The Talent Show of 2023

While we were down in Florida last month, a group of people who believe in the work we do at camp, held a fundraiser for us. They are the same people who have held massive yard sale after yard sale, after yard sale, after yard sale, and then also those super fun flamingo flockings to help support us through the years.

[SIDE BAR: Let me insert a quick backstory of explanation. If you don’t know, many camps are financially backed by denominations or by having hundreds and hundreds of campers each week of camp. Here at Whisper Mountain we chose not to go either of those routes, but to believe God to provide through individual people. While not everyone is comfortable walking in this sort of faith, this is the way God leads us to do ministry. We are continually amazed at God’s provision, orchestration of people, and faithfulness to the very details of all we do.]

The Dave Kreller Life Group (of McGregor Baptist Church) worked tirelessly to plan, recruit, and bring about a wildly successful Talent Show Fundraiser. The event space was beautifully prepared; the desserts were decadent (and coffee so good); the people who willingly stood on that stage to showcase a talent were brave and talented (and not all pictured here). We were amazed by the whole effort and at the amount of people who were willing to give up their night to come and be a part. They had to keep adding tables to accommodate everyone and there were still so many standing against the back wall. Amazing!

Everyone knew this was a fundraiser coming into it, but if there’s one thing about Marty — he avoids asking for money at all cost. He’d rather pray it in! But they made him do it! We made a video to tell our story (see video), we had past summer staff stand on the stage and share how their lives were transformed by God while at camp, and then Marty stood on that stage in front of more than 300 hundred people and shared about how we could use their help coming alongside us to keep proclaiming Christ to teens.

The night was beautiful as we connected with all kinds of people we used to do life with a lifetime ago, strangers we were just introduced to, and those who’ve been faithfully standing with us all these years. If there was ever a night we felt (appropriately) small and God felt (appropriately) big, it was this night.

Here’s a short little video to show what the event was like (did we mention we got to see so many past/future summer staff?).

On this one evening, with over 300 people gathered together to hear what God is doing through one small ministry in the backwoods of North Carolina, more than $22,000 was raised to further the work of Whisper Mountain Camp! We are astounded and grateful and charged up to keep going forward!

Thank you to all those who set up, prepared, came, participated, and gave. May the harvest be plentiful as we continue to work the fields. To God be the Glory!

---

Author | Cassi Werner
Photography | Tricia Coggins

Work Trip to Florida | GIC Conference 2023

Earlier this month our staff went down to Fort Myers, Florida for the mission conference held at McGregor Baptist Church. Each year, this church hosts all the missionaries (both domestic and international) they support for a weekend of refreshment and encouragement (more than 30 attended this year). Different Life Groups (think Sunday School classes if unfamiliar with that term) in the church “sponsor” each missionary and give them the opportunity to share about what God is doing in their ministry and ways that Life Group can be involved. To be a missionary on the receiving end of this is such a gift and is most encouraging.

Fort Myers was home to Marty and Patti for more than two decades and McGregor the launching church to send them off to begin Whisper Mountain Camp. When you return to what was once home, the number of people you want to see and reconnect with gets lengthy. But these connections do the heart good. So we booked our days full to see the most number of people possible in between the conference events.

Something we always come away with is the beauty of God’s orchestration of people throughout our whole lives for specific reasons. Friendships, supporters, volunteers, staff, prayer warriors, co-laborers. The Church as a whole is a beautiful thing when we function as we were intended to function. We saw many, many people see the work God is doing in teen’s lives at camp and get excited and desire to be a part in some way. That’s what makes our ministry so special: all the people who join the efforts to proclaim Christ.

We created this reel on Instagram if you’d like to take a quick peek at the conference!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Whisper Mtn Youth Camp (@whispermtn)

We are thankful to each person who made time to stop by our booth to hug us and visit with us or learn about us; for each person who made time to open their homes to us or made time to connect with us at coffee shops or restaurants. We are thankful for the Kreller Life Group who hosted us, listened to our presentation, opened their hearts and were overall super hospitable to encourage and provide for us. We are thankful for McGregor welcoming us to the conference and continuing their support of Whisper Mountain Camp.

If you are reading this, you are probably among those we consider part of the Whisper Mountain Family. Thank you for whatever way God has prompted you to be involved. We are glad you are here. We pray God blesses you immensely as you see Him through His work at Whisper Mountain Camp. We hope to see you soon!

