[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast starts in three. You know what makes women stupid is calling Jesus was not a bartender.
You have lost your mind.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: Long tongue.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: He's given me a lot more trouble than heers wearing britches and you know that. Say amen right there.
[00:00:34] Speaker A: Let me tell you something, bozo.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: They'll be selling Frosties in hell for this.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Boy puts on a pair of pink underwear.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Amen. I sucked my thumb till I was 14 years of age. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Recovering Fundamentalist podcast. Episode number 190. Today we are diving into the legacy, ministry and unique impact of Word of Life Fellowship, a name that will be familiar with many of you who've grown up in youth ministry or Christian camping circles. For me, this episode hits close to home. My journey with Word of Life Fellowship began all the way back in the 90s when I was just a middle schooler going to Word of Life clubs and then being part of Teens Involved. That's going to age me. Teens Involved. Down at Word of Life coast in Florida, I have been deeply impacted by their commitment to discipleship and evangelism. I still remember the excitement of those camps and conferences, the music, the messages, the late night conversations of those camps. And man, it made a huge impact on my life. I've had the incredible opportunity back in the summer of 2000 to go and be a boat driver on the Word of Life island. And that summer, as I've talked about on here multiple times, that I will today marked me in more ways than one. And since then, I've come full circle and had the honor and the incredible privilege of speaking at Word of Life camps both on the island and last summer down at Word of Life Florida in Hudson, Florida at the coast. And this summer I'm going to be at the Ridge and super fired up about that. So today we look at the story of Word of Life, its origin, how it shaped generations, and where it's headed. It's more than just a history lesson, it's personal. Whether you're a Word of Life alum or hearing about Word of Life for the first time, I think you'll find a lot to connect with in our conversation today.
We want to thank those who sponsor the Recovering fundamentalist podcast Mission University. Founded in 1950, Mission University has been training Christ following leaders to tell the world about Jesus. The mission has remained the same through the years and today they continue to teach, to train and prepare great leaders to make a difference with their life. Mission U educates, inspires and equips students to serve as effective Christian leaders. You can find them mission Edu.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: We want to thank Josh barzone over@barzone design.com professional and affordable logo and graphic design for church businesses and more. It is the month of May and we have partnered with Tyndale Publishers. We're going to be giving away a new living translation. My favorite translation, a New Living Translation Premium Bible. Now that it is the month of May, check out our social media pages, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and find out how you can get connected to this giveaway. We're going to be giving the Bible away on May 25th. That's not our only giveaway. I've also partnered with Humble Lamb, which is a great brand new Bible distributor and I'll be showing you more about that. I've been preaching with this Bible for the last couple weeks and I really like it. So go to our social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and like subscribe, share and that'll be great. Hey, I want to give some thank yous. We put the ask out this week. We needed some help. We've got some debt and being on my own now here on the podcast, all of that falls on my responsibility. And so I just put the ask out and so many of you stepped up. I was blown away. We raised almost $2,000 in a matter of 48 hours. And I just want to thank these folks personally for giving some as much as $500. One guy gave a $87. He was like, that's all I had in my Venmo account. I was like, bro, every penny literally counts. And so I want to thank Marvin Bontrager, Vicki Seagroves, Bethany S. And Esther Vineyard, Lauren Setzer, Jonathan Gassett, Aaron and Becca Swain, Christopher Davis, Kobe Gibson, Rob Alley, Stephen Trachean, Mitch Dudkin. Hope I said your name right. Jennifer Warwicks, Eric Bowman, Carrie O'Neill, David Hawkins, Elizabeth Jones, Dustin Whitehouse, David Carpenter, Molly Gardner, Christopher Close, Kelly Radneck, Tommy Sewell and Charity Joyner. Thank you for being such incredible friends and just partnering so much more with the Recovering Fundamentalist podcast. Now, many of you have asked how you can be part of the RFP fam and partner with us Monthly. We have opened a Patreon and right now we are sitting at five brand new partners. Clint Thurman, Bryce Ellen, Kenneth Bailos. Kenneth is a truck driver. He's our night watchman. That boy's up praying for us while we're all sleeping in the middle of the night. Adam Bray and my mom and dad with GPM Termite and Pest Solutions. Thanks, mom and dad for that plug there. We've got a couple tiers that you can get in with. $5 a month is the listener tier, and we have the Insider, which is $10 a month. Tier 3 is the Collaborator, that's $25 a month. Tier 4 is the Revivalist at $50 a month. Tier 5 is the Builder at $100 a month. And then we have a legacy partner at $500 a month. Unfortunately, nobody's part of that one yet. But hey, all of these tiers matter and you can head on over to patreon.com backslash recovering fundamentalist podcast and I want to thank so many of you for doing more than just downloading the podcast. Hundreds of thousands of you download the podcast and listen every week. Millions of you over the last six years. We are so thankful for that. But many of you speak also with your giving and that just keeps us pressing on. It takes a lot to keep the podcast going and I am so humbled and grateful for your kindness and your generosity for helping the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast press forward.
