It was no ordinary conversation. Beth had been wrestling with a decision that would have true eternal rewards. Sitting in a gazebo with her small group, they had their Bibles open, and they were discussing what it means to surrender themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
During that class God had laid something on Beth’s heart. She was wrestling with the decision to be baptized and was questioning all that she had learned up to that point.
Recognizing the moment, Beth declared, “I want to make Jesus my Lord and Savior and be baptized!” When asked why, she responded confidently, “Because the Bible says so.”
Oil Belt’s our number one core value is, “Commit to Strong Biblical Teaching”. It is a priority because Jesus commissions Christians to “go and make disciples”. That is what drives Oil Belt Christian Service Camp to accomplish the mission statement of, “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ Through the Teaching of God’s Word”.
When she heard the Biblical lesson – simple and powerful -- Beth had no hesitation to follow God’s plan for her life. God’s word had been taught in a way that made His plan clear -- salvation through Jesus!
We want every person who attends an event, a retreat, or a week of camp to encounter Jesus through a transformational conversation. Often those conversations occur in one of many shelters or gazebos. That is intentional.
You can see it in our logo – glance at it above. The hexagon shape represents the gazebos and our commitment to biblical teaching and small group community, which lead to transformational conversations.
I would guess that if you attended camp, you experienced strong biblical teaching and small group community – and likely transformational conversations that may well have happened in one of our shelters or gazebos!
The gazebos have been around for 20 years, and the shelters a lot longer than that. In fact, many of the shelters have been refurbished twice. One shelter has a camper signature dating back to 1978!
Beth, and many more like her, have given their lives to Jesus after powerful, life-changing conversations in our shelters and gazebos.
To make sure those transformational conversations continue in 2025, we have prioritized getting the shelters and gazebos into excellent shape this Spring.
Specifically, we’ve targeted two shelters where the roofs have large holes and three gazebos needing total roof replacements.
Would you help me get these five vital structures repaired as an investment in the 2,000 or so campers headed our way this year?
You can help in two ways.
First, through your work of service. Oil Belt is abundantly blessed with volunteers. I’ll always remember last summer when the tornado ripped through campus leaving acres of destruction. Within a few hours of daylight more than 30 volunteers appeared and cleaned up the mess before students arrived later that week!
The work of volunteers cannot be overstated – if you have a heart for service work and want to organize a team to fix a shelter or gazebo roof – this is for you!
Second, through a generous financial gift. While some can volunteer, others cannot climb a ladder, cut metal, or do the other work required. But all can invest financially to bring the same eternal impact.
Would you give toward the $25,000 cost to make these
repairs?
Oil Belt Christian Service Camp knows the value of hearing the gospel of Jesus taught far outweighs the amount of money that it costs to replace a roof. However, repairing the shelters and gazebos creates a great atmosphere for transformational conversations that are a priceless asset to the ministry of Oil Belt.
To support the camp through your work of service, call the office for more information.
To give financially, mail your gift to the camp office. Or give online at oilbelt.com/donate. Please choose Transformational Conversations as the fund.
Whatever you can give will help and any amount given over the $25,000 will go toward other repairs needed to get the camp ready for the summer.
Thank you for investing in campers through the transformational conversations that happen at Oil Belt and help change lives for Jesus!
Sincerely,
Tyler Mulvany
Executive Director
I want to continue the transformational conversations at Oil Belt!