I was first introduced to the Warm Beach Camp community 27 years ago. I was managing condominiums in Colorado when I was led by the Holy Spirit to get back into Christian camping.

When I flew out to interview for the Horsemanship Director position, I was immediately welcomed by a genuine and loving community. As my wife, Holly, and I sat around a table enjoying a potluck dinner provided by Warm Beach Camp, we felt right at home. We sat and listened to each person’s life story; we knew this was a community we already felt part of.

Holly and I lived in three different houses in our first four years of marriage. As we sat in the living room of our new house at Warm Beach Camp with our two kids, we finally felt like we were home.

Our camp house was not very large. In fact, the dining room was so small that we had to replace our dining room chairs with benches so the four of us could fit. The bathroom was so small that you could sit on the toilet and wash your hands or reach in and turn on the shower all at once.

It did not take long to realize it was not the house that made us feel at home, it was the community. A community that gathers every workday for a time of devotions and prayer, laughs together, cries together, and rallies around an individual or family in need by providing meals, childcare, money, and even vehicles.

Even in a time when we are not able to gather for our daily devotions, or gather together to share a potluck meal, or share workspaces, or even greet each other with a hug or even a handshake we are still a community that cares for one another.

We learned to adapt and replace the in-person daily devotion time with an emailed devotion and virtual prayer time. We replaced potlucks with online cooking challenges and photos of the outcomes. Workspaces were shared through video conferencing, and hugs and handshakes were conveyed with emojis.

I am continually blessed to be part of a wonderful and caring community known as Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center.

-Eugene Barnes, Director of Hospitality Services
Warm Beach Camp