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Written by Janet Tuck
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Sunday, 21 February 2010 17:31 |
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Retreat centers provide great settings for quiet contemplation, prayer, and worship. But they don’t stop there. Major training for folks preparing to engage in world mission takes place at camps and conference centers.
One example: The Clean Water University efforts of the Synod of Living Waters. Through the past half-dozen years, the synod has transformed Hopewell Camp and Conference Center in Oxford, Miss., into Clean Water U (CWU) to train hundreds of volunteers to serve in its Living Waters for the World program. This past October, they initiated training in a second conference center, Calvin Crest Conference Center (CCC) in Oakhurst, Calif., to ramp up their vision to dig fresh water wells around the world.
CWU was the brainchild of CCC Executive Director Scott Henderson and Living Waters for the World Director Wil Howie. Henderson, a Presbyterian elder, was excited that CWU West was making its debut. “I first heard about Living Waters for the World sitting in a presbytery meeting in Nebraska, long before I came to Calvin Crest.” Something about LWW had captured his imagination and the idea had stayed with him.
When Henderson came to Calvin Crest as executive director, he dreamed that the conference center would become a nurturing ground for mission. And what better way to do that than by becoming a center to train people to then train others in clean water systems? He called Wil Howie in early 2008. By September 2008, Henderson and a team from the west coast attended CWU at Hopewell. By November Calvin Crest and LWW committed to work together.
CWU-101 student Wendy Gist of San Gabriel Presbytery reflected on her experience. The fact that international partners were next to her in the classroom was a bonus to Wendy. “It was so nice to learn more about their context. Their participation and sharing of their experience really added to what I learned.” These included the Rev. Khampheng Mitpasa of Laos, and Orlando Cab of the Yucatan, Mexico. Also participating were immigrants to this country: John Bosavanh and Tony Bounthapanya, originally from Laos, and Gideon Ticha, originally from Ghana.
CWU-102 is the course that trains students how to train their partners in the health, hygiene, and spiritual implications of clean water. The CWU 103 class teaches the installation, operations, and maintenance of system hardware. This class was held under a 40 foot- by 40 foot-square tent called “The Water Pavilion,” with four training bays used in teaching the clean water systems.
“This is the sure hope that in bringing more and more people together to be trained, more and more clean water will flow. For this, after all, is what we are all about, clean water for all God’s children,” says Wil Howie.
With the help of supportive camps and conference centers, this hope can be realized.
JANET TUCK, an ordained Presbyterian pastor, is director of communications for the Synod of Living Waters, based in Nashville, Tenn.
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