Pocono Mountain Bible Conference Spring 2016 Newsletter Not I, But Christ 2016 SUMMER STATUS FIRST TIME CAMPER FREE PROGRAM Less than 30 days = Start of Summer Camp! 88 Total campers registered [over double as many registrations at this point in the spring compared to last year] 40 NEW campers registered with a month of registration still to go! I am happy to say that PMBC is offering the First Time Camper Free Program again this summer. This is a huge program for a small camp like ours. I have heard many people question, How can you afford that? There are two answers to that questions: God and you! PMBC is God s ministry. From its conception, it has existed to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to kids. For the past 50 years, this one focus has remained. This is our goal. Not I (not our goals, our plans), but Christ (his ministry, his truth, his good news). We trust that he will provide for his ministry to his kids. God sometimes works supernaturally, but often he works through others. That means you! At PMBC, we have a fund called the Scholarship Fund. It pays the way for kids who can t afford to come to camp but who want to. We believe that finances should not be a barrier that keeps kids from coming to camp. The Scholarship Fund also funds the First Time Camper Free program, making camp almost irresistible to families who may have never taken the step to send their kids to camp. Please consider donating to the scholarship fund. Pay the way for a camper to hear the good news of Jesus Christ! The cost for one camper is $200. Would you consider paying the way for one child this summer? DONATE ONLINE TODAY! WWW.CAMPPMBC.COM/FINANCIAL-SUPPORT. *When donating online, please note which fund under special instructions
Pool Update In case you missed it in the last few newsletters, the pool has been officially completed and is open for business! Superior Pool and Spas opened the pool this month and it is ready to go. We are happy to say that we did not lose any water over the winter! While the pool is not heated, it will be much warmer this year than in the past years as we will not have to constantly fill it with ice cold spring water. LOOKING FORWARD: With what is left in the pool repair fund, we will be purchasing a new pool cover to replace the old pool cover that is riddled with holes. THANK YOU DONORS AND PRIMITIVE METHODIST INVESTMENT FOUNDATION FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN! Flooring Update Work has begun on the Woodside flooring project! We are so excited about this project and have been so grateful for the response that you have had toward this project! 7 out of the 8 Cabins have been fully sponsored and work has begun on both the Woodside hallway and lounge and flooring is now underway in several of the cabins. LOOKING FORWARD: At least 5 cabin floors will be completed by summer. While we are hiring out for some of the floors to be done, there is still a lot of need for these cabins! It s not too late to participate in this project. CURRENT NEEDS: One more cabin sponsor. Two sponsors for the two end suites. Volunteers to help paint the cabins and install new counters. Grounds Updates Maintaining the grounds at PMBC is hard work but important work. Everything we do, we do for the LORD and his ministry. Retreat groups help to keep camp open and funded in order to continue our summer ministry to kids. Well-maintained grounds help to ensure that groups return! Cutting the grass, planting flowers, and weeding are only a fraction of the work that goes into maintaining the grounds. CURRENT NEEDS: Volunteers! We need your help to keep camp looking as good is it possibly can!
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 A special thank you to our volunteers and hard workers this spring who have helped spruce up the PMBC grounds and prepare for summer! Amanda & Nate Benbow Debora & Steven Hammond Carol Blakesly Tara Williams Boy Scout Group Join us in working for the LORD! Become a volunteer today. Call 570-842-9746 or email us at director@camppmbc.com.
JOIN US THIS SUMMER. Here s how ATTEND Attend a Sunday night service this summer. They begin at 6:30pm and it is a great way for you to show your support of camp. Music and a speaker are scheduled each Sunday night during camp season and refreshments are available in the dining hall following the service. Tell us ahead of time and give your testimony to the campers and guests. A collection is taken for PMBC at each service to help the ministry continue. The Sunday night schedule will be posted soon! Look on our Facebook page or our website. DONATE Any donations you can provide PMBC helps to reduce costs. Paper towels, napkins, and tissues Septic safe toilet paper Coffee Toilet bowl cleaner Magic erasers Lysol disinfectant spray and air freshener spray Glad plug-in refills Laundry detergent Carpet spot remover Resolve spray n wash stain fighters Lysol Wipes Food safety service gloves Duct tape Lawn Care Supplies (weed killer, seed, fertilizer) 3 inch chlorine tablets 60 gallon trash bags and 15 gallon trash bags Large lighters (barbeque style) Sterno Heaters Index cards Candy for the summer (individually packaged) Gift cards to Sam s Club, Home Depot, Ace, Lowes, or Walmart Smaller size dodgeballs White rectangular folding tables For more ideas on what to donate, visit our website at www.camppmbc.com/support-us and click on Material Support. PARTICIPATE Each Thursday evening we hold either a carnival or a coffeehouse. We d love to have you participate! Here are some creative ways! CARNIVAL COFFEEHOUSE PRAY Dress up as a clown Man a booth Do balloon animals Face paint Bring an animal for a petting zoo Stilts? Anyone? Come up with your own creative idea! Rent a bounce house Bring a talent to perform Bring food or drink to make the coffeehouse more enjoyable for the kids Do you have a family favorite hot beverage or cold smoothie recipe? Bring it along and share with the kids. We need your prayers! Visit our website at www.camppmbc.com/support-us and click on How can I pray for PMBC for specific areas in which we are asking for prayer. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT way you can participate in the ministry at PMBC. Pray that God is the one working in this ministry this summer, not us, not the staff, not the volunteers. Ask that all those involved in the ministry become empty and ready vessels, ready to be used by God to share his good news to these kids. Pray that God would send the kids to camp who need to hear about him and prepare their hearts.
Stay Tuned Exciting things are happening at PMBC! Stay up to date by liking our Facebook page and signing up to receive the newsletter. Visit our website at www.camppmbc.com for more information on our programs and updates on our facility. Thank you for your support! If you are interested in financially supporting a project at camp, consider some of our upcoming projects! Our next project we will be tackling is fixing up the cottage on the property obtained next to PMBC. This will be an exciting project you won t want to miss! Next on the list to fix up will be the two Pastor s cottages and the shower house. Look forward to details on these projects in the future! Word from the Director As of writing this, we are only 2 weeks away from staff training week and 3 weeks away from the first week of camp. It is unbelievable that Mallary and I are heading into our second summer of serving at PMBC. We are very excited about what this summer holds for the campers, the staff, the churches, and the camp itself. Three of the biggest things that have us excited for this summer and the rest of this year involve the abundant support we received from donors, workers, and prayer partners with the ministry. It is through your faithfulness that we are able to move into the summer with a renovated pool, renovated cabins, and a continuation of the "First Time Campers Camp For Free" program. We would NOT be able to accomplish these things if it were not for your willingness to serve God in His ministry at PMBC with your time, prayers, and finances. Our overarching theme for this summer is, "Walk: Keep In Step With the Spirit". Last year we focused the kids on being unashamed of the Gospel, prepared to share the Gospel with boldness and readiness, and being transformed in mind through Christ. This year we want them to take what they learned and put it into practice, to live that transformed life in the way they carry themselves (and wherever they carry themselves). We are a body, the body of Christ, and we want the campers to understand the importance of being the hands and feet of that body by glorifying Christ with their actions, their lives. Your example of faithfulness to the ministry with your physical, spiritual, and financial blessings is a great way to show these children what it means to walk in the faith. It shows them that there is more than knowledge in our relationship with Christ; we must put that knowledge into practice through our actions as the Spirit leads. Thank you to all our supporters for seeking to keep in step with the Spirit and follow His leading through your support of this ministry.