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
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