Merry Christmas!

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." ~ Luke 2:7

Merry Christmas!

That's all, just Merry Christmas. However... may our Merry Christmas be rich and deep and filled with Truth. May we each be reminded of the great sacrifice of Christ at this time of year. The anguish of leaving heaven, the anguish of taking a human form and of suffering the indignities of humanity, the anguish of all that it is to be human, and yet remaining fully God.

As we revel this Christmas, as we spend time with family, and eat copious amounts of sweets, overindulging in bountiful feasts, as we succumb to the shiny trinkets under the tree and desperately seek after that warm and cozy Christmastime feeling; may we remember that although Christmas is a wonderful time of year for many reasons we also have great cause for a most sincere pause.

It is appropriate and wonderful for us to celebrate the Birth of Christ - He is our Savior, Redeemer, Sacrifice and Lord! Our salvation in Christ is the greatest reason for celebration. Celebration notwithstanding - we should also allow this time of year catch us up short in our sin; sin that saturates and defiles every aspect of our lives. It is for this very reason that Christ came to us, He was born and died on account of our sin. It would serve us well to remember this truth throughout the year, but certainly we should not forget it at Christmas for the sake of revelry. The birth of our Lord was the beginning of pain and sacrifice for Him.

So, Merry Christmas; and as the world celebrates "the Holidays" (we along with them), may we each be blessed in taking time to celebrate Christmas!

Announcing 2012

We've already been receiving questions about what the schedule for next years summer camps will look like. We've worked out a schedule and communicated with our leadership about it, and have it here for you today!

There are a few changes to this years schedule and we will be initiating some new staff training in accordance with NCEM's policies. If you have any questions about the schedule or would like to take part in any of the ministries this coming year, don't hesitate to get in touch. We will be contacting former staff and seeking to fill key roles in the New Year - the staff application forms will be available at that time as well. We're looking forward to a fantastic year of ministry at Arrowhead and can't wait to see many of you again, and some of you for the first time!

March 30 - April 1 - Mawiomi: the gathering, ANBC's 2nd annual Men's Retreat

April 22 - 28 - A.N.B.C. Work Week
If you would like to come out and join us for some Spring clean-up or renovations or construction, we have work projects that suit everyones skill level. It's a great week of fellowship and a great opportunity to serve in a very practical way.

June 29 - July 1 - Staff Training at A.N.B.C.
If you are coming to be staff with us this summer, you will need to take part in our more extensive staff training program this year. If you would like to arrange a summer ministry team and feel that you are too far away to come for the weekend, please communicate with me and we can perhaps arrange to come and offer the weekend locally. This staff training will be mandatory for everyone, including former staff.

July 9-13 • Teen Camp (ages 13-18)
July 16-20 • Junior Camp 1 (ages 8-12)
July 23-27 • Junior Camp 2 (ages 8-12)
July 30-August 3 • Junior Camp 3 (ages 8-12)
August 6-8 • Lil' Squirts Camp (ages 5-7)
August 13-16 • Discipleship Week
The communities that will be coming during each week has yet to be determined. I will announce it when I have further details, but please do not let this delay your application as staff, as you may find we have filled all of our staffing needs by the time we have this detail ironed out.

Teen camp will be the first week of camp this year. As it tends to be a high impact week of camp, this will allow us to all come full of energy and ready to engage in the programs. We have added two new programs this year. The "Lil' Squirts" camp is a pilot this year to see how it works out. It will be for younger children, but will allow for those children to bring their older brother or sister as well to help keep them from becoming homesick. The discipleship week at the end of the summer is also a new addition to our programs at ANBC. It is a program that has been piloted by another NCEM camp in the west with success. This week will be for a limited number of staff and campers who have expressed a desire to know more about things of the Lord. With a small group setting, it will involve activities and time in the Word in a more focused environment.

September 21-23 • ANBC's annual Ladies Retreat

November 24 • Christmas Dinner
It is our hope to put on a Christmas Dinner for families in communities that NCEM has been working. It will be available free of charge with a suggested donation of non-perishable food items for the food bank.

If you have any questions about the programs or schedule, please don't hesitate to drop us a line - we'd love to hear from you.