---

Author & iPhonography | Cassi

2022 | Men’s Shoot Straight Retreat

We kicked October off with men gathering for our annual 3D archery tournament and retreat! With Hurricane Ian threatening to share its rage, some men opted out of joining us, but the 90% chance of rain predicted turned into barely a mist throughout the whole weekend! For this, we are thankful.

A range of boys through older men enjoyed the weekend filled with slingshots, hatchet throwing, and of course archery. Dumping tickets into door prize buckets, hearing encouragement from the Word, warming around the fire: all these contribute to a weekend that feels laid back, good, and worth it. 

Jim Hughes from Peregrine Ministries very intentionally and engagingly shared throughout the weekend about Biblical manhood, encouraging the men to “reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously and invest eternally to pass on a life-giving legacy.” Jim connected in a way that made this all feel possible and left the men feeling encouraged and challenged.

The woods were chilly and overcast, but quite perfect the day of the tournament. With twenty 3D forest animal targets, the clusters of men rotate the woodland course, trying to accumulate the most points and be the best in their category. Of course, some wish they could create their own category — not all are experts! But all enjoy the good time of getting out doors with people important to them, walking through the woods and engaging with others in good ole outdoor fun!

We have many people who continually return, saying it’s their favorite event of the year. And we have new folks coming along as well, enjoying all the weekend offers!

Here is a video giving you a little idea of what it’s all about and allowing you to hear from a few of the men willing to step in front of the camera and share their experience!

Thank you to all who were able to come! For those wanting to give it a try — put the first weekend of October on your calendar from 2023 – Jesus Returns! We look forward to having you!

---

Author & Photography | Cassi

2022 | Craftivities Ladies Retreat

We were having so much fun with the ladies who gathered with us last weekend, we didn’t even capture very many pictures to share with you! Which I’m completely sad about because, well, I like to share pictures with you! What matters here, however, is we had a crowd (and a waiting list) of people who wanted to carve out White Space in their lives to find fellowship, refreshment and to make a little something with their hands.

Kelsey Parrish, from Build the Spark Ministry, led us in the practice of Bible Journaling. So many of us felt a bit nervous making art directly in our Bibles (we gave each person their own journaling Bible), but as Kelsey pointed out, these were our Worship Bibles, not our study Bibles. Well, that made things all kinds of different. Reading a passage, asking God to interact with us as He desired through imagery and His Words, then allowing this to flow out through our art and/or journaling — this was a powerful and very personal process that only brought us nearer to God as we meditated on His Word!

Megan Hunt, a long time encourager-through-crafting, led us through ice dyeing, wristlet/keychain making, and postcard creating! While creating all on its own allows us to find a therapeutic refreshment, Megan helped us to also use this time to think of someone else to encourage. We ice dyed a tea towel to give away and printed a picture memory from our phones that we turned into postcards and wrote a short message on and mailed out. I think everyone left feeling inspired to continue to encourage through their crafting, and may have even found a few new things they enjoyed making while here!

We are entirely grateful for both of these ladies coming and sharing their hearts and talents with us and for each person who made time to invest in a weekend away.

---

We hope you’ll join us Spring 2023 for our next Craftivities Event. Don’t wait too long to register when you see the announcements! A waiting list isn’t as fun as being with us!

---

Author & Photography | Cassi

A Contest for Creatives

We know there are many creative people in our Whisper Mountain Community and we want to feature them! We want to give others a chance to practice sharing the gifts God has given them! And we want to allow these gifts to speak to and encourage others! What a better way to get this rolling than by holding a contest? Did we mention there are prizes involved?

Contestants:

We are looking for graphic design, photography, painting, or drawing/sketching artwork from any who are middle school – college aged.

The winners will be given the opportunity to have their art featured across our social media platforms but also made into products that would be sold in our camp store (with artist spotlight!) this coming summer!

Guidelines:

• The artwork must capture Whisper Mountain Camp’s tagline “Escape the Noise. Encounter the Whisper.”

• All submissions will be shared on our social media platforms (unless deemed inappropriate by our staff).

• All credit and links to the artist will be shared (we will have you sign a form granting us permission to use your art both on our platforms and in our camp store).

• The winner is chosen through a voting system through all our social media avenues.

• All submissions must be received digitally by January 15, 2022.
• Email submissions to Cassi @ WhisperMountain . org

IF YOU ARE A CREATIVE: Be Brave and Submit!
IF YOU KNOW A CREATIVE: Spread the Word and Encourage Them to be Brave and Submit!

