Newsletter, Fall 2001

S.E.P. 2001 - Service With a Smile
By Remy Zebrowski

This summer I went to S.E.P (Summer Educational Program) in Orr, Minnesota where I had the wonderful privilege and experience of serving as a high school volunteer in food services. It was incredible to be part of the behind the scene crews that make S.E.P. happen. This was the second time I'd served in the kitchen and I loved every minute of it.

In the kitchen, our motto was "service with a smile." Even though sometimes the work was hard, it was rarely hard to live up to that motto. Often times, we were not only smiling but laughing too. It was really amazing how tasks like peeling potatoes and washing dishes could be so much fun. This was, of course, because these tasks left plenty of room for craziness. For example, the Hobart (the dishwashing machine) was equipped with a high-powered hose for rinsing off dishes. This hose was also a wonderful water-fighting weapon. Use of this weapon usually led to the necessity of mapping the floor, but that was all right. We had to do it anyway.

The most incredible thing that I experienced while working in the kitchen was the teamwork of all our staff. That teamwork was really crucial, because with about 500 people to feed three times a day and only 17 of us doing the zillions of things essential to preparing and cleaning up each meal, we absolutely had to be on the same page. I was amazed as I saw this happen, day after day, despite long days and short nights.

The S.E.P. staff has often been referred to as a "wall of love" and I've found that to be a very true statement. From the morning devotionals and the huddled group prayers to one-on-one chats and wonderful discussions in the dorm, the tremendous love of those who did even the dirtiest and most thankless jobs around camp was amazingly evident. I feel honored to have been a part of such a wonderful group of people whose love for God and for others can be seen so clearly. S.E.P. 2001 is something I will never forget.

S.E.P. Is the Place to Be
By Preeti Piplani

At our Summer Educational Program (S.E.P. for short) in Orr, Minnesota there is a saying that goes, "S.E.P. is the place to be!" and whoever came up with that one was right on target. S.E.P. has been a life changing experience for me. I have been born and raised in the Worldwide Church of God and have always believed in God, but at camp I truly felt God working in me. Christ was tugging on my heart and calling me to do His works and immediately I knew, in both my mind and heart that I should give my life over for Him. S.E.P. changed my life for the better. One year has gone by since I have been baptized and it has been the best year of my life. Camp is such a crucial part of the lives of the young people in the church because it gives us an outlet in which we can create and commit to a relationship with Christ. Even though S.E.P. will not be in Orr next year it is important that we, as a church, continue to support it as God works through it to change the lives of teens everywhere!

Gwinwood was a GREAT Camp
By John Sherrod

Hi? I'm John Sherrod Jr. and I'm writing this article about the camp I went to, which was Camp Gwinwood, in Washington. Camp was six days long and was run by Amy Funsten. She was a great leader and so were all the other camp workers.

There were six different dorms divided for boys and girls: B1, G1, B2, G2, B3, and G3. B3, which I was in and G3 were lucky because both had showers, sinks, and toilets. All of the other dorms had to use the outside bathrooms and showers. I made lots of great friends while I was there.

There were three meals a day and sometimes a snack at night (very important for growing boys.) We also had praise and worship each day with a little sermon. There were also lots of great sports such as tubing, water skiing, water polo, archery, orienteering, swimming, canoeing, and basketball.

On the last might we had a great luau and lots of dancing going on. Everyone came dressed Hawaiian style. The last day was Saturday and the parents returned to participate in the baptisms, church service, and award ceremony. My brother was so worn out he fell asleep in church. I was a little tired, too.

All in all, it was a great camp and I'm thinking about going again next year.

What I Found at Camp Gwinwood
By Michael Sherrod

Hi! For some of you who don't know, I am Michael Sherrod. I'm going to talk about the camp I went to.

