New Life Ranch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Life Ranch (NLR) is a non-denominational Christian summer camp located in The Ozarks and Green Country in northeast Oklahoma. The camp's vision is to be "A valley set apart for the glory of God". Its mission is to "proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and to equip believers for ministry."
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[edit] Summer Camp
The camp traditionally offers one-week resident sessions June through August for ages 8 through 18.
Mission Statement: "Provide cutting edge programming in a fun and enthusiastic manner that gives campers a chance to play, learn, develop, and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
[edit] Ministries
NLR has several areas of focus:
| Ministry | Description |
|---|---|
| Outdoor Education | “Help campers see the fingerprints of a creative and caring God, spark an appreciation for nature, and assist parents by getting kids excited about learning.” |
| Adventure Ministries | “Developing teams and individuals through adventure activities." |
| Community Ministries | “Minister to children and youth by leading them to Christ and making disciples of Christ by equipping the whole person for the challenges of her/her daily life.” |
| Leadership Development | “Through deliberate activities and purposeful jobs we challenge summer campers with new experiences designed to transform them into leaders for Jesus Christ. NLR’s L.E.A.D is a year long ministry geared toward discipling and equipping college age students, within the context of Christian Camping.” |
| Retreat Ministry | “Through deliberate activities and purposeful jobs we challenge summer campers with new experiences designed to transform them into leaders for Jesus Christ. NLR’s L.E.A.D is a year long ministry geared toward discipling and equipping college age students, within the context of Christian Camping.” |
| Family Camps | "Giving families opportunities to grow through shared experiences. |
| Summer Camp | "Summer camp for youth grades 3-12" |
[edit] History
It is believed that the earliest known dwellers of the property that is now New Life Ranch were Native Americans that camped along Flint Creek. Many artifacts have been found all across the grounds, including flint stone arrowheads.
During World War I, the grounds were used as a rest and relaxation retreat for soldiers weary from battle. During the 1920s, a military man named Colonel Kellum purchased the retreat and turned it into a youth camp, and called it Kellum’s Ranch. The Great Depression of the 1930s proved especially hard for rural Oklahoma; many ranchers in the neighboring area were not able to make a living. The land is rocky and difficult to farm, so most land wasn't profitable to its owners. Many landowners were forced to sell their land in order to pay their property taxes. Since Colonel Kellum worked for the federal government, he had a steady income that allowed him to purchase many acres of land in the area that is now New Life Ranch. The final ranch size was 972 acres (3.93 km²), and as a result of Kellum's many separate land purchases, NLR today has an irregular shape.
For several years, Colonel Kellum kept the ranch as a youth camp. Different churches and Christian groups would bring their youth to the camp for a week in the summer.
In the early 1950s, a minister known as Reverend Willard Heck brought his youth group from Tulsa to the camp. At that time, Heck had the desire to start his own summer youth camp. He liked the location of Kellum's ranch, but didn't believe Kellum would ever sell the ranch. Heck eventually asked Kellum to sell the ranch to him, and Kellum said, “I never wanted to sell the ranch to anyone because I would be afraid that they wouldn't take care of it nor use it for the Lord’s work. But I have watched you and your youth group when you visit during the summers. I noticed how well behaved the children are. Because of this, I would be willing to sell the ranch to you only.”
Reverend Heck purchased the ranch in 1958 along with his partner Tom Hull. The two men dedicated the ground to God and later named the place "New Life Ranch." Heck said of purchasing the Ranch, “It’s been a faith work to begin with. We trust the Lord to provide the needs which he has done abundantly, and I trust he will continue to do so.”
In 1960, Willard Heck’s father built the existing chapel in memory of his wife who died in 1959. The main beams of the chapel were cut from oak trees on the Ranch. The stained glass windows were brought from the Heck’s home church in Westwood, New Jersey and are memorials to Willard’s grandparents.
Campgoers and staff alike recount the story of Reverend Heck and the small retreat location that grew over the years from a humble piece of land with a few log cabins to a notable retreat camp visited by thousands of campers.
[edit] Executive Directors
[edit] Traditions
During its 50 years of history New Life Ranch has developed many traditions:
- Morning Camp Party (MCP) takes place at 11:11 a.m. Monday through Friday during summer camp. It is a time of games, songs, and the running weekly skit. A current variation on MCP is MCP Live, a more intense variation of MCP that takes place on Sunday nights.
- Ultimate Flocker is a game combining Ultimate Frisbee, Soccer, and Flicker. The exact origins of the game are not known. It is played on Fridays in the summer at 3:15 p.m. on the camp ball field.
- Hook Man is the story of man who owned a farm near New Life Ranch. He had lost his hand and it never showed up in lost and found. He then replaced it with a hook from the Mountain Man supplies. Hardened by years of early morning PA announcements ending in squawks, in 1961 he went on a rampage. After slaying multiple armadillos, 6 carp, the canteen manager, and Reverend Willard Heck's guppy "Dr. Bados", he was shot by junior campers with finger blasters. He was seen weeping as he limped into the woods toward the spillway and escaped. His body was never found but summer staff did find a sandal, three aluminum cans and signs of beaver activity.
- Other camp traditions and peculiarities include Hobos, NLR Unplugged, and more.
[edit] External links
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