Willing Hands and Hearts - Builders for God

Back in 1974 a plumber was asked if he wanted to go to Maine and build a church. Not feeling equipped to do it alone, he asked others to join him. Since then, once a year, every year Builders for God has served by working on the facilities of Christian camps. Some of them are professional tradesman, but most of them are just regular people like you who have willing hands and hearts.

With each camp they visit, they offer services to do whatever the camp needs that they feel is within their ability to complete. Almost all of their projects involve some degree of electrical, plumbing, and carpentry work. There is always plenty of painting, light landscaping, and planting to keep everyone of every age, gender, or skill level busy and motivated.

Their members come from near and far, and their trips have taken them from Maine to West Virginia. This June, their service took them right here to Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center.

With a growing list of project over recent years, and the busiest summer season we have ever experienced ahead of us, Builders for God's desire to volunteer their time and skill came when we needed it most. After years of building up our facilities with new buildings - we have turned our focus to rebuilding and improving our grounds but the necessary resources to do so weren't available. God provided what we needed through the willing hands and hearts of Builders for God.

Working side by side with members of the Tuscarora staff they were able to complete many projects we wouldn't have been able to complete on our own. A new coat of paint was put on the gym floor - giving it a last face lift before it will be replaced. Our buildings were power washed, our shuffleboard courts painted, and because of this work the grounds saw a noticeable facelift. Many meeting spaces receiving flooring and cosmetic improvements.

New shower domes were installed into our Riverside I building, the next step in an ongoing remodeling project.

The Brick House, a new property acquired for our grounds, was also a major project. The deck in the back, which faces the Delaware River and has one of the most impressive views available to us, was removed and reinforced so a new one could be installed in the near future.

Their intent is to never be a burden to the facilities, and we could not have been happier to house them for this week of service. Their tireless efforts to serve where needed most, and the joy of spirit while they did so was a blessing far beyond the practical improvements they made.

They believe in serving as families, and through that week Builders for God became a part of the larger Tuscarora Family. After their work day was done, they would spend time in devotions and fellowship. They were able to experience a small piece of the ministry Tuscarora provides and appreciate how their service will be eternally multiplied. We were blessed by their presence, their work, and their testimony of faithfulness and service.

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To learn more about the ministry of Builders for God, please visit their Facebook Page. To support the ongoing capital improvements at Tuscarora Inn and Conference Center, click here.

A Place of Ministry for Millennials

Colleen Batchelder

Founder of LOUD Summit

Millennials are defined by many labels, not always positive. These labels attempt to define our dreams, ambitions, work ethic and ministry. Society has deemed us the lost generation who is struggling to figure out who we are. BUT, what if society was wrong? What if we were given the opportunity to define ourselves in an environment with our specific needs in mind?

Welcome to LOUD Summit.

Asha Sharma, CMO of Porch.com contributed an article to Forbes, which suggests, “Millennials have been raised in an environment and during a time when the sum of the parts is truly greater than the whole.”

This is imperative to us at LOUD Summit! Our goal and passion is to provide our generation a platform – a place to network, find mentorship, and be encouraged to live with purpose. We realize that Christianity calls us to be the hands and feet of Christ. Our generation wants to be more than attendees, which is why we have designed a conference that truly meets this generation’s need to be influential and thoughtful in leadership and life.

We’ve collaborated and invited authentic millennial leaders who are making an impact in the business world, sports, ministry and social justice. Part of what makes us distinct is our commitment to be a conference that is FOR Millennials and BY Millennials. All of our speakers and staff members understand your voice and concerns, because we come from the same perspective and are asking similar questions.

Our main goal is to create a space where our generation is compelled by the love of Christ to be His hands and feet, which is why we are thrilled to have LOUD Summit at Tuscarora Inn and Conference Center. I’ve had the privilege of seeing their love for Christ and people in action. They are passionate in reaching our generation and committed to being an authentic community based on Christ alone.