Well, first of all, I'm going to tell you about the sports. A lot of kids in my dorm really liked the sports. Me included. Some of the sports at camp were archery, basketball, Frisbee, and "Salmon, Fly, Bear." (That's a game.) The water sports were water skiing, (taught by the famous Mr. Dahlgren), tubing, and swimming. I like them all, but the best was archery. I won a prize for that!

We made prayer books in Arts and Crafts. Each day we went in groups and talked about Christ and the Holy Bible.

I lost lots of clothes at camp (who knows where they went?) and I lost my new sunglasses. BUT I found lots of new friends and found new things I like to do which was more important than anything I lost.

S.E.P.'s "Amazingness!"
By Nathan Zebrowski

This summer I attended S.E.P at Orr, Minnesota, our church's official camp for youth, for both sessions as a camper. My experience was nothing less than, as put in S.E.P vernacular, "awesome" or "cool beans." I had such an amazing time it's hard to describe. I gained countless new friends, and experiences, as well as greatly building on my relationship with Jesus.

The first session was aimed at bringing youth to Jesus who had never done so before. Since I had already attended last year and was past that step it was a bit of a review. It definitely had a huge impact on me though, as I was baptized at the end of the session. I was one of about 50 "peeps" to stay from first session into second. Second session was intended for youth that had already gained a relationship with Jesus and wanted to take it to the next level. As far as religious stuff (couldn't think of a better word) went, it was much more intense. We had Bible studies, discussions, at least 1 chapel everyday, and 5 seminars during the course of the session. These were all focused around the central point of living a life dedicated to serving God.

The atmosphere at S.E.P. is unquestionably most unique, I don't know how to describe it, but everything at camp seemed focused on Jesus in some sort of unique way. Whether it was dorm bonding (akin to wrestling), chapels, praise and worship, volleyball, cleaning the bath house, or fellowshiping in free time everything had an energy to it that made it fun, interesting, and focused on Jesus. Some of you have probably heard of the canoe trips that S.E.P organizes. First session's were planned to just get out and enjoy God's awesome creation in the boundary waters. This was a change from all the previous trips which were intended to beat you down as much as possible. On my first trip I missed the chance to kill myself like I was expecting but it was still great, and I got a tan. We got to go cliff jumping(for future knowledge, don't try a backflop off of a 25 foot cliff), banana manning, and do oodles (ha ha, funny word) of other activities on it. I got my wish for physical abuse out of a canoe trip on my next trip when we got to paddle over 50 miles and portage 10 miles in a little over two days. We also forgot a lot of our food so we had to kill a moose to survive. (That was the plan but we just couldn't find it in us to kill the poor little moose.) I think I was supposed to keep this short so I better end soon…

We're not going to have anymore S.E.P's in Orr, Minnesota since we're selling the camp site but that definetly doesn't mean S.E.P is going to stop. There's going to be a bunch of regional camps next summer, as well as discovery weekends. We're hosting one right before Christmas. You'll probably be hearing more about that. S.E.P has had an incredible impact on my life as well as countless others. I can't say enough about it's amazingness. (I need to work on sticking to words in the dictionary!) If you ever have the chance to be involved, it is a garunteed life changing event for you as well as many others. Peace…..Nathan

I'll Never Forget Camp Gwinwood
By Kristen Burnsides

This summer I went to camp.  It was the greatest fun ever!  There were lots of water sports, including water-skiing and inner tubing.  The staff also got to do those, plus knee boarding and parasailing.  We got to go swimming every day.
I think that I had the best dorm at camp!  Everyone was friendly, nice and helpful.  There were twelve girls in my dorm:  Kristen (me), Jessica, Lisa, Courtney, Carrie, Shea, Nicole, Miranda, Nathalie, Heather, Roxanne and Rebecca.  My counselors were Katie Miller and Beverly Pope.

On the last morning of camp, 11 kids were baptized, including me! We gathered at the lake.  When it was my turn, my brother, Nathan, and my mom dunked me in the water.  It was a day that I will never forget!  Afterward, we watched the video that Adam Funsten put together and had a church service.  The saddest part about camp was having to say good-bye!"

