. But before that, they both attended summer camp from the time they were young and later served on summer staff. Though neither of them can recall a specific “first time we met” story, they would have been campers together from the time they were preteens!
Both Ruskin and Judy tell of their memories of making friends, singing songs around the campfire, and being challenged spiritually during their years of attending summer camp. They each went on to serve as summer camp staff, and years later began serving on camp’s board. And slowly, their story evolved. As Judy tells it, “PLFC has had a big role in our love story. It’s where we first met. It’s been a ministry we’ve both been involved in for years. It’s where I first realized Ruskin was a person I really liked and wanted to know better. And it’s where we got married!”
“It is hard to explain, but there is something about serving together that brings a couple together.”
Ruskin agrees that Pine Lake has had a big impact as their lives as individuals and as a couple. “Since Judy and I lived in the same area before we were married, we would often ride together to board meetings. We would meet the other board members at camp and carpool to Hattiesburg. After we starting getting to know one another better, Judy and I decided to drive to Hattiesburg by ourselves (skipping the car-pool)!” Ruskin says. Did you know board service can lead to marriage?
The Clays’ story is one of many examples of how camp has been the tool God uses to bring people together, as well as how He uses camp to strengthen relationships. As Ruskin says, “Camp continues to be a place that is special to us, and we enjoy volunteering at Camp – as a couple! I believe that our marriage has been strengthened by the fact that we serve together at Camp. It is hard to explain, but there is something about serving together that brings a couple together.”
Camp continues to strive to be a place that brings people closer to each other and closer to God. “I think it is so important for camp to continue being a place where anyone can come and draw closer to God. As a couple, I think we both just want to see the mission of camp continue for years to come,” says Judy.
Thank you, Ruskin and Judy, for sharing your story with us and for your service to camp. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, let’s celebrate all that God has done to draw us into a closer relationship with him and one another.
Several summers ago, an older gentleman arrived to drop his granddaughter for a week of summer camp. He followed behind her as she passed through the registration line like she had done it several times and excitedly ran off to join her counselor and cabin. Later, I noticed him sitting on the picnic table, gazing over the ball field. I wrapped up a few things at the registration table and went over to speak with him. Not knowing his connection to camp, I greeted and asked, “Sooo, how did you find out about camp?” It’s a common question I ask when meeting people at camp, but I wasn‘t ready for his response.
Bender Family observe Pine Lake in the early days.
He looked at me over his glasses and began to tell me about the early days when there was nothing here but a lake and a house. He spoke about when he was with several people who hiked around what would become Pine Lake Fellowship Camp; at the time there were only pine trees to be seen. But as they walked, one gentleman shared his vision of “building a cabin here and another cabin here; a large gathering area down here.” On and on they walked and more vision was cast. How great it would have been to be in that group walking around this place? I can only imagine what this man, sitting on a picnic table years later must have been thinking as he gazed over the lake.
I imagine he was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the beginning of camp. Thankful to see how God has developed Pine Lake to be a place for those to draw closer to Him. I imagine he was overjoyed that his granddaughter was receiving this experience decades after he was walking through a blank canvas.
Of course, this place could have remained a blank canvas used only for hunting and fishing if it were not for the vision of camp with the purpose of reconciliation that took root in several people. Through discussion, prayer, & discernment, others caught the same vision for a little tract of land that would be a place of retreat, reconciliation, & transformation for generations to follow.
Over 50 years old: Hand written minutes from the first meeting on November 20, 1965 of what would become Pine Lake Fellowship Camp.
On November 20, 1965, “a group of eight persons interested in the development of a church camp near Meridian, Mississippi, met to discuss plans. Those present were Nevin & Esther Bender, Glenn & Emma Myers, Titus & Ann Bender, Ann Zimmerly, & Mildred Bender. The purpose is to provide and promote Christian fellowship and recreation (from the meeting minutes). At that meeting, a vision was sparked into life that would paint a picture which continues to add brush strokes year after year.
That exploratory meeting could not have happened, but they were faithful with the vision laid on hearts. Today, we’re grateful for all those who were at the exploratory meeting on November 20, 1965, and many others individuals and churches who jumped on board to support taking steps of faith in the development of Pine Lake Fellowship Camp.
Praise the Lord for those who allowed His spirit to lead them in starting this ministry 50 years ago. Please celebrate Pine Lake Fellowship Camp with us as we enter our semi centenary in 2016. Join us for a celebration of God’s faithfulness on Labor Day weekend, September 2-5, 2016!
Written by Matt Graybill, Executive Director of Pine Lake Fellowship Camp.
