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Goings On
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Info Saint Peter Presbyterian Church
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2008 Dates: January 20-23, 2008For information on how to be invited to Pastors Camp, Reviews
The ghosts of infomercials past are haunting me. I can think of nowhere to begin, cliché though it might be, but with the bad news. I was a church planter, but it was drought season. Within the space of two months, without even a split to be righteously indignant over, we lost five of our thirteen families. A year after that, three more left. As a Calvinist I was tempted to be a charismatic, thinking perhaps God was speaking to me through His sovereignty over history. Was He saying to me, "R.C., stop trying to be a pastor."? I did not read a Tony Robbins book. Nor did I read a Peter Wagner book. Nothing really changed in my understanding of the church, of the ministry, of my calling.
But circumstances changed. We are still anything but a mega-church. But we have been blessed. In the last six years we have not only grown fivefold in size, but dozens of families have packed up and moved to be a part of our church. We have enjoyed love, joy, peace, patience, indeed a cornucopia of spiritual fruit in our church. We have planted a church several states away, helped with others around the country, and have started two daughter parishes. While God has blessed us in a mighty way, we know that His long term plan for the building of His kingdom isn't, "Everybody move to Bristol." That is why we are planting churches, why we are training men for the ministry, and why we started Pastors Camp. At the Highlands Study Center, one of our mottos is "Education is conversation." Whether through our Basement Tapes, or one of our Couples Camps, or with our resident students, we believe that change happens small, in personal, face-to-face conversations. That is why we invite ten elders to join us for three days of conversation, a pastor's camp so to speak, on The Beauty of the Bride. Our ideal would be for each congregation to send two elders, so that we can better multiply our efforts.
We ask all our "campers" to arrive Saturday evening of camp. We put them up at a local hotel, and then invite them to worship with us the following Lord's Day. After worship we caravan up to Hungry Mother State Park, where we reserve a log lodge for our meetings and for housing. Sunday we visit together informally, feasting before the Lord. Monday we meet together five times for formal meetings, while yet enjoying meals together and conversation. Tuesday we meet five more times. Wednesday we check out, and send our campers on their way back to their congregations.
Our speakers in 2006 included Reverend Mark Dewey, of Christ the King Presbyterian in New Era, Michigan, Reverend Laurence Windham, pastor at Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, and Reverend R.C. Sproul Jr., also known as the present writer. The cost for camp is $200 per person. If this is a hardship for your church, please let us know as we often have a limited number of scholarships available. (Likewise, if you'd like to sponsor a pastor at the next Pastors Camp, please let us know.) Pastors Camp is by invitation only. To request an invitation to a future camp, please call or email us. Read what some of our alumni have said about their trips to camp. [Read more...] |