Prizes:

Depending on the number of submissions, we may have winners in each of the art types listed above, but for now we are planning on selecting the top three creatives (selected from the social media polls) to receive a prize:

1. Third Place: $50
2. Second Place: $100
3. First Place: $250

Questions/Comments:

If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Cassi @ WhisperMountain . org

We are really excited to see the beautiful creativity from our community! Please help spread the word for us! Be looking for the artist features in February!

2021 | Men’s Shoot Straight Retreat

• 

• 

• 

• 

We had a full group of men join us this year for our Shoot Straight Retreat! Generations of family shared the good fun found in the great outdoors of Whisper Mountain. Church friends went a little deeper in the shared experience found in the woods together. Individuals, pastors, fathers, sons, comrades — all enjoyed the the archery tournament, spiritual encouragement and time away from the everyday pressures. Did we mention the good food too?

• 

• 

• 

• 

Boys got to run around and breathe in the mountain air…and get some aggressions out (with adult supervision, of course!)

We got to utilize our new cleared pads (for future buildings) for some of our targets in the tournament which really seemed to make a smoother walk for all the guys. One of the best parts of the weekend isn’t winning the trophy for the best score at the end of the tournament, but is the process of walking our woods and trying to hit a 3D target! The woods are calming and beautiful and so good for the soul.

• 

• 

• 

• 

We were so thankful to have Marcus Clapper and his dad Dale with us to share their journey and ultimately the journey of our Father’s great love for us. Unlike other years, the encouragement focused in on relationships between fathers and their sons but the reminder of God’s faithfulness and grace to us was an encouragement to all.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Thanks to all who came to the retreat. We hope you found great refreshment. If you’ve ever thought about coming to our men’s retreat, mark your calendar now for Sept 30 – Oct 2, 2022. If you want to on the ball and register now, use this link! We would love to have you join us!

(SIDE NOTE: we are accepting donations of outdoor gear of all kinds for our raffle drawings for the 2022 retreat. Contact Cassi@WhisperMountain.org if you’re interested or have questions! Thanks for your consideration!)

---

Author + Photography | Cassi

All Tied Up | Ladies Craftivities 2021

We had a crowd of women who were craving some white space come to camp last weekend for our annual Craftivities Weekend!

• 

One mom who came said she’d been pushing through something hard knowing this weekend was on the other side of it! And she was so glad she came!

We learned how to Macrame, taught by the ever lovely Brooke Haney. She walked us through three different projects. Some found it harder than they thought. Others found their new thing. Everyone left with something beautiful for their homes!

We also had sweet moments of encouragement by Nancy Clayton. She maneuvered us through all sorts of knots life tends to wind us up in, then graciously led us through what it might look like to unravel them and and the anxiety and fear that comes with them. They were such peace-giving and hopeful moments I think we all needed so we can keep carrying on.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Of course we enjoy blessing our guests with all the special, little touches. Creating an atmosphere that is both calm and beautiful helps people feel relax, and that’s one of our main goals! Deep breaths and white space. And of course the yummy food and boojee water because lavishing people is our jam!

We so much enjoyed each person who joined us. We absolutely love putting this weekend together. Thank you to each of you who came. We pray you continue to walk in the peace of Christ. Let us know in the comments what this weekend meant to you or tag us on instagram #whispermtncraftivities when you hang your pieces in your home!

For everyone who wants to come next time, open your reminders app and be looking forward to our next event in March 2022! Until then, keep finding white space in your life to create and be refreshed!

If you’d like to see more of Brooke’s art or contact her for a project you’d like her to create, head to Instagram @wondricately_woven to reach out to her!

Shoot Straight Men’s Retreat| 2020

We promoted this year’s men’s retreat as something they really needed. Of all the years we’ve been doing Shoot Straight, this year’s deep breath in the woods seemed more necessary than others. Thanks Covid, election year, civil unrest, among so many other personal stresses.

The weekend’s weather couldn’t have been any more beautiful and served as the perfect backdrop to all the outdoor activities. Whether standing around laughing or talking, throwing hatchets or darts, shooting sling shots or walking the woods for the 3D Archery Tournament, men and kids alike seemed to soak up their time outdoors.

We were entirely thankful for Brian Solomon’s charge to the men to rise up in these days by becoming men of prayer, of the Word and of following God’s lead as we navigate our times. He shared of his work with Capitol Ministries and challenged the men to take on a mindset of praying for God’s work to take place in government.

