Report of
Pinebrook Bible Conference
I will open my mouth in a parable . . .
things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.
Psalm 78:2-4 (ESV)
Everybody loves a good story. From early childhood nursery rhymes to tomes reserved for pool-side during vacation we love to read and hear stories. This is why television and movies are so popular. And the genius of both is that the story can be told in a relative short period of time – disaster, resolution, case solved, everyone lives happily-ever-after – all in 60-minutes minus way too many commercials.
The greatest story book of all time is the Bible. It is chocked-full of historical events and parables that can be told to the youngest of children (i.e. Adam & Eve, baby Moses in the bulrushes, baby Jesus born in a stable) and confounds the best educated (redemption). When it comes to Christians, like the Psalmist notes for the Jews, our challenge is to continue to tell these inspired stories to each generation.
The unique thing about the story of redemption is that it didn’t end with the Gospel. Oh, the act of redemption did, but the stories of those coming to a realization of that redemption, our Savior dying on the cross for our sin, and the acceptance of that gift of eternal life continue everyday. These stories not only thrill, but warm the heart, and I must admit, produces a tear or two from every believer.
Pinebrook Bible Conference has an ongoing story to tell as well. Although there are many facets to the story – some good, some bad – and we will share some of these within this report, one should never lose sight of Pinebrook’s purpose and the ongoing story of redemption that takes place on these grounds week in and week out. For instance, did you hear the story of the ten Hispanic boys from our South Allentown church who “happened” to be at Pinebrook during Sno Glo this year. A scholarship gift was given to allow these inner-city youths to attend. During the break-out session after one of the keynote addresses, the Gospel was clearly presented and each one of them, all ten, made a profession of faith by prayer to Jesus Christ! I never tire of hearing these stories. Whether it’s the senior who wrote me recently about his conversion on these grounds in August of 1935 or the newborns from Sno Glo, each one is a testimony of God’s grace. Despite the challenges that confront us with and at Pinebrook, may we never lose sight of the stories of redemption and what God is doing at this place. What a tragedy it would be to lose such a place.
2010 Recap
Last year started out in the plus column. Coming off a very good 2009 campaign with good camper day numbers (a camper day equals 4-hours or more on the grounds), the prospect for the year was high. And the first half of the year proved this to be correct with a 14% increase in camper days going into June. That is when the faucet was turned off, so to speak. Although our numbers were up for the first half of the year, finances were running very close to the vest. We discovered later that this was a result of fewer deposits for upcoming retreats. In fact, summer and fall were, in our business, a disaster. Retreats canceled and many that came did so with fewer guests.
The result of this was several fold. First, it was a huge discouragement to the staff and for the plans of Pinebrook. We thought we had weathered the economic storm and were on solid ground. Wasting no time we developed the Steps to the Summit plan of renovating and adding more amenities. This came to a crashing halt before the summer ended. Secondly, we were forced to borrow money from the BFC Executive Board and one of our churches. Despite the fact that this is now the second time we’ve had to do this during my tenure, it is never easy. We are grateful for the Board of Missions, Fellowship Community, Lebanon BFC and the BFC Executive Board for their assistance over the past 7 years. Fortunately, during the “fat” time we were able to pay off several loans and decreased our indebtedness so that our present indebtedness is about the same as it was last year at this time.
One other fall-out from this situation, several part-time and one full-time staff members were let go, hours were reduced for other part-timers as well as many full-time staff members being asked to take non-paid furloughs. I appreciate the attitude of the staff. These are folks who are committed to the Lord and feel a sense of calling to be here. God has blessed them – to Him be all praise.
Again, the problem is not with the expenditure side of the budget. It is with the income. My staff has done a commendable job keeping expenses down. However, this continues to hurt us as many projects have been put on hold until money is available. Not to mention that each staff member is working harder trying to pick-up the slack from those we had to let go. For instance, since the entire cleaning-crew was laid off, the rest of the staff has to do this cleaning. Some of what we should be doing, like our jobs, is not getting done because we are making beds, dusting, cleaning bathroom and vacuuming.
Since this recent downturn mimics what happened several years ago when the recession was new and since in recent days the phone has been “ringing off the hook” requesting retreat information, we are firmly convinced that this has been tied to the economy. As the economy appears to be growing it looks like Christian groups and churches are interested in again conducting retreats. This spring and summer, other than March, look like it will be much better than 2010. It’s too early to make predictions about the fall, but if the interest that has been shown is an indicator, we believe it too will be much better. Hopefully this, along with the other things we are doing will help us dig out of the 2010 hole.
