Lonnie Wilkey
For more than 35 years, I have attended countless events at Tennessee Baptists’ two camps/conference centers at Carson Springs in Newport and Linden Valley in Linden.
But it wasn’t until the last two-plus years that I have truly come to understand the treasure Tennessee Baptists have at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center and Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center.
About three years ago, I sensed my time as editor of the Baptist and Reflector was nearing an end, so my wife and I began planning for the future. We had no intent of selling our home in Nashville but in 2021, God moved in such a way that we know it was His will for us to sell.
We rented a house less than 10 minutes from our former home, but within a few weeks, our son and his wife, and more importantly, our only granddaughter, moved to our native state of South Carolina where our daughter and her husband live with our two grandsons.
Needless to say, my wife, Joyce, who had already retired, interpreted their move as a sign that we needed to begin thinking about the day we would return to our home state.
Again, God moved in such a way that it could only have been orchestrated by Him. We ended up buying a home near both of our children at a time when the housing market was at its peak.
The chapel at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center provides a beautful setting for worship and fellowship.
I finished the year’s lease in Nashville that year and my wife and I took turns traveling from one place to the other. After our lease was up, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board allowed me work remotely and to rent an apartment at Carson Springs. It has been a win-win for all of us.
I have been blessed to meet so many more Baptists and discover stories I might not have learned about while working at the Church Support Center in Franklin. Plus, I was able to go South Carolina on weekends (less than two hours away) unless I had work responsibilities over the weekend.
I have been blessed to work and live at Carson Springs in Newport. It has not only reinforced by my positive feelings for the camp, but for the staff and their commitment and dedication to God. They are not just employees. They are ministers. Let me stress that what I say about Carson Springs also applies to the staff at Linden Valley.
As camp season approaches, there is no such thing as working “9 to 5,” as the Dolly Parton song says. Staff members literally work from daylight to dark to make sure the needs of the campers are met. They are all ministers in the truest sense of the word.
All Nations Camp brings participants from across Tennessee to Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center.
This year, more than 5,700 children, teenagers and adults will attend events at our two conference centers. There will be campers this year who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Others will first sense God calling them to fulltime Christian service.
Many pastors and missionaries serving today in our state and around the world felt that call while attending one of our camps and conference centers. Only God knows how many young people this year will join them in future service for Him because they attended camp at Carson Springs or Linden Valley.
It’s important to reach children early. An article on the Child Evangelism Fellowship in 2021 cited the “4 to 14 window.” That is the age when most children will accept Christ as Savior. The numbers decline drastically in the later teen and adult years.
Our camps and conference centers provide a safe, non-threatening environment for children to hear the gospel and to make the most important decision of their lives, a decision which impacts their eternity.
As summer nears, pray for children and leaders who will be attending one of the many camps held at our Tennessee Baptist conference centers. Pray for our conference center staff for strength and endurance and that the campers will see God’s love through their ministry. Pray for decisions that will be made.
God has blessed Tennessee Baptists with our conference centers. May we use them as a blessing to Him! B&R
