Blog Posts

Filled with Joy

12/14/2017

This is our monthly camper newsletter from December. Click here to subscribe.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Have you ever felt hopeless about a situation? This verse states that God is the God of hope.

The Jews waited for hundreds of years for a Messiah. Now we wait for His return. As humans, we can lose hope when we look at the world around us, and look inside our own hearts and see so much sin and darkness. But that is not the life God calls us to.

The people in the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and wiseman, were filled with hope, joy and peace because they trusted God's promises and believed when they witnessed the coming of the Messiah.

When you sing "Joy to the World" do you just envision Jesus as a baby bringing joy to the shepherds 2,000 years ago when He was born or do you think about Him bringing joy to the world today? Jesus still brings joy to the world all year round. He will fill us with joy and peace now, 2,000 years after the first Christmas.

Say a prayer right now asking God to fill you with his joy and peace that you may overflow with hope as we head into the new year.

We Need Each Other

11/28/2017

This is our monthly camper newsletter from November. Click here to subscribe.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Have you ever wished your tongue was on the bottom of your foot? Or that your hands and ears were switched? Probably not. Our bodies are designed by God so that each part is in the place it needs to be, performing it's specific function.

If you are a Christian then you are part of the body that is the church. God has placed you where He wants you and calls you to a purpose. Each one of you has unique gifts and circumstances that allow you to contribute to God's Kingdom in a way that is different from your friends and family.

Your lungs can't digest food, but that doesn't make them less important than your stomach. In the same way, you are not more or less important than someone else because of the role you fill.

You also can't operate without other people. Just like your tongue can't do it's job without the rest of your mouth: it takes all of us, working together to accomplish God's purpose.

Dig Deeper

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. Think about what gifts you've been given and how you can use them to serve others for God's glory.

Ministry Leadership Training Program in it’s 4th summer

11/16/2017

This year was the fourth summer for our MLT program. Former camp staff member, Adam Roberts, and his wife, Ashley, came to lead our MLT campers for two weeks. At MLT they learn about different leadership styles, what servant leadership looks like and work with our campers and counselors to see leadership in action. Here are some quotes from our MLT campers when asked what they learned: “The importance of discipleship and how to share the gospel.” “Unforgiveness can be poison and being leader doesn’t just mean being in charge.” “Jesus loves me…no matter what.” Here are some of the ways the MLT program has impacted these campers: “I think I will be able to apply a lot of the things I learned. I’ve been challenged to be in the word more and to find a mentor.” “I have a deeper understanding of why I need to study the Bible and fill myself up.” “I feel I can help out and ask to help more in youth group in leadership.”

Camp is not just important for the camper’s spiritual growth!

11/16/2017

Since 2012, Andrew has served here as a volunteer, lifeguard, head lifeguard, senior counselor, support staff coordinator and he currently works in the kitchen and runs activities for groups. He writes, “Attending summer camps and then working at WCRC over the years has helped shape who I am and my spiritual walk. Getting to know a number of staff members and campers has created an accountability network that motivates me to grow in my faith. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to be able to pour into campers and watch them grow during and outside of camp. One week I had a kid in my cabin break his arm. I remember running back to my cabin to update his friends. They all immediately asked if we could pray together and we were all able to turn to God in that moment and grow together. Although that event was unfortunate, it reminded me that working at camp and being able to watch and participate in moments of prayer like that is a huge blessing.”

Andrew (second on the left) participating in the camp skit with other staff members this past summer.

Our Most Significant Ministry Opportunity

11/10/2017

Renee began attending Kaleidoscope Camp in 2008. In 2014, she went through our Ministry Leadership Training program and she has since served on our summer camp staff for 3 summers.

Her mother, Laurin, sent me the following:

I am so grateful that [Renee] has had this ministry opportunity in her teen years because it has given her both a vision and passion for ministry as well as equipping her for it! I have been overwhelmed with joy in seeing what it has produced in her. In serving younger children and youth, she has developed a desire to see young people come to Christ and to grow to spiritual maturity. She was amazed to watch God use her to connect with these young people with varying life situations and see how leading them through God's Word and His principles could have such a transforming impact on them. She also learned the need and power of prayer as she had to rely on God for helping her through some tough conversations.
This year, she has been chosen by her college to be a Life Group leader on a freshmen hall where she is in charge of overseeing 30 girls…which requires leadership qualities I believe she received from being in the role of counselor at WCRC. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity for her and am thankful to God and WCRC for the impact it has had on my daughter!

More and more we are seeing that our counselors and other camp staff are not only our greatest asset; they are the most significant ministry opportunity we have.

Through giving to WCRC, you can encourage and equip
today’s young people to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Please consider taking part in this ministry with us today. Donate online, or view our wish list to see specific projects we are working on. Learn more about supporting our ministry to our summer staff here.

Thank You!

