The conference will begin with registration on September 29 at 6 p.m. and will conclude by 3 p.m. on October 1. Additional information will be made available to registrants or you can contact me with any questions. In the past, we have held workshops on Legal Issues, Fundraising, Choosing an Evangelist, the History of the Camp Meeting, Missions Programs, Board Development, and many other topics. These topics and the areas of discussion are highly customized to the needs and challenges the leaders in the room are facing in their camps. We gather simply to help each other advance the kingdom work through camp meetings.

Please consider joining us. You can register by calling Kristina Gleason at World Gospel Mission at 765-671-7223 or by e-mailing her at kristina.gleason@wgm.org. Lodging is available at the Abbott Center on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask if lodging is available when you call, or Kristina can also direct you to other lodging options within a few miles.

ACCLIMATION PHASE
        Every leader goes through a learning curve, gurus estimate it at 6-12 months for many leadership positions. During that time frame leaders are learning the organizational culture and evaluating systems against goals and mission for the first time. This is often called the “honeymoon” period.

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE
        After this period of acclimation the leader begins a implementation phase, changing the systems and if necessary parts of the corporate climate. During this phase a leader may be in a sense irreplaceable, they are uniquely qualified and positioned to move the organization forward according to their findings during the initial or honeymoon phase. This phase may last 6-24 months depending on the organizational cycles. For instance a camp meeting may be at the longer end of that cycle because it holds annual events which are the primary activity of an organization, a church or restaurant which have daily or weekly gut-checks would be on the shorter end of the cycle.

DEVELOPMENT PHASE
        After a leader is able to implement the greater part of their vision there is an opportunity to focus on developing other leaders and allowing their expertise, ideas and gifts to augment the mission of the organization. Some leaders are, for various reasons, ineffective in this phase due to a need to be “irreplaceable”. While the insecure leader may thing that sharing the vision, encouraging input and developing other leaders may create an opportunity for a rising star to outshine them, the opposite is more often the case.
        A leader who fails to share the vision and develop leaders will most likely stunt the growth of the organization and soon place their position in peril as top talent migrates to other opportunities and new ideas are underemployed, affecting the mission and effectiveness of the organization as a whole.

        The bottom line is everyone want to be wanted, however seeing to be an irreplaceable leader can backfire and hurt your long term effectiveness. Leaders must seek to cultivate new leaders to enhance the mission of their organizations while simultaneously seeking new areas of opportunity for themselves within and outside of their present organizations.

Are you an irreplaceable leader? Why or why not?

What are you doing to cultivate other leaders and encourage them to build their direct reports?

Are you looking for new opportunities and creating new opportunities for others?

Another summer of camp meetings is quickly coming to a close and people are looking toward their fall-winter schedules. In states like Ohio and others kids are already or will be back in school this coming week.

I would imagine you have had a few hours to think about what worked great and what didn’t this summer. Some programs need to change, buildings need a little TLC and so many other opportunities exist to present the gospel in an authentic, attractive way.

Now is the time to make that thank you phone call to the people who gave sacrificially or even better yet, a hand written note. In this world of emails, cell phones and facebook the importance of a well written thank you note has not diminished, in fact I believe its impact has increased. When I get a note it stays on my desk for weeks, even months. Long after emails have been archived or deleted.

It is also a great time to recruit people to assist you in your projects and objectives for the camp, the things you need to get done this fall and winter so things will run smoothly this summer. Take a little time over the next couple of weeks to put that plan for camp improvement in writing and begin to prayerfully put names and ideas next to those projects. Now is the time to recruit some help so you will not get caught flat footed when the camp opens.

Thank you for your commitment to serve the Lord through camp meetings. We stand at a unique position in history to offer the world and the church herself a message of renewal and hope. I hope you will consider joining us in Marion next month for a time of personal renewal and preparation.

The topic of the retreat was prayer and I encourage you to consider ordering the audio or video recordings of the conference from the FAS website. Before you think this is a shameless plug I want to tell you a couple of reasons why I think it is worth the investment.

– Prayer as we know is the lifeblood of our organizations. No prayer, no campmeeting. Paul Blair, Al and Beth Coppedge brought powerful messages on prayer.

- Harold Burgess, one of the founders of FAS and one of my favorite seminary professors brought a message on several people who impacted his life and used a powerful illustration at the end of his message that you can use this summer or at a board meeting to build your camp family in faith. You may be familiar with Dr. Burgess’ testimony of his experiences growing up at Brown City Camp, participants at last years’ conference were given a copy. I have listened to mine several times since – what an encouragement to those of us invested in camp meetings!

- Ron Smith, former President of Wesley Biblical Seminary gave a seminal address on the intellectual climate that we find ourselves and what the church (campmeetings) have to offer a world that is fleeing the pews at an alarming rate. In the past 30 hours I have been behind the wheel 22 hours (North Carolina to Ohio and back to New Jersey) and his insight has carried me prayerfully and hopefully across those miles. We have a message that can change the world as potently today as it has over the past two centuries of camp meetings in the United States.

- Dr. Kinlaw gave a message that touches the heart of the faith and is also a worthy investment of time and merits your attention.

We are looking forward to a great gathering in Marion in a few short weeks. If you have yet to make your arrangements please do so. WGM is ready to welcome us and we appreciate their hospitality and work to uplift the work of the camp meeting.

Rev. James Schroeder, Esq. Erma Camp Meeting

Camp Dates: JULY 21 – 31, 2011
1958 COUNTY HIGHWAY 51 TORONTO, OHIO 43964

Camp Phone: 740-544-5015
Camp Website: hollowrockcamp.org

Speakers:
DR. NELSON PERDUE
DR. WILLIAM URY
REV. MICHAEL ADAMS

Musicians: REV. BROCK BARNHOUSE

MISSIONARIES FROM WGM AND OMS

YOUTH – REV. JON TRUEX

CHILDREN – WENDY HANKS & STEPHANIE SCHELLIN

THIS WILL BE THE 193RD ENCAMPMENT

June 21-26, 2011

605 Barber Werner Road, Mendon, OH 45862

Camp Phone: 419 234 8307
Camp Website: biblemethodist.org
Camp E-Mail: gcsams@biblemethodist.org

Speakers: Rev. Rick Hutchinson, Rev. Sidney Grant & Rev. Troy Truitt

July 5-10, 2011
521 Hwy 304 Calera, Alabama 35040
Camp Phone: 205-668-1168

www.rollinghillscamp.org

alasouthnaz@yahoo.com

Speakers: Dr. Chuck Millhuff & Mr. Dan Bohi
Musicians: The New Beaty Trio
Other Workers: Childrens Workers: The Eby’s

OMS has recently undertaken a rebranding of their organization and is now known as One Mission Society.

Mr. Long has been the President of OMS since 2004 and it will be a privilege to have him speak to the gathering.

For more information about OMS and what they have been up to over the past few months log on to their website at OMS Intl.

The conference will begin with registration on September 29 at 6 p.m. and will conclude by 3 p.m. on October 1. Additional information will be made available to registrants or you can contact me with any questions. In the past, we have held workshops on Legal Issues, Fundraising, Choosing an Evangelist, the History of the Camp Meeting, Missions Programs, Board Development, and many other topics. These topics and the areas of discussion are highly customized to the needs and challenges the leaders in the room are facing in their camps. We gather simply to help each other advance the kingdom work through camp meetings.

Please consider joining us. You can register by calling Kristina Gleason at World Gospel Mission at 765-671-7223 or by e-mailing her at kristina.gleason@wgm.org. Lodging is available at the Abbott Center on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask if lodging is available when you call, or Kristina can also direct you to other lodging options within a few miles.