Word Of Life
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- This article is about a US-based youth ministry. For information on the Sweden based church, see Livets Ord.
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Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. is an international Christian youth ministry headquartered in Schroon Lake, located in the Adirondack mountain region of New York. In the United States, it consists of two Bible institutes located in Schroon Lake and in Hudson, Florida and a campsite located in California.
Word of Life was established in 1940 by the Rev. Jack Wyrtzen. Wyrtzen began with a radio ministry targeted at Christian youth and broadcasting through a small 500 watt station. Today, Word of Life has active youth ministry operations in over 50 countries and is involved in a wide variety of activities such as youth camps, Bible clubs, evangelistic campaigns, and radio ministry.
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[edit] International Ministries
Word of Life has expanded worldwide. Word of Life Overseas claims to administer over 1150 missionaries working in over 50 countries on six continents. In North America, the largest branch outside the United States is in Canada. In South America, the two largest branches are located in Argentina and Brazil. In Europe, the largest branch is in Portugal, and in Asia and the Pacific, the largest is in Australia. Africa has four small branches in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.
[edit] Word of Life Canada
Word of Life Canada operates summer camps, snow camps, and Bible Institutes in both English and French from their properties in Owen Sound, Ontario, and Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Word of Life Canada was first incorporated in 1961. In 1964 the organization began hiring full-time Canadian staff and began its first Bible Clubs. Today, over 50 full time missionaries work under the direction of Gary and Barbara Stairs to minister to French- and English-speaking Canadians. In addition, over 50 Bible Clubs exist in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Word of Life Canada owns two camp properties in Quebec and Ontario and also operates a satellite camp program in Manitoba. Each location offers youth camping programs with a full array of summer camps and snow camps, as well as a Bible Institute. The Quebec property also effectively serves as a French language school for missionaries.
Other ministries include the Impact Team, a musical team comprised of five to seven young men who visit churches, schools, nursing homes, and retirement communities and present drama, skits, singing, and preaching. Sporting events such as Super Bowl (Ontario), Triple Play, and Crazy Kids Day are also used as evangelistic opportunities.
In 2006, Word of Life Canada launched a new ministry called Testify. Testify is a musical team consisting of seven men and women who travel and minister in much the same way as the Impact Team, and also organizes youth rallies. Testify consists of full-time students from the Ontario campus, near Owen Sound, Ontario, and operates under the direction of Scott Foreman.
Word of Life Canada's goals include expanding the staff to 60 full time missionaries and extending the ministry to public schools and to unreached regions of the country. A radio broadcast is also planned which will address the issues and needs of Canadian youth.
[edit] Word of Life Argentina
In January 1971, Joe and Melva Jordan moved to Argentina to begin a new Word of Life ministry. In 1972, a 30-acre camp property was purchased near San Miguel del Monte, a small town about 62 miles from Buenos Aires.
Word of Life Argentina (known in Argentina as Palabra de Vida, Argentina)is now co-directed by Argentinians Dan Nuesch and Andres Fernandez Paz, and serves as the hub for Word of Life's Spanish-speaking ministries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The property has a huge Bible Institute campus serving students from all over the world, and doubles as a youth camp for over 4,500 young people each summer.
Word of Life Argentina also supports a music ministry that has been increasing in scope since its inception in the early 1970s.
[edit] Word of Life Brazil
Founded by Harry Bollback and Harold Reimer in 1957, Word of Life Brazil (known in Brazil as Palavra da Vida, Brasil) was the first international outreach of Word of Life Fellowship. The first youth camp was held in Atibaia the following year and was attended by 300 young people.
Today, the ministry is led by John Reimer and is based near Sao Paulo, where it includes a four-year Bible Seminary program with over 200 full-time students, a youth camp, the Estancia (a Bible conference center), weekly marriage and family seminars, and the EMME singing group.
The ministry also has several other locations in Brazil. A center in Recife consists of a well-developed youth camping program, a one-year Bible Institute, and various evangelistic outreaches. A youth camp has been established in Curitiba, where an EMME music team regularly ministers in churches and participates in evangelistic crusades throughout the region. The Porto Alegre team recently initiated the Word of Life Bible Club program in local churches, regularly ministers in public schools, and is developing a youth camp property. A center opened in Belem in 1989 and includes a Christian Day School, a camp and retreat facility, and a Missionary Training Institute where students are trained to minister to the Amazon people who are accessible only by boat. A sixth ministry location has opened in the Gioas area with a conference center complex and plans to develop a youth camp.