Quick to hear, slow to speak

10/26/2017

This is our monthly camper newsletter from October. Click here to subscribe.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20

We live in a world where many people are quick to speak in anger and don't want to listen. That's the opposite of what this verse says. Can you think of a conversation you've had in the last few days where you got angry without ever listening to the other person's view? Or you heard someone talking but were not really listening to what they were saying because you were thinking of what you would say next?

I'm sure we've all had circumstances where we've said something when we were angry that we regretted later because we were too quick to speak and didn't think through our angry words.

How can you be a better listener and slower to jump in with your opinion today?

Kaleidoscope Camp 2017

8/29/2017

Here we are at the end of the 2017 summer season!

We had 310 campers, 6 Ministry & Leadership Training campers, and 54 Family Camp participants! We also had 81 groups stay on grounds during the course of the summer camp season. It was a busy summer of ministry!

11 campers gave their lives to Christ for the first time this summer! About 35 campers recommitted their lives to the Lord. Here are some of the other commitments campers wrote on their evaluations:

Be nicer to brothers.
To read my Bible more often.
I promised God that I would try not to stay mad.
Shut off electronics.
I’m going to focus on serving others and putting God first.
To speak to the Lord more – specifically not only in times of need, but also in times of joy. I want others to see God when they see me and I want to open my heart to the change God is bringing into my life.
I commit to sharing as well as receiving the grace of God.

Our theme this year was “The Journey.” Through the camp speakers and cabin devotions, campers learned about how they can follow God along His path in the journey of life. Here are some of the answers to the question “What was the most important thing you learned?”

That life has many obstacles, but through Jesus Christ I will be fine.
The Holy Spirit is here to strengthen us.
Jesus is always with us in the ups and downs.
That God has a plan for your life.
Don’t judge bullies, they may have a hard life.
That God looks on the inside, not the outside.
Everybody makes mistakes (even Josh Brown.)
That God invited us to walk with Him on a journey.
How important sharing the gospel is.
That we all sin and that separates us from God, but when you ask for forgiveness your gap is filled.
That God will never walk away.
Not to worry and to let God have complete control over your life.
To confess and ask for forgiveness.
That you are never alone because the Holy Spirit is in you.

We also asked the campers for any prayer requests before they left. Here are some of the things campers mentioned:

That we will find a church.
My dad’s job.
I miss my grandma.
The first day of middle school.
My dad and his girlfriend to stop fighting.
Pray for mom who is going to the hospital.
My friends who are non-Christians.
Knowing what to say when people ask questions about my faith.
My grandparents.
A stronger passion for God’s truth and avoiding temptations.
My uncle is agnostic and having a hard time.
My friend with an addiction.
A close family member who is struggling with cancer.
Humility, the power to listen to God’s will for my life and submit to His authority.
I pray for a better understanding of the Holy Spirit.

Please be in prayer for these requests and all our campers, their families and our staff as they head into a new school year. Pray that as they face challenges and come down off the ‘spiritual high’ they may have experienced at camp, they would know that God is with them all the time and He will give them the strength to live their lives for Him!

Do Not Worry

7/26/2017

This is our monthly camper newsletter from July. Click here to subscribe.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Luke 12:22-23

Do you ever worry about material things? I think we can all step back and agree that we shouldn't waste time worrying about things like having the latest technology, a brand new car, or designer clothes. But food or clothes in general? Those are necessities right? Maybe it's ok to worry about those things. But our verse today from Luke says otherwise. Even something as important to our survival as food isn't something worth worrying over.

God knows our needs, and we can trust Him to take care of us. Easier said than done though right?

Pray that God would show you areas in your life where you're not trusting Him as you should.

Dig Deeper

Read Luke 12:22-34 to read this verse in context. How can you apply these truths to your life?

The Journey

6/29/2017

This is our monthly camper newsletter from June. Click here to subscribe.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

This summer, our camp theme is "The Journey: Walking with Christ." We're exploring what it means to walk through life with Christ, following his path for you.

As our verse today says, living life apart from Jesus is a life of darkness, a path to destruction. But those who walk with God will have the light of life! We want all our campers to be walking alongside Jesus on the light path of life.

Can you please pray for all our campers this summer? Pray that they would learn about how they can walk with Jesus.

Dig Deeper

If you're coming to camp later this summer, take some time before arriving to think about where God has brought you thus far on your life journey. What challenges has he carried you through? What joys has he brought your way?

Outdoor Area Updates

6/9/2017

Jared Teeter completed an Eagle Project here over the winter installing benches to create a prayer trail along some of our existing trails. There is a guide booklet in the office which will guide you through some Psalms and prayer prompts at each station on the trail.

We had a new ropes element installed for summer camp using grant money from the Mission Endowment Fund. It’s called “Leap of Faith.” Harnessed participants climb to a platform and jump off attempting to catch hold of a trapeze. We’re excited to have our staff trained and begin using this activity this summer! View pictures of staff trying it out here!

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9275 Barnes Road
Toano, Virginia 23168
757 566-2256
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