It is my privilege and honor to invite you to LOUD Summit this September. This event is more than a weekend, it is the answer to my prayers and the heartbeat of my purpose. This weekend – we will come together as the church to BE the church.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

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Please consider joining us September 8 - September 10 at the first ever LOUD Summit at Tuscarora Inn. Register by visiting tuscarora.org/millenials. We look forward to seeing you then!

Junior Week and Tubicide - Putting Aside All Filthiness

Junior Week has long been a part of the Tuscarora ministry. A program specifically designed for children who have finished 2nd-6th grade it is certainly one of the most energetic weeks of the summer, and the kickoff to a very busy month of July. The children who come are often away from home for the first time in their lives and have open hearts to hear the gospel.

There are so many stories to be shared, perhaps through this blog in the future, of people who came to know the Lord during their years as a camper.

While the ministry itself is focused on the children who attend, there is another key group who experiences the eternal impact - our volunteer counseling staff. Beginning at the age of 16, teenagers can come and devote a week of their summer guiding their groups to have fun, be safe, and know the love of the Lord. For many of these teens - Junior Week is their first experience serving in ministry, which can shape them to greater positions of leadership in the church.

“There is an amazing honor that comes with being a counselor. Knowing that you are planting seeds in a faith the campers can rely on gives me chills! It’s exciting being able to show them how great God’s love is!”

— Sabrina Rodriguez

Many of our counselors are former campers themselves. They are a powerful testimony to the power of teaching the gospel to children by choosing to serve in their teenage years. Often our counselors are surprised to learn just how God's blessings will appear when we need them most: giving strength to the weak, and patience to the exhausted!

“I became a counselor because I want the campers to know the God I know. That I can have even the smallest part in their walk of faith and show them the love God has for them is fulfilling! That moment when a camper turns to me with the biggest grin and their eyes light up with love for God because they know their Savior is with them always makes it worthwhile!”

— Sarah Patti

They come together each year during the beginning of June for Enrichment Weekend to begin preparing their hearts and minds for service - and always have time for a little bit of fun. In recent years the tradition of Tubicide has become a memorable part of this time of preparation.

Tubicide is an extreme game involving deflated inner tubes and a large mud pit. Participating in Tubicide has enabled counselors who come into the program as strangers to begin to see each other as friends, fellow servants, and co-warriors in the kingdom.

Tubicide is more than a great Instagram opportunity - it is a symbol of service. It prepares even the most timid soul for a week that is dirty and difficult. It reminds us that we are called to be bold and courageous. It reveals that our counselors are a team, up to their elbows in the chaos the week will bring.

Every year as our counselors leave the Tubicide field and walk to the river to rinse off - it seems they are suddenly more than a group of strangers. They are willing to lean on each other and see each other as support. They are willing to join together to do the great work of Junior Week. They are reminded that no matter how covered in sin we are, Jesus washes us clean and uses us anyway.

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Please consider making this experience possible for children by contributing to the Per Rune Larson Scholarship Fund at tuscarora.org/giving. Our ministries are made possible by supporters like you, thank you!

A Day in the Life of a Teen Week Director

Evan Langlois

Teen Week Director

Pastor of Outreach and Discipleship
Bethany Lutheran Brethren Church
East Hartland, CT

I’ve been tasked to give you all a glimpse of Teen Week from the perspective of the Director.  Since I’m older and a little out of touch, I first had to educate in the ways of “the selfie,” much to my own chagrin.  But I’m a servant, so… here is attempt #1.

Attempt #2.

I often have to tell my kids to ask for help.

Out on my own with the students!  It’s great to hear the campers having some fun during our free time activities.  This is a shot of our Slip and Slide kickball game! 

Don’t let my awkward grin distract you from the fun they’re having!

I’m very grateful for the staff that give up their time to help plan and serve with this ministry!  Here’s our head counselors, associate director and MC for the week helping me hone the craft of selfie taking. 

Not a bad looking group, eh?

“What does camp look like from the director’s perspective?” you might ask. 

Well, it’s a lot of problem solving, or as I like to call it, “hiding.”

When they are persistent?  More hiding.