We did not lay down and roll over when all this happened. In fact, we aggressively addressed the problem by hiring a full-time marketing consultant (retreat seeker and booker), have come up with package deals and discounts, are planning some new retreats and programs of our own and, with assistance from Bob Zentz, are redeveloping our development and marketing plan.
Sometimes the financial uncertainties crowd out the ongoing redemptive stories. Yet, despite the problems, there are still many positive things that are happening. Pinebrook’s retreats (Ladies Refresh♡Her, Senior Saints); the retreats co-sponsored with the BFC (Sno Glo, Young Adult, Missions, Hispanic); Summer Family Conference; and other events all have great stories to tell. The completion of Noel’s Nook Camp Fire Arena, which was dedicated each week during the 7-weeks of Summer Conference, will be a place, should the Lord tarry, were hundreds, maybe thousands of stories will be made related to redemption and sanctification.
2011 Prequel
As noted it appears our camper day numbers will exceed last year’s numbers. We are also introducing some new things which should generate additional revenue and even more stories. Victory Mountain Mining Company Day Camp debuts in June. This is a summer program for local folks who wish to have their school-age children in a distinctively Christian and structured program during the work week. With Bible stories and teaching during the day, all sorts of activities, a hot lunch cooked over an open fire, weekly trips to various outdoor venues in the Poconos, plus great supervision, we believe this will be a fantastic program. We are grateful for Victory Valley Camp in allowing us to hire their former Day Camp Director, Dawn Schoen. It helps having someone with experience when starting a new program. We are hoping that this program and the summer conference will not intersect. Fortunately, we have plenty of property to keep the two separated.
The 7-weeks of Summer Bible Conference, with an even greater emphasis on families, and the theme: The Amazing Grace Race should be a lot of fun. We are trying to mix things up by revamping our schedule to be less “Bible Conference” driven which appears to be dying (when was the last time you went to a Bible Conference that had 2 services each morning, children’s service after lunch, youth meeting before dinner, and possibly two speakers each evening . . . Mizpah Grove may be the correct answer). We will continue to have strong Bible teaching in the morning and evening, but plan to break out of the mold by having a cook-out for the Wednesday dinner, family fun time by the pond afterwards and, instead of the typical service in the Fellowship Hall, it will be held at Noel’s Nook Camp Fire Arena (weather permitting). We are always open to suggestions as to how to make this even more family orientated.
Two new speakers are being introduced to Pinebrook – Dave Epstein (Conf. 4), pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in NYC and Andy Giessman (Conf.5), professor at BBC will join some of the regulars – Ron Blue (Conf. 2), Stanely Toussaint (Conf. 3), Donald Hubbard (Conf. 5) and Wendell Calder (Conf. 6). Coming back to Pinebrook after a lengthy absence is Dr. George Murray (Conf. 1). Sunday evening concerts feature some new and old. The outdoor concert with fireworks will take place July 3 and feature the Kings Army along with first-timers Paul Paoli Band. Charlotte Ritchie has been invited back for the second year in a row. Two Sno Glo staples, Danny Oertli, guitarist, and David Dean, comedian, will minister during the fourth and fifth conference, respectively. Mark Cable (June 26) and Don Wyrtzen (July 31) are back and one of Word of Life’s favorite, Billy Spears, wraps up the concerts on August 7.
We are very excited about the interest Pastor Bob Sloan and Sinking Spring Church has shown in Pinebrook and one of the weeks. They are making a major effort to fill Conf. 5 and plan to have a very contemporary week. We also welcome the Piscataway Church which has adopted Conf. 4. Their worship team will be leading worship. Mark Barninger and the Grantville Church will be focusing on Conf. 1. Pastor David A. Thomann is the new Host Pastor for that week.
Pinebrook should be considered an extension of your ministry. During the summer it affords an opportunity to relax with your folks, spend time with them in an informal setting, and teach them outside of the confines of church. We typically have several baptismal services from the churches during the summer. What a great story that is for someone who may have just recently been converted. And, during the rest of the year with either our retreats, those sponsored by the BFC, or your own, Pinebrook is a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and the church to work on relationship building. Our York church conducts a marriage weekend each year. Pastor Keeler has been doing this for years.
The Board Room or Meadowbrook Lounge are available for Board or Elder Meetings and retreats. The Loft at Cedar Lodge is a beautiful apartment that is available to our pastors and missionaries free-of-charge. We hope you will take advantage of this lovely facility.
Pinebrook’s Team
The list of employees and jobs are as follows: Matt Allen (Director of Food Services), Vonnie Allen (Dining Hall Manager), Jeremy Beichler (Director of Grounds & Facilities), Heather Devenezia (Registrar), Nate Heater (Maintenance), Jeremy Kellerman (Grounds, Paintball), Ann Lee (Bookstore & Office), Steve Rau (Director of Programming & Conference Host), Mike Stettler (Marketing Consultant), John Vandegriff (Director of Development & Marketing, Assistant to Director), Ruthie Vandegriff (Accounting). We also have a several part-time workers that fill in as needed.