So this is episode number one ninety and we are talking everything Word of Life Fellowship today. And I am honored to be joined by a friend, Jonathan Boubar, whose father served as camp director of Word of Life island for an incredible 26 years. Some of those weren't director but on the island for 26 years. And Jonathan brings a unique perspective, not just as someone who grew up in ministry, but as someone whose family lived the mission day in and day out. Jonathan, welcome finally to the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast.
[00:07:12] Speaker A: JC it's so good to be here, man. So great to be on this podcast. I love what you're doing and what an honor for me to be on with you today.
[00:07:20] Speaker B: You know, we have talked about having you on for a long time now, quite a few years. We've said let's get you on the podcast. And our paths have crossed for many, many years from Tennessee Temple to Word of Life. And now we're finally sitting down April 30 in 2025 and recording a podcast. I'm glad you're with me today, man.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: Man, it's my pleasure, privilege to be on with you. I actually recognized some of the names, some of the that you read off earlier. One of them was in my youth group when I went to Tennessee Temple.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: So that's crazy.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: I love it. You gotta love it.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: I. I am always blown away no matter where I go in the world, running into people who are either Word Of Life alum or were part of Word of Life. Cam. We were in Israel a couple years ago. We were at where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. And we're walking around and a guy goes, don't you preach at the island? I said, I sure do. He's like, man, my teenagers went to the island. We're Word of Life alone. I was like, this is crazy. We're in Israel by the Dead Sea, and here we are running into Word of Life people.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: That's crazy. In Qumran. You're right there in Qumran.
[00:08:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: We're everywhere, man. We're everywhere.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: That's awesome.
Well, Boobar, take us back. Give us. You better than anybody can give us a brief history of Word of Life. You grew up at Word of Life. You've had a front row seat, dad being part of it from the some of the beginning. I mean, the foundation that is what Word of Life is today. Take us back. Give us a brief history of what Word of Life is. For those that are listening that might not be familiar with Word of Life.
[00:08:54] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, really, the beginning goes all the way back to the late 30s where there was a guy who was an insurance salesman and he was also an army dance band leader. His name was Jack Wurzen. Actually his name was Casper, but he went by the name Jack. And Jack had a guy in his band that came to Christ and couldn't stop telling Jack about Jesus. That really goes back that far.
And this guy, I think his name was George Schilling, he would give Jack Gospels of John over and over, and Jack would tear him up and throw him back in his face, cuss him out and say, I want nothing to do with this. And after a while, he got tired of tearing them up, so he'd throw him in the bottom of his locker. And one day, as the Lord would have it, Jack didn't have anything to read on the subway coming back from the dance band practice. So he grabbed one of those Gospels of John out of the bottom of his locker and stuck it in his pocket. And he started reading the Gospel of John on the subway. And Jack used to say, the book that I tore to pieces tore me to pieces.
And just reading the Gospel of John, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Jack prayed and received Christ into his life. And that began an instant, instant journey. Jack, living in New York City, became overwhelmed by the people walking past him every day that he knew, didn't know Jesus.
And basically Jack's heart was, somebody has to do something about this. And I mean, JC Within a matter of months, he started preaching on the street corners of New York City. Standing up literally on a soapbox and preaching the gospel in the peak traffic hours of New York's movement. And, and man, people would hear him preach, they'd stop and listen. In fact, one lady stop and listen. She was an artist for Harper Magazine. Her name was Sophie Mueller. And she stopped and heard her friend Jack preaching. And she got saved on the street right there in New York City and ended up going into the Amazon jungle and starting over a thousand churches and leading, leading hundreds of thousands of people to Christ. So it's really crazy when God wants to move.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: He.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: He moves.
[00:11:22] Speaker B: He does, he moves.
