January 2021
This is What a Volunteer Looks Like!
There were many reasons not to attend the Redwood Glen Work Day on November 14. The weather was chilly. The second week of election controversy was dragging on. An uptick in Covid-19 cases was beginning to drive people back home. And what was the urgency anyway, with no camps or guest groups being scheduled?
Yet some 20 volunteers joined staff members that morning at 9:00am sharp to get their assignments. Among them was Reverend Don Ng, longtime member and retired senior pastor of First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco and previous president of the American Baptist Churches, USA. He and two fellow church members had concluded that working outside, with masks on and distance maintained, would be relatively safe.
"When the work projects were announced, we three, all over 70 years old, quickly volunteered to sweep the areas around Smith Hall. It was safe to be on the ground!" said Don, with a smile. Soon they were joined near the pool by Richard Reaves, broom-wielding chairperson of the Redwood Glen Board.
"We had some deep and hopefully productive conversations about the state of the camp and opportunities for the future," noted Don. "This was an unexpected but wonderful encounter to share about ministries and promises."
Isn't that the way things often turn out at Redwood Glen--unexpectedly? Whether one comes here to study or play, to explore or rest, to engage or retreat, God has a habit of working outside the box. Sometimes that box is pitched right into the dumpster, as God sets about doing something wholly unexpected in his people, in this place.
Redwood Glen is a setting for "life-transforming ministry," as Don describes it. "God has given us the redwoods to grow in faith. It is up to every new generation to assume the stewardship of maintaining and making available these holy places where God is ever-present."
Thank you, Reverend Don Ng, for showing us what a volunteer looks like.
Redwood Glen Prayer Team
The Redwood Glen staff and board know clearly that God is the center of both the ministry and the existence of the camp. To receive both the wisdom and the resources necessary, a Redwood Glen Prayer Team is being developed. The team will get notice of needs and successes, of lives changed and changes needed. Please consider joining this team. You can sign up here.
Join the Work that God is Doing!
Bridge to 2021 - The Redwood Glen board is conducting the Bridge to 2021 financial effort. The goal is to secure enough donations and monthly commitments to carry Redwood Glen to next summer's camping season. The pandemic has meant no camps, few guests and very little income since the beginning of shelter-in-place. And now, with the recent fire, there are other needs that will require money and expertise. God is at work - you can join what God is doing. To join in giving to the work - click here.