Of course the raffles are always loved! As usual, some were more lucky than others! One mom posted on facebook how she couldn’t believe how much her son came home with! That’s right! We like to spoil our guests!

While the tournament is fun and the food is raved about and the accommodations are praised for their cleanliness, it’s the getting away that really matters. Hearing the Word be preached feeds the weary soul, but the time away to refresh mind, body and soul makes the guys look forward to next year’s event! Will you be joining us?

Mark your calendar now for October 1-3, 2021. We would love to have you get away to find such refreshment and fun with some of your favorite guys!

• 

• 

Thanks for coming this year, guys! We sure loved having you, Covid rules and all! See you next time!

A New Feature of the Whisper Mountain Experience!

When it comes to campers, there’s one thing we’ve heard (in its various forms) repeatedly throughout all fourteen years of camp:

“We hate walking up the hill.”
“Get rid of the hill and my week was perfect!”
“Can you guys get a conveyer belt to pull us up the hill?”
“My least favorite part of camp was having to walk up the hill!”

By “hill” they mean from the Field to the Hub or all the way to the cabins! Now, most teens aren’t used to hiking hills. So on the one hand, it’s good for them, right?! But on the other hand, when you have to do it multiple times in a day, by the end, you just really don’t want to do it one.more.time!

So Marty created a solution we were super excited to implement this summer! Only, as you know, summer didn’t happen! While the name is still being finalized (we had some good ideas from our instagram/facebook followers — thanks guys!), we’d like to introduce you to a new and we hope soon-to-be-a-favorite feature of the Whisper Mountain Experience — The Whatever It’s Going to Be Called Express! And by “Express” we mean a pleasant but slow climb up the hill!

• 

• 

• 

• 

We did have a small teen group come through this summer who got to be the first ones to give the Express a whirl! (Thanks guys for the sacrifice!) Smiles — everyone had smiles! For some reason it sorta makes ya giddy to climb aboard a trailer and have a tractor haul you around! Of course the driver’s joy might just be contagious (isn’t he cute?!!)!

So what do you guys think? Anyone excited to get to enjoy this feature at Whisper Mountain next time you come?!

Craftivities Weekend | 2020

In the spirit of catching up on all the communications since the COVID pandemic, I’m taking you back to March, when things were just starting to get harry! March, when the ladies were to be gathering at Whisper Mountain Camp for the annual Craftivities Weekend!

Let me tell you about Craftivities in case you are unfamiliar! Each spring we welcome a small group of ladies to the mountains for simple encouragement, white space for the heart and mind, and a new skill to learn to cultivate beauty in their lives!

This year we learned the art of Block Printing! A simple way to create things of beauty for gifting, homemaking and so much more!

Because this weekend was at the very start of people being afraid to interact with each other, about half the guests who were supposed to come ended up cancelling at the last minute. This was the first disappointment in a long line of disappointments for our ministry in association with the pandemic changing our lives! We definitely missed having those who didn’t feel comfortable coming, but found those who braved the outing to have been glad they did!

Many beautiful things were made, each one’s personality seen in their creations. We hand carved the stamp blocks with our preferred designs then printed those designs with a permanent and washable ink on canvas bags, large cloth “flour sack” towels, and paper for wall art and/or stationary. Each design was happy, unique and beautiful!

Not everyone was around for the group picture, but here’s most people!

When we weren’t creating, eating good food or chatting, we were being encouraged by the words and message of Becca Giancana! Becca is from Long Island, NY living in Columbia, SC. She has a degree from Columbia International University in Bible and Bible Education and is currently studying for her Master’s Degree. We really enjoyed her coming and teaching us!

She had an easy to grasp way of communicating God’s Word with us. Becca gently challenged and encouraged us through Mary and Martha’s story and helped make the Gospel relatable for everyone, no matter where they are in their walks with Jesus.

The weekend was rainy, the fear of the coronavirus was swelling, and we were on the brink of quarantine as none of us had ever known. But this weekend was a weekend filled with the white space necessary to be refreshed, make something beautiful with our hands and be encouraged. Thanks to all who came!

Lord willing, we will host our next annual Craftivities Weekend in the Spring of 2021! So tuck that away in your mind and be looking for more information in the new year!

Thanks for reading and may the Lord be encouraging you in these times,

Cassi