I also get to do a lot of problem solving.  Like this one at lunch…

...or in the snack shop…

…and even sometimes with the band. 

it’s a good thing I like problem solving.

And hiding.

Despite my facial expression, this is what gets me excited about camp! 

I’m grateful that this is ultimately how we solve problems.  Praise God that He always hears us when we call!!

Later, I killed this bug and saved swimmers from a sting. 

It was heroic, but nothing like this: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55. 

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” 

Truth!  But this guy feeds us pretty well…

Here is the real bread!  Jay Trainer leading our camp in the Word!

One of the best things is hearing an auditorium full of students singing God’s praises in response to the Gospel! 

That we get to sing these words, “Jesus paid it all,” what better way to end a day! 

His grace is amazing and undeserved!  It still always amazes me what He does at camp every year…

…even in spite of me!

“Now to him who is able to far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20

Tuscarora Summer Staff - A Beloved Tradition

Brianna Esposito

            Beginning in the earliest stages of Tuscarora’s ministry, the annual incoming of the Conference Center’s youngest and freshest employees has always heralded our busiest and most exciting time of year. Although it has evolved since its start, the Tuscarora Summer Staff program has withstood the test of time and continues to remain a unique and vital piece of our mission and legacy.

            “I’ve been coming to Tuscarora since I was a kid for Leisure Week and Junior Week and Teen Week. My friend was on Staff for the previous two summers, and she told me what a great experience it was, and how many great friends can be made. I thought it sounded really great, so I wanted to be a part of it.” – Olivia, Summer Staff 2017

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            The Summer Staff program itself is engineered to help those teenagers involved grow and learn and bond through their time at work, at prayer, and at play. With its track record of countless teenagers who have decided to come back during their off-school season, there is no doubt the program has succeeded at fulfilling its purpose. More often than not, the teens find that they discovered something about themselves or their faith that they did not even realize they were searching for. If you watch them for long enough, it is easy to see how much God works in their lives while they spend the summer together. Some of the most profound moments between the Staffers occur when they share Devotional time, or pray together by the river, or sing worship songs together during their Large Group sessions. The counselors take their responsibility to uphold the message of the Gospel and to lead their Staffers in the ways of Christ very seriously, and it shows in Staffers’ attitudes year after year.

            “Counseling teenagers is what I want to do with my future, so I was very thankful they had me here to be a counselor last year, and that they had me back again. Tuscarora has been a very special place in my life, and it’s done a lot for me, so I want to give back and show others how much of a difference it can make for them.” – Caleb, Summer Staff 2017

            As a former staffer myself (2012 – 2013), I know firsthand how Summer Staff helped me blossom, and am delighted with every passing summer that I watch more kids return and be introduced to the Staff family. I use the word “family” without hesitation to describe the relationship that bonds the Staffers together. There is no other word for it. The kinship that forms between each session’s collection of teens is a strong and fast-happening one. Over the three to seven weeks that they could spend on campus, the Staffers spend practically every moment together. At work, they share responsibility; at time with Christ, they remember to pray for one another; at free time, they laugh and make memories that will tether them together when they go their separate ways.

               “I was most looking forward to coming back to Staff because I could be with my friends again from last summer, and I would be able to make friends with the new Staffers I’d meet.” – Alyssa

                Even now, watching them as an adult and as a dining room hostess is an experience in and of itself that I treasure. The bonding that occurs between these teens – some of who were strangers before the summer – is a phenomenon that never gets old. It helps me remember the best moments and shenanigans I shared with my Staff mates, and it is something that is shared by most of the full-time and year-round employees, as many of them began their journey at Tuscarora through Summer Staff. I know it will continue its purpose for many years to come. Summer Staff has become an intrinsic piece of life on the Tuscarora campus; it is a life-changing experience that I know anyone involved would not trade for the world.

            “I love it here! I made such good memories and friends last summer; I wanted to come back because I had a craving for it. This place is just magical.” – Alice, Summer Staff 2017

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If you are a teen or young adult who is interested in living AND working at Tuscarora this summer, please click here to learn more about our Summer Staff program!