It Was GREAT
By Ian Paulino

My summer camp experience was GREAT. I feel like it was the best experiences I've ever had. Now I know what all the former campers were raving about. Now I am another supporter of the camp. If you have the time to go, you should take the opportunity to go.

As for me, I would like to thank the church and my parents for making my experience possible. If the world were just like a big camp, the world would have no problems.

S.E.P. Changes Lives
By Victoria Doerr

This past summer, hundreds of teens from all over the country and from places around the world like Egypt and Madagascar, came to Orr, Minnesota to expand their relationship with Jesus Christ at the Summer Educational Program.  This year, S.E.P. held two sessions.  The first session was from June 26 to July 11, and it consisted of the traditional format for ages 12-20.  During this session, teens became closer to Christ; and many of them were baptized.  They also participated in activities such as Christian Living, sailing, dance, windsurfing, softball, volleyball, basketball, riflery, archery, and canoe trips in the Canadian/Minnesota boundary waters.  

The second session was called Higher Ground I, and was held from July 14-29.  This session included daily chapels and a more spiritual emphasis.  It included all of the traditional activities but in a more advanced atmosphere and 5 seminars (3 based on the Apostle's Creed).  There was also a group of about 50 people from ages 20 and older who participated in Higher Ground II with some activities and chapel two times a day.  Higher Ground I was a very uplifting and a wonderful experience.  I am very grateful that I was able to gain an even deeper relationship with Jesus.  S.E.P. has changed my life for the better. Next summer there will be regional camps across the country to continue what S.E.P. has done for years, but now on a more local level.

An Enjoyable Experience
By Ivan Paulino

This summer, I had the opportunity to go to a Bible camp. Located near Mt. Lassen in the Redding, CA area, it was a beautiful place. It was a great experience having Christian centered atmosphere. There was lots of spirit during the Bible services and activities. Times were fun and uplifting, however, there were some serious moments.

Many teens made the decision to accept Christ and others were able to make peace with trials occurring in their lives. I greatly enjoyed my experience there and encourage those willing to get closer to Christ to give the camp a chance.

I deeply appreciate the church sponsoring me on this event and I again cannot stress my enjoyable experience enough.

Six New Regional Camps
By Aaron Burnsides

I had the opportunity to work at the Summer Educational Program (S.E.P.) in the dance department in Orr, MN again this summer. It was our job to teach all the campers basic ballroom dance with some variations. Some of the dances we taught were the swing, waltz, and rumba and a few others. Each dorm had 3-4 dance classes and got the opportunity to practice at the camp dances, dorm banquets, and also the final banquet. My department also set up and ran the stage audio/video/lighting for chapel everyday, for music night and many other events.

This year was a bit different at camp because we had Session 3 for adults age 20-57. There will probably be another session for adults at the Higher Ground S.E.P. program at the regional S.E.P. in North Carolina. Every year I've attended S.E.P. it has been a really awesome experience, and this year was no exception. Although we won't be having the national S.E.P. program in Orr anymore, I am looking forward to working at the 6 new regional camps around the country next year.

What Better Way to Spend the Summer
By Mark Ackerman

This summer I attended the Word of Life, West Coast Camp, located near Mt. Shasta in California. This camp was very different that the Worldwide Church of God Summer Educational Program (S. E. P.) camp that I had previously attended. However both camps placed the focus on Jesus and the part he plays in our lives.

Some of the things I liked about the camp were that we had a lot more freedom and could make our own decisions on what activities we wanted to participate in. We had about 3 group meetings with the whole camp for what they called "small church." Speeches were given that were well received by the campers. I know I got a lot out of the many lectures and stories I heard at this camp. I am sure everyone listening did, too.

Some of the available activities at camp were go-carts, volleyball, basketball, swimming, water sliding, and lots of food. What better way to spend the summer!

