Black Lake Bible Camp

So I'm really excited because I have applied for a job at Black Lake Bible Camp. And it's going really well!

This has been pieced together from a few different times. See the red sections for dates.

In late July I sent out e-mails to about 20 camps in western Washington, asking of they had any job openings coming up. Most of them said no, and a few said they had seasonal jobs (not what I want). BLBC was one of the ones that siad they didn't have any, but they asked me to send them a resume they would keep on file. Then, almost a month later (on August 21st) I got an e-mail from what turns out to be the camp's executive director, Steve. He said they had a program director opening and wondered if I'd be interested. So during the last week of camp (8/21-8/26) I was frantically filling out the extensive application and sent it in this last Monday (8/28). He got it on Tuesday(8/29) and started calling references (a few of them were pastors at our church, so Deanna heard about the calls from them) and early Wednesday(8/30) morning Steve called me to set up an interview/visit on Thursday(8/31) afternoon.

Deanna and I went down on Thursday(8/31) and had a great time. We met with Steve and his wife LyNea. We sat down and shared both our testimonies and why we wanted to be involved in Christian camping. Interviewing at a camp is a lot like apastor candidating at a new church. It's a long and relational process and the persons spouse is pretty much just as important as they are in the process. We then toured the grounds and saw all the fun stuff (100' water slide into the lake, huge waterfront with 4 ski boats, gym, new pool, great amphitheater, and a whole lot more) and everywhere we went Steve was saying "Here's how this was, here's how we've imporved it, and here's the long term dream..." which really impressed us, having worked at the Firs and seeing the suffering from a lack of that type of strong vision for the grounds and how they benefit the ministry. After we toured the grounds, Steve and I went up to his office and talked shop and did a bit more of an interview, tho it still wasn't a traditional interview. All went well and we left that same day, knowing that the process was rolling well and we were really excited. We got stuck in nasty Everett traffic on the way back and arrived home late.

The next week Steve and Lynea were in Whistler BC on vacation, so Deanna and I had a bit of time to rest and recoupe. We also started telling people at church how well the process was going and praying for a clear sign from God, either a definite "yes", or a definite "no". Steve called me on Monday(9/4) wanting to have lunch on their way through town on Thursday (9/7). We picked a time and place and met them there on Thursday and had a nice lunch. We talked about some of the concerns we had with the staff manual they had given us. Mostly we thought that it was a bit legalistic. (We couldn't have alcohol on grounds and since we had to live on grounds, that would mean in our own home we couldn't have any alcohol. We're not lushes, but we appreciate the ability to make our own responsible decisions. Also, there was a pretty limiting dress code that would only allow a pretty clean cut kid to work on summer staff. Again, not that clean cut kids are bad, but if we're to minister to a range of kids and families instead of upper-middle class preppy white kids, we need a bit more colorful staff.) Steve was very unyielding on both of those points. We also started talking about a BIG difficulty we had, which was the camp's requirement that we attend an EFCA church. Evangelical Free Church of America is the denomination of the camp, and there are only 3 churches within a reasonable distance from camp, one 5 mins away (Hope Community Church) and others 30 and 45 minutes away. This normally would be a problem except that Deanna works in church based children's ministry. It's pretty specific and she's only getting better at it. Hope was the only church big enough to be close to the recourses and people to hire her, so there wa s a shred of hope there, but not much. When we talked to Steve about it, he pretty much looked right at Deanna and said, "This is gonna be really hard on you" implying that she would pretty much have to give up her career in order for me to move and work there. Other than Steve shooting down all of our concerns, the meeting went really well. We asked him why he was only interviewing me and why it was moving so fast and he basically said that he gets all sorts of resumes and applications and mine really interested him like no others had. That was encouraging. We left the meeting with a date picked for the next weekend to go to Olympia and meet with the staff for a dessert social and potentially with the youth and senior pastor from hope Community.

We spent the next week praying and thinking and talking. The climax was on Sunday night when we talked and I finally heard some of the concerns Deanna had and our marriage will never be the same. (in a good way) Deanna had some concerns that I really needed to hear and I had been kinda waving them off and reassuring her without really hearing her. The biggest thing we came away with wa that we needed flexibility to pursue another church if there was a position there for Deanna. We'd give EFCA churches the priority, but we needed to be able to make the responsible decision and have Steve trust that I could still be successful in the job.

So we went down this last Friday/Saturday (9/15+16) for the staff social and lunch with the pastors. We got there at noon and were directed to Steve and Lynea's house and had a nice lunch with the pastors. We really started to be hopeful about the church thing, and they told us that there was a part time children's ministry director that was filled and stable, but at least they had the position. (Another wrench in the church thing is that Deanna is going to do a masters program next year that requires she is working in the field as her practicum.)

We ended up seeing the housing and getting a bit freaked out. Let's just say that they don't apply the same development ethic to their staff housing as they ahve to the rest of the grounds.

When I met with Steve the next morning he offered me the job ans I said basically "Great! But..." and talked about the housing concern and the requirement to attend a EVFree church. I wasn't looking for him to fold easily, but I was hoping for at least some semblance of cnecern for where we were and what we needed. I offered many compromise options and asked if he would consider any of them, again, just looking for a dialogue or some hope for change in the future. On both counts he was entirely unflexible. He basically said too bad, deal with it. So I turned down the job. That was surreal! The exact job I have always wanted, offered to me, and I turned it down! Deanna and I took the long drive home exclaiming "I can't believe you/I turned down the job!" In the end, it was the right decision. I need to be working for a guy who is more concerned for me and my family than Steve was. I'm not expecting to come before the ministry, but I would like to feel valued and wanted and supported.

Sorry this took so long to post. It has been a CRAZY quarter.