The 2016-17 president’s report, as shared by the Rev. Stephen Smith on July 29, 2017, at the God’s Holiness Grove Camp Meeting business meeting:
We are so grateful for the way God has met with us this week at our 98th annual God’s Holiness Grove Camp Meeting; we have been blessed through the anointed worship, led by Rev. Ryan Brosious and his team, and the spoken word, clearly and effectively communicated by Rev. Stephen Wilson. We have truly been challenged and inspired to a vital relationship with our Lord!
It is hard to believe that we are only a few years away from our centennial anniversary. We will be celebrating 100 years of ministry in the year 2019 and to that end, we have commissioned a team, chaired by Dr. David Babb, to organize the week’s activities as we recall the legacy of our first 100 years and plan towards the next chapters of our storied existence. As we rapidly approach our 100th birthday, we are encouraged by our corporation’s continuing evolution as we strive to retain our core values and commitments while adjusting to the realities of a rapidly changing world.
Rev. Wilson spoke this week about routine… and how as we age we value routine; but he went on to remind us that sometimes God works in a new way… a way that might initially strike us as strange, or at least, unfamiliar. Navigating the challenges of today to reach a preferred, if unfamiliar, future is a very real struggle. Lord, where do we go from here? How will you provide? Will we have the courage to follow your leading? Ah… the concept of following. Rev. Wilson also spoke on the difference between believing and following. Jesus didn’t call people to believe, but to follow. May we be sensitive to His Spirit’s leading as we seek to enter into our second century of ministry!
This past fiscal year, our investment yielded a better return than in the past few years. This, coupled with increased donations and careful budgetary planning, enabled the corporation to meet our numerous and varied obligations. The grounds are seeing increased activity as we continue to have new organizations connecting with us about renting the grounds for a wide array of activities and for this we are truly thankful. There is a lot going on with our corporation that isn’t always seen or understood unless you are on the grounds or connected to someone in leadership.
Speaking of activity on the grounds, our annual Heritage Banquet became a Heritage Weekend and was moved to the grounds of the camp. A special thanks to Rev. Tim and Moira Moore for coordinating the weekend’s events. We had a wonderful weekend of food, fellowship and FUN and raised more money for the camp than we had in previous years. Kenneth and Peggy Lenig have agreed to organize this year’s Heritage Days Weekend on Friday, September 29th and Saturday, September 30th.
Additionally, many hours of labor and generous funds were gifted to support a significant upgrade to Pickett Hall. There will be an additional upcoming Chicken BBQ fundraiser on Saturday, August 12th to assist in raising the necessary funds to heat and cool the hall. This, of course, will yield an additional usable space year ‘round. There have also been numerous improvements to the grounds to enhance our family camping experience. The work continues, even as we consider how to finance larger improvements and new construction, such as a new septic system to accommodate cabins.
Friends and members of the corporation have donated their time, labor, and materials and our contracted workers have gone above and beyond expectations. Your love for and commitment to our corporation has not gone unnoticed and we are truly grateful. I would also like to thank all of the many folks who make our annual camp meeting successful. We couldn’t do it without you!
I would like to see communication between CPWCCC and our membership continue to improve. We are thrilled with our new website and the regular and meaningful updates that are posted by John Zaktansky. Please thank him for his excellent work on our behalf. Additionally, we have a CPWCCC Facebook page. We invite you to join the group. Streamlining communication remains a priority for us going forward and to that end, if you have an e-mail account but are not currently on our e-mail list, please give your e-mail contact information to Lisa Jo Smith.
We are striving to effectively and creatively utilize what we have while continuing to dream of what may yet be. I want to thank you for the privilege of serving in this office for the past five years. I was elected to serve another three (3) year term last summer and I appreciate your trust in me and your love and support of the camp I pray that I have represented you well. I want to thank everyone who has served on our board of directors and our many volunteers and committee members. I especially want to acknowledge Rev. Paul Sheets and Mrs. Elouise Garver – they are completing their terms of service on the Board of Directors and will not be seeking re-election to the BOD. The corporation membership applauds their years of faithful service on our leadership team. A special thanks to Lisa Jo Smith, our campground coordinator – I don’t know what we would do without you. – to Bob Smith, our CFO who continues to balance our books and keep us between the proverbial lines financially, and our maintenance coordinator, Gary Raker, who always works hard to assure that things are functional and attractive. You serve us well and we are certainly appreciative of your many efforts on our behalf.
Lest I forget. I want to thank my wife, Michelle, and my children for their unconditional love and support. Michelle spends countless hours listening to me and providing essential feedback – she corrects me sometimes, puts up with my ‘rants’ sometimes, but inspires me always!
May God bless our membership and may we work side by side to accomplish His purposes though this campground; may we labor with no regrets, may we serve Him faithfully in the present, and may we have the courage to embrace the future He has in store for us – to God be the glory.
Respectfully submitted,
Rev. Stephen R. Smith
President, Board of Directors