General Meeting Invitation
Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Camp JOY would like to welcome you to participate in our annual general board meeting. There has not been an annual meeting in many years. When Dan and Kay left the mission field for home, many of the regular traditions fell by the wayside as the camp tried to tread water and survive. We kept hoping and praying that God would send a new camp director to take over. (We all know that no one could fill the roles like the Curtis family did. But God would know who to send.) We, as a board, did not do a good job of being the stewards that were needed. And I believe God let us flounder around long enough to realize we needed to step up to get the camp in order.
A few years ago, we decided that just keeping the camp in enough repair that the summer camps would happen was not enough. The grounds and buildings had fallen into a state of disrepair. With the main buildings being over 60 years old, that process happened quickly. We have since started to tackle many of the projects that had been ignored for so long. We have made improvements to the grounds by filling much of the washed-out drain areas with dirt and grass and growing them again. We have put new wood planks on the bridge and painted it to protect it. We have repaired and improved much of the camp lighting, inside and out. We have trimmed trees. Some of the limbs had reached the ground (scary when you think that the kids used to play capture the flag under those same trees). And the list goes on…
God has seen our effort and faith that He was not only in charge but would take care of the camp. He brought Rocky, Ruth, and Grace to us. The Schmied family are no strangers to the camp. They have been involved in varying levels for many years. They decided to leave their home in Kansas to come to Oklahoma to step in at Camp JOY. This last summer, Rocky was officially named the camp director. According to Rocky, he intends to help us get the camp back in shape. This references the physical grounds as well as the surrounding support structure. Rocky’s end goal is to be able to train the next camp director, who will take over.
I digress back to the point of this letter, the annual meeting.
The annual meeting is where the general board is derived. The general board installs, by vote, the executive board in the various positions. To be part of the general board, the by-laws state that the member must pay their membership dues of $1 and:
Pledge
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Sign a pledge to support the camp with prayer, donations of time, materials, and funds, as God enables,
Counsel
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Give aid and counsel to the board of directors and make recommendations for their guidance,
Promote
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Seek opportunities to promote the cause of the organization among Christian people.
Please pray and ask God to guide you in the decision to attend the meeting. We will not coerce you into doing more than you have been led. I can promise that I will drop at least a few dad jokes. More importantly, the fellowship will be rewarding beyond measure. (If you haven’t met the Schmieds before, that alone is worth the trip!) From a camp staff stand, we would be comforted in that you not only cared enough to attend but that you were stepping up as a prayer warrior for the camp.
Grace will include all of the meeting details with this invite. I can be trusted just enough to get something wrong. We look forward to seeing you there.
Tony Ergang (acting President of the Camp JOY Executive Board)
Pay $1 membership dues at the door or pay online.