[00:11:24] Speaker A: So Jack started preaching and somebody came up to him and said, hey, you've got a great radio voice, you're a great preacher. I want to put you on the radio. And Jack's like, are you crazy? You're going to put me. I mean, who am I, right? I mean, I'm not even much of a preacher. I just got saved a few months ago and. But the guy said, I'll pay for the radio time. And Jack was like, well, I could probably reach more people preaching on the radio than I can on this street corner. So he started preaching on the radio just locally there in New York City, and the show ends up going national.
And I mean, this happened to Jack. It's interesting. Every great thing Word of Life ever did, Jack usually said no to it first.
So then somebody comes up to him and he says, hey, you should preach at Madison Square Garden. And we could invite people in from the city, a youth rally. And Jack's like, I can't preach in Madison Square Garden. Nobody will come. And. But he said, the guy said, I'll pay for it. Jack said, okay, if you'll pay for it, I'll do it. I don't have the money. So Jack started preaching, did his first youth rally in Madison Square Garden, which is a 20,000 seat auditorium. And would you believe it, they had so many people trying to get in, they had 3,000 people out in the street standing out in front of Penn Station that couldn't get in. The police wanted to write Jack a ticket for obstructing traffic. And after the meeting, the policeman went up to Jack and he said, man, the next time you do this, rent Yankee Stadium.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:12:55] Speaker A: And would you believe it? Jack ended up preaching in Yankee Stadium in Fenway Park, Boston Garden. And this launched Jack into a ministry that really was a contemporary of Billy Graham back there in the early 40s. So Word of Life actually incorporated in 1940. Now this year, we're actually celebrating 85 years of ministry.
This is really, really neat. So that's a little bit about how Word of Life got started.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And of course, it grew from there, and many camps and clubs, and literally, Word of Life is worldwide. There are missionaries all over the globe.
[00:13:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Actually, right now, we are established in 89 countries. We're ministering in about 100 countries.
We have over 1600 missionaries currently serving on the field.
It's exciting to see what God has done. Early in Jack's ministry, a young church planter. My dad, had a church of about 25 people in Northfield, Massachusetts. And Jack asked him, can I come to your church and preach? And my dad's thinking, is this guy nuts? I've got, like, 25 people. I can't give him much of an offering. And. But Jack wanted to go because that was D.L. moody's birthplace. And. Yeah, and Jack went to my dad's little church, and, man, like, the youth group doubled overnight, and so many kids got saved. So my dad started really connecting with Jack and helping him promote rallies around New England. And he had a burden for young church planters like himself. And he said to Jack, he said, you guys, at Word of Life, you're like a shiny hypodermic needle. You come in all bright and shoot the juice, and then you pull out and leave, and I have to figure out what to do next.
He said, you need to start something that helps churches disciple their young people. After you help lead them to Christ.
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:51] Speaker A: And long story short, Jack looked at my dad and said, at first he said, no. And then he said, why don't you do it? And that was the very beginning of what's now Word of Life Youth Ministries.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: Which was Word of Life Clubs, which is how you got involved with Word of Life back in the day.
[00:15:09] Speaker B: JC so, 1991, we were at Temple Baptist Church, and we were doing Awana. And, you know, I. I had gotten every award with Awana. And my good friend Daniel Francis said, hey, we're doing Word of Life clubs over at Highland Park Baptist Church, where Tennessee Temple and Lee Roberson were. And I was like, that's super edgy. Like, Word of Life, you know, back in the 90s, growing up independent Fundamental Baptist, Word of Life was liberal. So we thought, you know, I mean, they. I believe there was some that was niv. And my goodness, we tested NIV positive. Amen. And so I remember going to clubs, and it was Just so different. I love Awana. I will always be a fan of Awana. They do great things. I memorized so many verses through Awana. But there was something about Word of Life clubs that made it real. And I remember being as a middle schooler in the early 90s, taking the Bible and beginning the daily habit of getting in the Word from Word of Life clubs. As a middle schooler, I'm 40, almost 43 years old now, and I'm still doing the same thing I was doing as a middle schooler because it set me in this, like, path of getting into the Word daily. And I loved Word of Life clubs. Of course, that led to teens involved, which was great. I wish they still did teens involved. You want to hear a fun fact, Boomar? I do. I preached. I did a winter camp down at Word of Life Florida. This, this just a few months ago. And the room that we stayed in, my family stayed in upstairs of the conference center there at the coast was actually the room that I sang in because they remodeled all those up there and made them into rooms. I'm laying in bed and I'm like, I have been in this room. It's the first room on the right, right when you walk upstairs on the left hand side. And I was like, wait a second. Last time I was in this room, I was singing Champion of Love right up there. And these were chairs right here. And I was like, this room I want teens involved in. It was just a cool little reminder in the middle of the night. It had a flashback there. I am so thankful. Not just my life, but there's so many hundreds of millions of people that Jack just saying okay and putting his yes on the table. And who knew? There's no way he could have known all those years ago saying yes. How God would take that and the millions of lives that would be changed as a result of that. You know, I don't mean to go off on a rabbit trail here, but I'm preaching this Sunday. We're starting a series in Ruth and just talking about how one decision has a lasting impact. Ruth made the decision to follow Naomi to go with her. You know the wedding verse, I'll go where you go. Your people will be my people. One decision, and it made a lasting impact. And look, Jesus is now in her lineage, you know, and it's incredible how Jack all those years just said yes, said okay. You know, God's not looking for our ability, he's looking for our availability. And it's incredible that all these years later, we're Sitting here on a podcast talking about the history of it, but looking at the incredible impact that Word of Life has not just had, but is having on hundreds of millions of people around the world. Boobar. I'd love for you to give just a little history of your history of Word of Life because, man, you've had a front row seat growing up on the island.
