Camping Season! Round 1

It is surprising the things I get myself into when you say ‘Yes.’  Back in 2008 I was asked if I would help with the Youth for Christ (YFC) Lebanon summer camp, and I said ‘Yes.’  Since then I have volunteered each summer I’ve been available and enjoyed being part of a dynamic ministry doing excellent work.  Due to a number of circumstances this year, including expansion of camps and a birth in the National Director’s family, the senior camp was in need of a camp director.  I was approached about taking on the role.  In weighing the decision it was clear to me that I did not have the time, the creativity, and certainly not the experience to qualify me to direct.  Yet the need was there and someone believed in me, so I said ‘Yes.’  That was months ago, and since then I had a nervous feeling in my gut about planning and implementing a one-week event for many dozens of 15-19 year olds.  As it turns out, I need not have worried.

 

I knew from the start that there was a great team assembled to run this camp but they still managed to surprise me.  Many of them are friends and people I have served with before.   Others came with high report and praise.  As the planning stages proceeded I saw many individuals take initiative to assure that all the bases were covered.  I was hardly needed at all as people applied their creativity and crafted their portions of the camp.  When it came to camp week I simply found myself playing the role of conductor; I waived my hands and kept time as everyone executed their designed parts.  There were a few times when we needed a quick executive decision, yet even then it was a team effort that contributed to the outcome.  Overall I had people at all levels, from campers to helpers to leaders, doing their part and making my job as director as trouble-free as can be expected.

In the end it was a blessed time.  We were a total of 75 people, six days, and 0 hitches.  It was a week filled with fun and friendship, honesty and challenge, and life-changing decisions.  All of us involved were ministered to in some way or form as God revealed greater insight of His love and the great hope of a life in Christ.  We walk away from the camp with a lot to learn and areas for improvement, but the testimonies in the lives of the campers assure us that God was King of this camp and His grace is rich.

I’ll get another chance to lead a camp in August for the teens of our church and sister churches.  This time I’ll have Ruth with me as co-director, which automatically makes everything better for everyone!  I look forward to experiencing more of God’s faithfulness demonstrated in summer camp ministries.  It’s wonderful to have these opportunities to be part of the special things God is doing in Lebanon.  Experiences like these make me want to keep saying ‘Yes!”

Where have you been, Brent?

“Where have you been, Brent?”  That’s the question I heard frequently these past three weeks during the few moments I found myself at Dar El Awlad.  Starting in the middle of June I was daily occupied with activities at the nearby Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS).  For one week I attended the Middle East Consultation organized by the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES), an annual conference gathers people from the region and world to explore faith topics relevant to the Middle East today.  This year’s consultation examined the topic discipleship in a way that raised questions, stimulated discussion challenged conventions, and inspired hope in the incredible ways Christ is revealing Himself across this region.  Visit this IMES blog post to hear more about this year’s conference.

Following the conference I immediately jumped into my fourth and final graduate school two-week residency with MRel.  During this course we have studied the important topic of Middle East and North African Christianity.  The Middle East is the birthplace not just of Christ but the global phenomena of Christianity.  Much to the surprise of many outsiders, the Church in the region has maintained a 2,000 year presence through the perseverance of the in ancient Eastern Churches.  The story of Christianity in the Middle East is one of faithfulness to Christ in the midst of incredible challenges, both from within and from without.  During the two-week residency we met with leaders from numerous traditions, discussed the dynamic narrative of Eastern Christianity, and visited monasteries, holy sites, and churches of different kinds.  Throughout the time we explored the rich traditions of Eastern Christianity and asked how we in the 21^st century can work in wisdom, humility and service to see God’s people united in faith. 

These three weeks have flooded me with so much information and experience; my heart and mind are in overdrive trying to process it all.  Both events, the consultation and the residency, have raised big questions about what it means to be the Church, what it means to be Christian, and what it means to follow Christ.  These are questions that many in the Middle East are wrestling with in a new way, and it was extremely worthwhile to consider these matters seriously.  Though the study took me physically away from DEA, it was very much relevant to what we are trying to do in this ministry.  We are part of a much bigger story here.  God has done amazing things in this region and He continues to do so. What an honor it is to be here and see mere glimpses of what is happening in God’s Kingdom.  Trust me, it is far more than any of us can understand.

Examining manuscripts at a Greek Catholic monastery.  One of these pieces is 700 year old.  Another is the first ever gospel printed in Arabic.

A Rum Orthodox monastery in the North of Lebanon

A Maronite monastery built into the mountainside.

Monk's quarters.

A cave now used as a chapel at the monastery where we spent an evening.  Caves in the mountains provided sanctuary for the Christian tradition during times of intense persecution.