[edit] Word of Life Portugal
Word of Life Portugal began in 1976 and is currently under the leadership of David and Patricia West. The organization has a property near the town of Ericeira, in the municipality of Mafra, about 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Lisbon. The property was purchased in 1980 by Larry Bollback and Dave Kelso, and it was dedicated the following year.
In 1982 the first Family Day was offered, though it was not held on the present property until 1983. It has been offered every year since with thousands of people present from all over Portugal. A one-year Bible School began in 1987 offering not only Bible study but also training in street- and church-based ministry, but has since closed. Word of Life Portugal now dedicates itself to church and outreach ministries and uses its property for annual summer camps. Through the years an auditorium, a dining room, a dormitory, offices, eight apartments for couples, and a swimming pool have been added to the campus. Word of Life Portugal claims to have ministered to thousands of young people over the years[citation needed] by way of campaigns, camps, and Bible Clubs, and the ministry has plans to re-open its Bible Institute in the near future.
[edit] Word of Life Australia
Word of Life purchased a property of approximately 150 acres north of Sydney in 1970 for $30,000. A camp ministry and Bible College were established under the leadership of Dave Hillis and Dick Andes. The Rev. M.A. Butler became director of Word of Life Australia in 1985 and also worked as a teacher in the Bible College, specializing in the areas of Bible chronology and prophecy. His expertise gave the college's one-year Bible course a reputation for providing a strong education in these areas. In 1994, the leadership was taken over by Dan Keegan and Jim Dugan.
As of late 2004, the administration consisted of five men who believed that they could have a greater ministry without the time constraints of maintaining a camp property. This was due to the diminishing numbers in camp attendance and zero Bible College registrations. The property was put on the market after being valued at approximately $2.5 million.
There was some opposition to the sale, primarily from those who felt the problems were managerial. Requests were made to international headquarters in Schroon Lake, New York, that the property not be sold. After considering all sides of the dispute, the team at Schroon Lake, under the leadership of Joe Jordan and international director Don Lough, Jr., approved the sale of the property. The property was sold to a large Sydney-based church, and the sale was officially closed on December 5th, 2006.
[edit] Other International Ministries
Word of Life also has ministries in the following countries, as of 2006:
[edit] International Programs
In addition to local programs, Word of Life offers some programs that extend throughout all branches. Youth Reachout is designed specifically for teens desiring firsthand exposure to cross-cultural ministry. Missions trips are planned every summer to destinations such as Russia, Hungary, Sweden, Chile, Korea, and the Philippines. The Nehemiah Network presents opportunities for any member to be involved in worldwide missions work. Members may minister by providing hospitality, professional services, equipment, or short-term participation in work project teams around the world.
[edit] Bible Institutes
Word of Life Bible Institute, with locations on all six continents, is intended to teach new Christians more about the faith and prepare them for ministry. Word of Life Bible Institute employs experienced and accredited Bible professors. For those who desire to specialize in Youth Ministry and Missions, the Bible Institute offers a second year program in which students are exposed to an internship program in addition to a comprehensive curriculum.
[edit] Camps
Ministering to young people and adults through camping has become a Word of Life trademark. The organization currently maintains 45 camps in 52 countries and has plans to build more camps.
Word of Life's 48-acre island in the middle of Schroon Lake, called The Rock, provides week-long camps for teens ages 14-19. The Rock offers activities such as high ropes, low ropes, paintball, mountain biking, sports tournaments, and a 5-sided climbing tower. Campers also attend Bible classes.
The Family Campground provides ministry to entire families. It offers facilities for tents, RVs, and travel trailers as well as lake view cabins and fully furnished cottages. The camp offers specially designed Bible study programs for all ages as well as a number of activities including swimming, miniature golf, basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and a game room. There is also boating in either Andrew's Pond or Schroon Lake, as well as skiing on the latter, and ample opportunity for recreation off property in the mountains, rivers, or lakes of the Adirondacks.
West Coast Camp is located near the foot of Lassen Peak in northern California. West Coast Camp is a youth camp with a program focused on Bible study and training in ministry. The facility offers separate camps for juniors and teens, and provides opportunities to listen to various speakers as well as to participate in activities such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, bumper cars, and crafts.