I mean, you had the most intense backyard summers filled with hundreds of teenagers and speakers and skits and waterfront activities. That season of life, I'm sure, was beautiful growing up there in the Adirondacks. I'm sure it shaped your life seeing ministry in action 24. 7. Take us into the life of Jonathan Boubar growing up on Word of Life Island.
[00:18:52] Speaker A: Well, I mean, a little history on Word of Life Island. In 1940, Word of Life bought the island from a family. Are you ready for this, jc? I just learned this this morning.
The dad was the guy who brought badminton to the United States for the first time.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: No way.
[00:19:09] Speaker A: How do you like that?
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Remember that? That'll be on a trivia.
[00:19:12] Speaker A: I guess you could say we've been in a racket for a while.
You're welcome.
So I did grow up on Word of Life Island. My dad was the, I believe, the second camp director in the history of Word of Life island. And he was notorious for being so far outside the box. Yeah, he would do skits that were so over the top that kids would sit there with their jaws in their lap saying, is this church camp?
One of those skits he used to, he used to dress up like a parody. Hell's Angel. Now this is in the 60s and 70s, right. So he had this denim vest with the sleeves cut off and he'd wear a military pith helmet for a bike helmet. And he would drive down the stairs of Pine Pavilion on a motorcycle in the middle of. I mean, this was back when, you know, you wore nice clothes anytime you went to church and. And dad would completely shatter anybody's preconceived ideas of religion by having fun. And Jack noticed early. Jack was self aware enough to recognize that when dad did these crazy skits that sometimes involve shaving cream and peanut butter, always, always made fun of himself that when he would get up and preach after that, kids would listen.
[00:20:49] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:20:49] Speaker A: And Word of Life caught on very, very early to the reality that if you'll have fun with young people, you're going to earn the right to tell them about Jesus.
[00:21:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: So Jack actually went to my dad at one point early on and he said, I'm not preaching unless you do a skit.
You have to do the skit. Kids listen better. They engage better. So one of our core values, one of our five core values is high energy.
[00:21:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:18] Speaker A: Fun is fundamental. I believe that every ministry should have the same mission, to reach people for Christ. Obviously, that's the. The bedrock of ministry. So our mission statement would be helping everyone take their next step with Jesus. But the method is always a little different. JC and our method at camp, at youth camp is fun is fundamental. So I grew up in the funnest place you can imagine.
[00:21:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:43] Speaker A: Every morning there was Bible Hour, and sometimes, you know, I'd go and hear some of our Bible hour speakers. Growing up there, I didn't obviously go all the time, but I got to know these guys.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:56] Speaker A: I got to see them up close. I could tell you stories about some things. I remember the first time I heard about mixed bathing was John Rice. I think Rice, one of the Rices, was speaking, and I didn't even know what that was. Right. I'm like, I'm not taking a bath. I'm just swimming.
But I would. I would grow up building forts in the woods with my other staff brat friends. We'd go to the beach every afternoon from 2 to 5. I mean, I grew up swimming and. But I think the thing that impacted me the most is I went to every Saturday and Sunday night. Rally.
[00:22:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:36] Speaker A: And at these rallies, the gospel would be preached with clarity. That Jack was really known for. Very simple, clear gospel message. And, man, I never got over. And I still. It still gets me when they give an open invitation, seeing young people stand up and walk forward and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: That to me, as. Even as a kid, and it absolutely marked me for life.
