Dear Partner,
My wife and I drove by a building in Southgate we see regularly but rarely think about. For some reason last night when we saw it, we started talking about how years ago our church had looked into purchasing the facility. Some of the pastors had done a walk through, the deacons had been to visit, and serious discussion was given to making the purchase. It would have been a huge upgrade for our church.
There was a small group of 20 people that rented the place monthly but they didn't own it and had never made any attempts to purchase it previously. We began making plans to purchase the property, but before we could get much traction, a person from the group that rented there bought the place himself. That was a short-lived dream that was disappointing at the time, but 15 years later we can see the bigger picture of how something negative turned into something far better for our church in the property we currently have.
Yesterday, a verse was used in a sermon that connected that disappointment with scripture, Proverbs 19:21 "We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails."
As I mentioned last month, the group that voted in the Southern Baptist denomination decided to not sell Bambi Lake to HYC. Since I was approached by the SBC and asked by them if we'd be willing to purchase Bambi Lake, this came as a considerable surprise when we said yes and then they said no.
This was primarily due to the fact a small group of individuals showed up at the meeting to vote no to the sale despite the majority of pastors, leadership from Bambi and the board of the SBC all wanting to sell the conference grounds to HYC. (There is so much irony here that I won't touch but if you were just on the outside looking in and not involved in the situation it would be humorous.)
While I'm disappointed, it's not the first time in 60 plus years of ministry that a small group has blocked the plans or the direction of HYC. Proverbs 19:21 was true 15 years ago when my church wanted to purchase a really nice building in Southgate, and it's true today.
Obviously, the question then is "what does HYC do now?" As I consider that question I'm led to lean on the following points.
1. Over 20 kids were saved last summer.
2. 70 kids from downtown Flint came and had life changing experiences, and we averaged over 60 kids per week.
3. The last week of teen camp we had an overflow crowd of young people with one evening service being one of the most exciting meetings I've ever been a part of- and I've been a part of a few.
4. People continue to give generously to HYC and I'm puzzled by that. This past November alone God led people to give large donations to HYC and I don't think He would do that if He didn't have a future for us.
5. There is a core group of staff who are more resilient than Sylvester Stallone facing Clubber Lang in Rocky III. They keep getting knocked down with disappointments and they keep getting back up and saying "okay, we can't do that now but we CAN do....."
6. We have opportunity to use the facilities at Bambi Lake for a little over a month this coming summer to continue HYC's ministry another year.
7. I hate quitting. There have been times when this has been a huge problem. Had I quit in some cases sooner rather than later I would have saved money, time, physical health and more. In this case, I'm not sure it's a bad thing. Time will tell. For now, I'll continue to brainstorm options and try to make plans, resting in the fact that ultimately God's purpose prevails.
So, the answer then for me would be "go until God says no". To do just that let me ask for your help in the following areas.
Last year we had close to 60 kids that came, a majority from the Upper Peninsula, paying only $100. Your year-end giving will help continue to make those camper scholarships possible. Also, if you'd like to make an early gift set aside for the future, permanent home of HYC, we will be looking for property before the end of the month to begin that process.
Grateful for what God has done the past 60 years and looking forward to what God has in store in 2024. Praying that you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
Sincerely,
Craig