Volunteers also help in the make-up of Pinebrook. One group of volunteers is known as RWR (Retreat within a Retreat). These are folks, often church youth groups, who come for a weekend to work in the Dining Hall, Dish Room, Snack Shop and help us clean up around the grounds and clean-up after a group leaves. What a blessing it is to the staff at Pinebrook to have these groups come. It also saves Pinebrook thousands of dollars in wages we’d have to pay to part-time workers. There are also some groups that come either during the week or on a weekend to do special projects. The WooFoJeites from our Nazareth church came twice to chop down trees and cut/split wood for the wood burner, wood stove and fire places. A special “shout out” goes to the Ruch family which continues to supply plants and flowers from the Didden Greenhouses in Hatfield, PA. Since the BFC has owned and operated Pinebrook, the Ruchs, under the direction of Nell and Russ, have spearheaded a Flower Planting Day (this year it is June 11), to plant thousands of flowers. Without them and all the other friends who volunteer Pinebrook could not function!
The Pinebrook Board of Directors continues to give leadership, counsel and advice. They are working through the new paradigm of BFC leadership. With this in mind the Board has rewritten bylaws and manuals.
Pinebrook continues to partner with East Stroudsburg Christian Academy as well as several churches, one, of which (Bethel Pocono Christian Church), holds its weekly services in the White Chapel on Sunday and Wednesday. Another group has been conducting a Tuesday evening prayer meeting.
We hope that you will support Pinebrook in the following ways: (1) Prayer; (2) Help – labor, RWRs; (3) Encouragement; (4) Financial giving.
Conclusion
I’m not sure how many volumes it would take to contain all the stories from Pinebrook. Any place that has been in existence as long as we have (78-years since founding or 43 since BFC purchased Pinebrook), with all the speakers and all the decisions, it’s almost innumerable. Of course, the praise is not in the stories, or the people of the stories, but in the God behind the stories. As we like to say around here: “All to the Glory of God”.
Wishing you Joy in Jesus
Dan Allen, Director
2011-2012 Dates of Interest (subject to change)
– Hymn Sings – April 1, May 6, June 3, Sept. 9, Oct. 7; Nov. 4, Dec. 2
– Ladies Refresh♡Her (4/8-7) Speaker: Kimberly Kirk; Theme: “The Heart Behind the Dress”
– Golf Fund Raiser (6/10)
– Flower Planting Weekend (6/10-11)
– BFC Young Adult Retreat 96/10-12)
– Summer Staff arrives (6/19)
– Summer Conference (6/26-8/12) (Sunday thru Friday morning)
– 1st Conference (6/27-7/1) Speaker – Dr. George Murray: Concert – Mark Cable; Host Pastor – David A. Thomann
– 2nd Conference (7/3-8) Speaker – Dr. Ron Blue; Concert – King’s Army & Paoli Band; Host Pastor – Brian Cooper
– 3rd Conference (7/10-15) Speaker – Dr. Stanely Toussaint; Concert – Charlotte Ritchie; Host Pastor – Bill Schlonecker
– 4th Conference (7/17-22) Speaker – Rev. David Epstein; Concert – Danny Oertli; Host Pastor – Andy Crossgrove
– 5th Conference (7/24-29) Speaker – Dr. Andy Giessman; Concert – David Dean; Host Pastor – Bob Sloan
– 6th Conference (7/31-8/5) Speaker – Dr. Donald Hubbard & Rev. John Goadsdone; Concert – Don Wyrtzen; Host Pastor – Dave Schoen
– 7th Conference (8/7-12) Speaker – Dr. Wendell Calder & Dr. Todd Magnum; Concert -Bill Spears; Host Pastor – Cal Reed
– Senior Saints Retreat (10/17-20) Speakers – Lynn Warner & Brooke Solberg
– Christmas Banquet (12/17)
– BFC SnoGlo (1st three full weekends of January 2012)
Board of Directors, Pinebrook Bible Conference, Alva C. Cassel, Chairman; Charles Cole, Vice Chairman; Charles Bomgardner, Secretary; Jay Fasnacht, Treasurer; Carl Ackerman, Jonathon W. Arnold, Sr., Wayne Chadwell, Brian H. Cooper, LeRoy O. Herb, Gary Karch, Gerald Schlonecker, Hans R. Waldvogel, Robert Zentz.
Kermit K. Gehman, Honorary Member
Daniel P. Allen, Director