In fact, I mean, it's funny, man, growing up in that and hearing all these great messages, you can't help but doubt your salvation every couple of weeks.
[00:23:15] Speaker B: I mean, I can't tell you how.
[00:23:17] Speaker A: Many times I'm like, okay, God, just in case.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: That's hilarious. You know what I do love about Word of Life, of course? Being a camp speaker for the last five, six years. My favorite thing. And I've started even flying in a day early because I don't speak until normally Monday mornings, but I want to get there on Sundays because Word of Life makes no apologies. They start the week out with the gospel. And just like you said, the very first thing that any camper will hear is the gospel. And there's no beating around the bush. It's no bait and Switch. It's no, hey, we want to build it up and make you laugh and have fun and then cry. Night on Thursday night is when we're going to get you. No, we start with the gospel. And my favorite night, even though I'm not speaking, is normally Sunday nights, because that is gospel night. And it, man, it just sets the stage for the rest of the week because you build off of that. It's not like you're building up. And you got students that are coming in, man. I've been able to create some relationships. I have so many followers on Instagram of students that'll follow you after the summer, of course. And I've had the opportunity last summer to go up to Framingham, Massachusetts. Did I say right?
[00:24:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:28] Speaker B: Huge. There's a huge Brazilian population up there. And there is a church in Framingham called New Life. And they do. And, man, I'm telling you, it is one of the fastest growing, most impactful churches I've ever been a part of. I sat in their services. It was all in Portuguese. Ain't got a clue what was being said. I spoke through a translator. But those students, they bring busloads of students every summer. And just. That's just one story of students that are bumping into Jesus having an encounter there, and their lives are being radically changed. You know, boobar. I stepped on the island for the first time the summer of 2000, and stepping foot on that island. And of course that summer 2000, Joe Jordan was the president, and he would come over and Jesus walks this island. You know, I mean, it was one thing you heard all the time and just an impactful thing.
I can't imagine growing up there. You know, your dad was camp director for 26 years. That's an incredible legacy. And he was passionate, not just about discipleship and excellence.
He didn't just run a camp. He pastored a generation of staff of campers and learned what it means to be a servant leader. I knowing camp directors, they'd be up fixing plumbing and then leading a Bible study. How did that impact your life?
[00:25:51] Speaker A: Oh, man. I think, honestly, JC and I've said this many times before, and this isn't me bragging. I really think it's true. I really believe my dad was one of the greatest leaders of people I've ever witnessed in my life.
And I think the best way he did that was through authenticity. Yeah, I think that's the first step is just being true to who you are, and being imperfect is part of that.
But my dad was always looking for Opportunities to disciple and minister to people. And dad would minister to whoever God put in front of him. If you were staff, if you were a staff kid, if you were a camper, if you were a youth leader, it didn't matter. Whoever God put in front of him, that's who my dad was going to minister to. And he poured his life into so many. I mean, after he passed away about five years ago, if I had a nickel for every person who came up to me and said, I had a 10 minute conversation with your dad and it changed my life and I'm going, how do you do that?
[00:26:55] Speaker B: Yeah, that's awesome.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: Like, how do you do that? And I think that impact really comes from just loving people.
[00:27:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: And he really, really loved people because God did.
[00:27:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: So I really think that that is my dad's legacy. It is in my life and in the people that I know he's led over the years.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: So of course, now you are the director of the family campground, the Pines, as they call it. Now, how does what you have learned growing up at Word of Life and being the director of the Pines, how does that, how does that play a role in your life? And give us a little plug for the Pines.
[00:27:28] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, man. The Pines is the best family vacation you can imagine. If you think about how stressful vacations are for parents, terrible vacation for everybody but the parents.
[00:27:42] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:27:43] Speaker A: Parents need a vacation to recover from their vacation. And you're trying to figure out, what are we going to eat, where do we shop? I don't know. This grocery store. This isn't my kitchen. Can we afford it? I mean, by the time two days are gone, you're like, let's just eat out all the time. And you blow your budget out and then you come home and you're paying it off all year here at the Pines. Man, it is. It's so neat. You come here and our goal, our method statement. So what youth camps would be fun? As fun, Fundamental. The Pines is refreshing families physically, spiritually and relationally. So our goal is to fill you up and refresh you. Our theme this summer is rest. Jesus said, come unto me all who are labor and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest, respite, refreshment. So what we do in the morning, J.C. you drop your kids off at 8:45 at a vacation Bible school, basically. And your kid free till lunch.