[edit] Local Church Ministries
Word of Life Clubs offer Bible study for children and teens in over 1500 local churches around the world. Separate programs are offered for children ages 4-5, children in grades 1-6, and teens in grades 7-12. In addition, evangelistic events and training seminars for leaders are held throughout the year in all regions.
[edit] Dramatic Productions
Word of Life produces a variety of dramatic presentations that are performed at the Harry Bollback Performing Arts Center at Word of Life in Hudson, Florida. These include two special holiday-based musical-drama presentations, Jesus: Behold the Man, presented at Easter, and The Sights and Sounds of Christmas, presented at Christmas. Word of Life claims that at least 35,000 people view these presentations each year.[citation needed]
[edit] Beliefs and Practices
As a fundamentalist Christian organization, Word of Life believes in the inerracy of the Bible and holds scripture as the literal, God-inspired truth. According to their website, their beliefs are as follows:
- That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are verbally inspired of God, and they are without error in the original writings, and they are the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
- In one God, creator and sustainer of the universe, Who is eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- In the Deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, His death to pay the penalty for our sins, His bodily resurrection, His exaltation at God's right hand, and His personal, imminent and pre-millennial return.
- That all have sinned and are therefore guilty before God and are under His condemnation.
- That all who by faith receive Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, therefore children of God and eternally saved, and that the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer to enlighten, guide, and enable the believer in life, testimony, and service. We believe that God answers the prayers of His people and meets their needs according to His purpose.
- That God gives spiritual gifts to all believers for the building up of the body of Christ. However, some gifts of the Spirit, such as tongues and healings, were evidentially limited to the early church.
- In the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in Glory and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost in hell.
- That all believers are called to a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and alliances.
[edit] Code of Conduct
Since Word of Life adheres to a very strict and conservative form of fundamentalist Christianity, it requires that its adherents, whether they are employees, students, or missionaries observe a strict code of conduct. This code is controversial, but because Word of Life is a private and openly conservative Christian organization, such measures are accepted. The code of conduct is outlined on the organization's website and may be summarized as follows:
- All people who are directly associated with Word of Life bear certain responsibilities for the implementation of its philosophy and goals. Therefore, it is necessary that there be a mutual commitment to a set of standards that involve the surrender of certain individual purposes and goals.
- Word of Life prohibits practices which are clearly forbidden by the Bible, such as drunkenness, sexual immorality, dishonesty, etc. Adherents are also expected to display love as it is described in the Bible, consideration for the rights of others, honesty, and a high sense of Biblical ethics.
- Word of Life is committed to a literal interpretation of the Bible and rejects any attempt to "reinterpret" Scripture. According to the Bible, the first two humans created by God were a man and a woman. God joined them and commanded them to multiply; therefore, the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. The Bible teaches that no sexual activity should take place outside of marriage. Accordingly, all forms of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are contrary to Biblical ideals and Word of Life will not employ those who promote or participate in any of them.
- Word of Life believes in principles of Christian liberty regarding things that are intrinsically innocent. However, Word of Life also believes that liberty must be restricted when practices that are inherently innocent can potentially do spiritual harm to other members of the Christian community.
- Word of Life requires adherents to refrain from the possession or use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or illicit drugs; from gambling and the use of traditional playing cards; from participation in oath-bound secret societies; from social dancing of any type; from attendance at motion pictures or commercial stage productions. Christian discretion and restraint will be exercised in all choices of entertainment, including radio, television, audio and visual recordings, and various forms of literature. Also, it is expected that adherents will actively attend and support a Bible-believing church.
- Word of Life rejects the principle that exposure to doubtful and objectionable practices is essential to the development of moral or intellectual discernment. Word of Life reserves the right to make the final decision in any questionable area.
- Observance of Word of Life standards neither comprises an individual's entire responsibility to God nor necessarily indicates that one is living in full commitment to God. Word of Life maintains, however, that willingness to obey these standards shows maturity and spiritual concern for the whole Christian community.
- While some may not have personal convictions wholly in accordance with Word of Life standards, the purpose underlying them necessitates the honorable obedience to them. If an individual can no longer in integrity conform to them, that person should withdraw from Word of Life. Willful disobedience of these standards will bring about dismissal from Word of Life immediately.