Count Me in Next Year
By Danny Birmingham

My name is Danny Birmingham. I am 16 and served at Camp Gwinwood as a junior counselor. I enjoyed camp this summer. There were many exciting activities including the infamous Dahlgren parasail. Out of the many camps I have attended this camp rated about a 10 from a scale of 1 to 10. The camp was very well organized. The activities were fun, the dance was satisfying, the people were fantastic, the parasail was amazing, the preaching was life saving, and most important of all for a first time camp impression, the food was fabulously delicious. Two complaints though, the lodgings were the stereotypical camp bunkhouses and the campus was comfortably small which might limit how many kids we can have in the future! For counselor issues, they will have no troubles because I will definitely be there next year to serve my interesting and delightful friends and most importantly the Lord.

Camp Was Awesome
By Ben Funsten

My experience at camp was awesome!  Camp Gwinwood was a wonderful camp on a beautiful lake in Lacey, Washington.  Amy Johnson, my sister, was the director. The theme of the camp was letting Jesus be in charge of your life and trusting in Him. Camp Gwinwood had many activities and sports. One sport was water skiing instructed by Mr. Dahlgren and Mr. Downey. Other sports included archery, arts and crafts, basketball, challenging games, canoeing and so much more. I was part of the staff and I saw that the YOUTH (ages 5-13) were really enjoying themselves and meeting others at this camp. Mr. Dahlgren also brought his parasail with him and it was so much fun for everyone to try.  I am looking forward to next year when there will be a S.E.P. camp.

Parasailing Teaches Faith at Camp Gwinwood
By Pastor Mel Dahlgren

I will never forget the simple prayer Pastor Dee Bulante taught us at camp. "Lord, teach our young hearts to trust you, and please come be my friend." God began to answer that prayer for many, right at camp as we learned to parasail!!!

What a thrill!!! Soaring high above the lake!!! It gives you such a rush that you have to experience it to be able to understand. All it takes is an ounce of courage, and the rest is a breeze, literally!!!

Faith in Christ is very similar. Once we have learned to trust Jesus, all our problems begin to shrink compared to the power and majesty of our mighty Creator God who controls the Universe and everything in it.

Parasailing teaches the parasailer that the boat driver controls everything from take-off to landing and everything in-between. Once you have made the decision to get into the harness, all you need to do is to take just a few steps, then the wind takes over. The boat has the power to activate the wind to carry you everywhere the boat driver chooses to take you. If he increases speed, you go high. If he slows down, he can bring you so close to the water that you can even walk right on the water.

God is the same way. Once we put our faith in Him, and take the first few steps to be baptized, then we receive the Holy Spirit (like the wind) that is able to lift us and carry us wherever God wants us to go.

As in every Christian's life, the parasailer will have lots of ups and downs. Similarly, a Christian will have their ups and downs, but when you realize that God is the one who is driving your spiritual boat, you can relax and enjoy the ride.

God Is Working There!
By Adam Funsten

All I have to say about Camp Gwinwood is it is a beautiful and ideal location for a camp and God is working there.  I experienced fresh air, beautiful scenery, and friendly people.  The lake is so close you could stand in the kitchen and throw a rock into it.  I do not recommend this however because fifty or so young people will be lining up to follow your example.  When I found some free time I would grab a small boat and someone to row it, or catch a big boat with someone to drive it, and really get into it, really.

My sister, Amy Johnston, was the camp director so I went to help in any way I could. One of my main responsibilities was putting together the camp video. We were able to give and be part of making it a successful youth camp.  If you saw the level of commitment young people were making to God with the workers doing their best to assist, you would value the experience just as much as I did.  Hopefully some of that came through in the camp video we created.  I am looking forward to doing what I can to make the next one be even better.

I am looking forward to doing what I can to make the next one be even better.

FUN, FUN, FUN
By Ryan Burnsides

All I have to say about S.E.P. Camp in Orr, Minnesota is, "It was FUN, FUN, FUN!" I had a great time and enjoyed the many activities.