I know, right?
So I see the newbies. You can tell them, right? Because they drop the kids off, they look at each other with a lost look on them.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: What do we do?
[00:28:52] Speaker A: Like, yeah, like, what do we do now? It's great. And we have.
[00:28:57] Speaker B: And then us veteran parents, we're waiting at 8:45 to drop them off. We can't wait till 8:45 gets there.
[00:29:02] Speaker A: Right. We're like. And go.
So at 9, if you want to, there's an optional seminar that's a different topic every day. Coffee breaks at 10, and we have these fresh pastries and. And you're sitting around with other believers. Yeah, most of the time. And you're. You're having community. I really think one week at camp at the Pines can give you as much community or more than most people get in an entire year at their local church.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:29:31] Speaker A: So you're hanging out with other people. Then at 11, we have Bible Hour. Now, J.C. you're a pastor, you see it every Sunday morning. People walk into your church and they're like, their stress levels at a nine when they walk in the door. They've been fighting about getting in the car and who's late and I can't believe you're wearing that. And then they walk in and they're like, hi. But they're stressed, man. There's way up here. And you're hoping the music can bring it down to maybe a seven or a six if you're lucky. And that's what you're preaching over here at camp, man. You've had your kids gone for two hours. You've had a second cup of coffee. When they roll into Bible Hour, their stress is at like a one, maybe.
And then the music picks them up. And then we have speakers. Like, this summer we have Ray Pritchard, Crawford Laritz, Richard Blackaby, John Barnett, Erwin Lutzer. We have some of the best Bible teachers. Joe Stoell's coming this summer.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: And. And then you sit under that teaching, and it's like they're yelling through a megaphone right into your ear. I mean, people walk out of Bible Hour like, this was the best, best teaching I've ever had. And then what do they do? They walk into lunch, and it's restaurant quality food.
[00:30:47] Speaker B: That food is good, brother.
[00:30:49] Speaker A: Oh, dude. Chick fil a day is good, my love.
[00:30:52] Speaker B: Steak night.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: Oh, steak night. And if bright. So then we have programming throughout the rest of the day where if you want activities and you don't want to have to plan it, you can just jump into what we're doing or do your own thing. It's family camp. We have a beautiful heated pool. We have a waterfront with boating, our own fishing Pond, a ropes course. So many things you can do and your kids can do just to have fun. Yeah, so. And our goal is to minister to the whole family at the Pines. So we've got a lot of rv, RV sites still open this year.
That's pretty much every year. RV sites don't usually fill up. Our cabins are getting pretty full Weeks zero, week one and week four still have significant availability, but outside of that we're pretty full, if you can believe.
[00:31:41] Speaker B: That's awesome. Hey, we're not done with the segment yet, but where can they go to get registered? Where can they find that?
[00:31:47] Speaker A: Yeah, if you just go on to wol.org you can find us under the camps section or the camping section, family camps, the Pines. And yeah, we'd love to see you this summer. There's still room. Best vacation you've ever had.
[00:32:01] Speaker B: And if you got teenagers, bring them over to the Ridge. I'll be speaking with middle schoolers at the Ridge. The island is for high schoolers and man, get the whole family down there.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: And the ranch for little kids too. We still.
[00:32:11] Speaker B: Oh yeah, I forgot about the ranch. Yeah, that's awesome.
[00:32:14] Speaker A: And, and if you're down in Florida, we've got the coast, which is.
[00:32:18] Speaker B: It's everything right there too. The coast is awesome. It's all one big old kitten caboodle at one campground. It's great.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Quick numbers. Last summer we had over 19,000 campers and we saw almost 1800 of them pray to trust Christ. And that's why we do it.
[00:32:33] Speaker B: That's it. So that goes right there. Those numbers go right along with the mission and the impact of Word of Life. So for our listeners that are unfamiliar with Word of Life, can you, can you give us the big picture? So we've talked about what Word of Life was and how it started and the impact that it's making. What we know that it's doing camps right now in Florida, in New York, around the globe. What is the impact that is being made right now with Word of Life?
[00:33:01] Speaker A: JC That's a great question. We are just concluding today is the last day. An initiative called Eternity 5 Million. We set a goal for the month of April, Word of Life worldwide, to try to reach 5 million people with the gospel. Okay, now, J.C. these are numbers as of this morning. There will be more numbers coming in from around the world over the course of the week. Are you ready for this? This is the first time anybody has heard this information so far. Through April 29, we have reached 6,131,000 wow, 427 people with the gospel.
