In just a few weeks, another summer season of youth camp will begin at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. This summer, like many before, will be filled with opportunity for life-altering experiences for those who journey to the Arbuckle Mountains. Radical and eternity-changing decisions will be made in the lives of thousands.
The secret dynamic of Falls Creek is simple. No place on Earth will be covered with prayer more than Falls Creek. Our churches will concentrate focused times of intercession for the campers, the staff and the worship leaders. The glory of God falls not because we have better music and better speakers-it falls because we pray.
This will be our second year in the new tabernacle. This facility has proven to be one of the greatest tools for ministry anywhere. I stand in awe each time I enter it. The sights and sounds bring the truth of Scripture up close and personal. The focus of the hearers is greater than at any time in my 45-year history with Falls Creek.
We are thankful to God for the thousands who have given so that people can be so clearly engaged with the Gospel through this magnificent building. At the same time, it is easy to forget that we still have a little more than $5 million in debt that is not secured through pledges. We must not soak up the blessings and forget the responsibility to remove the debt.
I would challenge all of us to consider how we can have a part in showing our thanks for the blessing of God in this great facility. Some of you still have pledges to complete. Be faithful to fulfill your word. Many of us can sponsor a chair or give for an additional year. We should not rejoice in the wonderful structure God has given us without fulfilling our responsibility to remove the debt.
This summer will mark a new and significant blessing. Each Friday morning during the youth weeks, the International Mission Board will conduct a commissioning service at Falls Creek. My heart overflows when I consider that our young people will hear the testimonies of missionaries ready to depart for the field. They will participate in commissioning them to serve all over the world. I am convinced God will use these services to call out many for missions in the future.
One of the new structures at the Creek this summer will be the Wynn Center for World Missions and the World Missions Prayer Park. These new facilities will anchor the plaza opposite the tabernacle. People will be able to meet missionaries, go online and speak with missionaries from around the world and pray for our state, nation and world. This center for missions and prayer park will be a welcomed addition to Falls Creek, and will place the focus squarely on reaching our world for Christ.
While many are praying for missions at Falls Creek, more than 200 GO Students will be in England this summer reaching out with the love of Jesus to people from across the Muslim world. These students were at Falls Creek last summer and will now be on mission this summer.
Pray more than ever for this summer at Falls Creek. Give with renewed effort to remove the debt from the tabernacle. God will be glorified.