![]() They wrote, “180 children came to camp 40 professed salvation lives were touched FOR GOD by His Holy Spirit and the Word, and many decisions were made for a life of service on the mission field.” A Name ChosenĪ contest was held to decide the name of the camp. Uncle Jim and Aunt Alice wrote about that first summer in a letter sent to people who were interested in the camp. God’s blessing was evident from the beginning. The Lord knew a girl’s dorm was needed, so He provided it. It was after the war and such things were not available to civilians. ![]() Joan (Ver Lee) DeYoung tells that one of the biggest things the Lord supplied that year was a Quonset hut. The campers could assist in paying their way to camp by bringing canned fruit, vegetables, and other food. The cost for attending camp was $7.00, Saturday to Saturday. They pumped their water and carried it from the pump to the house. The cooks cooked the meals on a wood stove and a kerosene stove. The farmhouse provided a mess hall and sleeping facilities for the cooks. The old barn became a chapel, one of the chicken coops became a boys’ dorm and the other a craft room. When the time came to pay for the property, all the money was there through gifts from God’s people. Two days later the man called and said it was theirs. The owner asked for one price which they couldn’t afford, so after prayer and consideration, they offered $2,500. There was no electricity, an outside toilet, a pitcher pump, a beat-up barn, two chicken coops, a shed and a farmhouse. At first, they wondered if it would be worthwhile to pursue a purchase. The farm was neglected and run down, both the buildings and the land. In March, just three months previously, they had found an 80-acre farm that couldn’t be farmed successfully anymore. Hutchinson tell about the things the Germans had accomplished with the Austrian children in a camp situation, they decided to start their own camp. They had been thinking about a summer camp. ![]() The Bible Club workers recognized that to reach the children more effectively, they needed to expand into the summer. The Bible Club program that the Ver Lees had been directing in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas had grown to around 200 clubs. They thought back over the past three months so much had been done and there was still so much to do. Uncle Jim and Aunt Alice excitedly watched the first campers arrive. It was after the first summer of “their” camp, Jack and Jill Bible Club Camp, that the Ver Lees decided to join the Bible Club Movement and become missionaries. Don Holbrook planted when he asked, “Why don’t you have your own camp?” They were not ones to sit still too long and before long found 80 acres on Pine Lake in Cedar Springs. As Joan Ver Lee DeYoung tells it, her parents were ripe for the seed that Rev. Even though the program was excellent, the kids scattered throughout the grounds, making it difficult to keep track of them. They brought the children to Gull Lake Bible and Missionary Conference in Hickory Corners. To reach them more effectively they started a summer program. The impact of the gospel became evident by the salvation of many children. Before long, they were directing the program and through their leadership the ministry grew. The emphasis wherever they went was always scripture memorization.Īfter moving to Grand Rapids, the started working with a new organization called the Bible Club Movement, teaching Bible Clubs. They moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and started working with the Temple Mission on Division Avenue. After this, the Ver Lee’s began another work in Robinson township, Ottawa County, with the same results. When adults started coming, Uncle Jim taught them while Aunt Alice taught the children. Their work expanded to Lakewood township near Holland where they started a Sunday School.
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