[00:33:44] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:33:45] Speaker A: And we have seen 64, 961 indicate a decision to receive Jesus Christ as their savior. And 27, 535 dedications for Christ.
[00:34:04] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:34:05] Speaker A: So we have always been and always will be about reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The most important step in your journey with Jesus is the first one.
[00:34:17] Speaker B: That's it. That's it. And it's more than just numbers. Those are incredible numbers. But here's what I love about that. Every one of those numbers has a name and every name has a story. And that is a rejoicing that's happening in heaven. That's incredible.
My timeline on social media has been filled up with. I didn't realize how many people were connected with Word of Life. I just see the hashtag E5M and I'm like, man, there's another story, there's another story. You know what I love about Word of Life is that evangelism and discipleship has been the focus of Word of Life. The island is kind of legendary. On its own, the coast is legendary. But there's so much more than just getting a decision made in a hand raised. It's a follow up, it's a decision, it's becoming a follower of Jesus. And that is one of the reasons I continue to go back and be part of Word of Life is because it's more than just getting teenagers and middle schoolers and kids and adults to raise their hand to pray a prayer, to turn or burn, to drive a Ford or get with the Lord, to get right or get left. Like it's more than that. And it's not just to flaunt a number so they can begin a relationship with Jesus and then become more like Jesus. I love the discipleship aspect. And that has been at the foundation of who Word of Life is from the very beginning. So, Boobar, as we, as we kind of wrap this up, what do you see Word of Life continuing to do to impact future generations, especially in this digital age that we're moving into?
[00:35:49] Speaker A: Man, that's a great question, J.C. i think one of the most important things that Word of Life does, and again, this was something we thought was a bad idea, but Word of Life actually owns the patent on the words Quiet Time diary. We have been making those for so long. And it's not that our quiet time is the best thing in the world, it's that every person, if they're going to grow, man, you've got to be in The Word of God. And after somebody receives Jesus, the first thing we want to do is help them establish that daily rhythm of studying the Word of God with two simple questions. What does it say? And how does that apply to my life? That hasn't changed.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: Nope.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: That hasn't changed since I was a kid. And that's not going to change. So how do we do that?
One of the things we do at Camp JC is we collect the phones before it even starts. When young people come in, we got to get them off screens and into the Word of God in a way that means something to them in a way that's exciting and relevant. And I think part of the attraction at Word of Life is our counseling corps. These are young people that have all attended the Word of Life Bible Institute. They have a foundation in the Word of God and they're taking that summer and applying what they've learned in the classroom in real world relationships that are ministry focused, discipleship focused, helping every young person take their next step or their next steps with Jesus.
[00:37:18] Speaker B: So we've talked about camps, we've talked about clubs. There's also an incredible opportunity for those that are graduating high school to be part of Word of Life Bible Institute. I know so many are part of the bi. Will you give us a little plug about the bi?
[00:37:34] Speaker A: Yeah. So Word of Life Bible Institute is a fully accredited school. Credits transfer to Liberty, Cedarville, you name it.
And it is a unique program JC built on three principles. Academics. We have guest lectures, come in and teach every week. So if you're ADHD like me, that really works. I got a different lecture just by the time I got bored of the last one.
And then we also have discipleship where we are helping young people establish those healthy rhythms like their quiet time, the scripture, memory and life together in community. And then the third one is ministry. Every student that comes to Word of Life has a service assignment because ministry is serving, teaching them to if Jesus can wash his disciples feet, you can wash your roommates dishes. And ministry where they're going out and taking what they're learning and using that to tell people how they can know Jesus. So that is a quick summary of Word of Life. It's a 12 month program. We are still accepting applicants for this coming fall. If you've got a young person that doesn't know what they're doing next year, maybe they're a little lost trying to figure it out, this is the best way for them to spend next year.
[00:38:47] Speaker B: And there's a Bible Institute in Pottersville, New York which is screw Lake, New York and Hudson, Florida, which is the coast.
[00:38:56] Speaker A: That is correct. So we've got two, two programs and we've got them overseas. Word of Life in Hungary, Word of Life in Korea. We've got Bible institutes all over the world.
