Embracing Interruptions

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination. This at least is what I see at moments of insight: but it’s hard to remember it all the time.”
~ C.S. Lewis

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it!" ~ Psalm 118:24

Rich Towards God

Kaleidoscope Campers Learn About Faith in Jesus

Thank You 2010 Donors!

As we look back over 2010, we want to say thank you for your support of the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center. Because of your gifts, we were able to provide a place where young and old alike can begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in Him.

Of course the most visible accomplishment of 2010 was the completion of the first cabin village. Five new cabins with space for 60 more people to experience Christ-centered fellowship, growth and renewal. The cabin village is truly a sight to see.

Even more important, however, are the things you can’t see with your eyes. Second Corinthians 4:18 reminds us to, “… fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” In this quiet place surrounded by creation, God has been at work in hearts and lives.

In 2010, our campers and guests were able to grow in their faith. Some put their faith in Christ for the first time and began a new life in Him. Others took the next step in their journey of faith and are walking closer to Him as a result. Your gift to WCRC has allowed that to happen and has had an impact on eternity. Praise God!

Author John Ortberg says, “Being rich toward God means making that which is temporary become the servant of that which is eternal.” Thanks for giving your temporal financial resources to cause an eternal change. Thanks for being rich towards God! What a wonderful investment. May the Lord richly bless you and yours in 2011.

Polar Bear Adopt-a-Highway

Well, you may have heard of the Polar Bear clubs where crazy people jump into ice-cold water for fun, but have you heard of people picking up trash in sub-freezing tempertures? That's exactly what happened here on Saturday.

As part of our Annual Association Day event we offered the Association Members the opportunity to do some service projects. There were several to choose from including wood cutting/splitting, Adopt a Highway, and brochure folding/stapling. We had a total of 15 volunteers and staff working Saturday morning and we got a lot of work done.

Barnes Rd. is looking great, we have a new pile of firewood, a stack of brochures and some staff that are very grateful.

Thanks to all who helped! You are helping provide a place to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in him.

Keep an eye on our website for more volunteer opportunities. Sign up to recieve volunteer emails by going to our website homepage and entering your email in the box.

Dreaming of a White…Winter Youth Retreat!

What could be more appropriate for the Winter Youth Retreat than snow? Well for this year’s event we had plenty. Sledding, snow man building, and snow ball fights were all part of the fun at the Winter Youth Retreat.

Our speaker was Sam Scaggs of Mt. Pleasant Mennonite Church. Sam is the author of a book called The Dream Weaver: God’s Plan for Releasing You into Your Dreams. Sam encourages people of all ages to, “Dream God-sized dreams for His glory and change this world into a better place.” Sam took the students through the Bible looking at how God puts a vision in a person’s heart and how that dream can be challenged and refined and accomplished.

Wow! It was a great time. Some of the campers made these comments on an evaluation of the retreat:

· I’m going to try to think through my dreams and make a plan…
· I’ll make sure I don’t crush other’s dreams
· I’ll try to be more open in my relationship with Jesus and others
· I’m going to read the Bible more and just be with God more
· This retreat helped me understand forgiveness
· I’m going to follow my “God dream”
· I’m going to spend more time in worship and prayer

Our goal in the Winter Youth Retreat is to help our campers develop a strong foundation in God’s Word and encourage them to be salt and light in the world. I was really excited to hear some of the dreams mentioned. From leading worship to being a nature photographer to making movies, these campers have some very big “God-dreams.” It will be exciting to see how God uses them to change the world.

Thanks to all the counselors and staff who worked so hard to make this a great retreat. The counselors volunteered their time and served wholeheartedly. Great job!

The tentative date for our next Winter Youth Retreat is December 28-30, 2011. Keep an eye on the website and register in the fall.