[00:39:07] Speaker B: Actually Argentina. Yeah, that's great. For high schoolers that want to go to camp, sign up, go to camp. It's awesome. But they also have this incredible program called Camp Crew. Can you talk a little bit about Camp Crew?
[00:39:21] Speaker A: Oh, I love Camp Crew. I did Camp Crew for four summers. Yeah, right.
[00:39:26] Speaker B: Change my boat, driver, baby.
[00:39:27] Speaker A: Hey, dish fit right here.
So Camp Crew is a 10 week discipleship program where young people volunteer to serve at camp. But it's not about the work. Work is just an avenue for us to place a young person next to a college student that is strong in their faith. They have one on one mentoring conversations every week. We're helping them establish a rhythm of quiet time. We're helping them establish a servant's heart and attitude. And it's so exciting to watch our staff come and then watch them come back every summer because this is where they grow and they know it.
[00:40:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: So Camp Crew, I can't recommend it enough. We do still have a few openings for the Ranch Ridge for Camp Crew this summer. And we may have one or two openings left on the island and in the coast as well.
[00:40:19] Speaker B: I can't say enough about Camp crew. Summer of 2000 was my first summer serving in Camp Crew. And man, I'm telling you, that summer radically changed my life. I was a follower of Jesus, kind of just going through the motions. I was doing all the right things and I had conversations I will never forget that made an impact in my life. We had a guy, Jacob Kessling, he was our boat captain that summer. He just preached for me here at Hope Church a couple weeks ago. I remember sitting on the boat and having just a very impactful conversation with Mike Eaton and him asking me some hard questions. I remember Ed just asking me about life and, you know, fun fact. This is our 25 year anniversary of Boathouse. And so I'm going to be at the ridge up there in Pottersville June 29 through July 4. And on July 4, all the boat guys are getting together up there at the boathouse on 4th of July and we're going to have our 25 year reunion. It's crazy how quick that went by, by the way.
[00:41:19] Speaker A: Oh my goodness, man.
[00:41:20] Speaker B: Hey.
[00:41:21] Speaker A: My best friend in the world. We met at Camp Crew, Pastor Chris Gepner up at Riverbank.
[00:41:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:27] Speaker A: I worked with Janie Greer on the island for several summers. We've got quite a list of young people that have done camp crew, and I have watched it dramatically, dramatically impact their life.
[00:41:39] Speaker B: Chris is coming on the podcast in a couple weeks. We're going to be talking about church planning and planning a church and pastoring in the North Northeast. I'm really excited about that episode there.
[00:41:50] Speaker A: That's awesome. He's great. And what God is doing at River.
[00:41:53] Speaker B: Bank, I mean, oh, it's awesome.
[00:41:55] Speaker A: They have 42 people saved over Easter weekend.
[00:41:58] Speaker B: Amen. Amen.
[00:41:59] Speaker A: It's exciting.
[00:42:00] Speaker B: So good. You also just mentioned another person a minute ago that's coming on. Joe Stoll, former president of Moody Bible Institute. He actually just sent me a new book that he wrote and he's going to be a guest here on the podcast here in a few weeks. So. I love Word of Life. I love everything about it. I praise God for the legacy, the history for guys like your dad that just laid an incredible foundation for us.
If the Lord tarries, I pray that my kids will get involved and my grandkids and I know that Word of Life is set to continue to impact generations to come with the good news of the gospel. And I give it my 100% full stamp of approval. It's why I go back every summer. I love it. And even if I wasn't speaking at a camp, we would still be there because I believe in it that much. And Boobar, I'm excited to see you this summer and share a meal with you there at the Pines. And thank you for coming on today and just talking a little bit about Word of Life.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: Thanks for having me, my friend. Can't wait to see you this summer.
[00:42:59] Speaker B: Well, this wraps up another episode of the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. We hope you've enjoyed diving into the history and the impact of Word of Life fellowship. Jonathan, thank you for being here with us today. Remember, understanding our roots helps us navigate our faith journey with greater clarity and purpose as we see what he has done and where he has taken us. I really do believe the best is yet to come. Hope you join us next time as we continue exploring stories and perspectives that challenge and inspire. Don't forget to subscribe, share and leave us a review. Your feedback keeps us going and helps us reach more listeners like you. Check us out
[email protected] that's recovering fundamentalist.org until next time. Keep seeking truth, embracing grace, and walking in freedom. This is the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast, where no topic is off limits as we journey together towards a more authentic faith, becoming more like Jesus. We'll see you back here for episode number 191. God bless. Love you, kids.
