Word Of Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about a U.S.-based youth ministry. For information on the Sweden based church, see Livets Ord.
Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. is an international Christian youth ministry headquartered in Schroon Lake, in the Adirondack Mountains region of New York. Its presence in the United States consists of two Bible institutes, located in Schroon Lake and Hudson, Florida, and a campsite in California.
Word of Life was established in 1940 by Jack Wyrtzen. Wyrtzen began with a radio ministry targeted at Christian youth. 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 Overseas claims to administer to over 1,150 missionaries working in more than 60 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 the Asia-Pacific region, the largest is in Australia. Africa has four small branches in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.
[edit] Canada
Word of Life Canada operates summer camps,[1] snow camps,[2] Bible Institutes,[3] and Bible Clubs[4] in both English and French[5] from their properties in Owen Sound, Ontario, and Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Word of Life Canada was incorporated in 1961. Today, over 50 full time missionaries work to minister to French- and English-speaking Canadians.
Word of Life Local Church Ministries offers Bible study for children and teens in over 80 Bible Clubs in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Conferences and training seminars for leaders are held throughout the year. Sporting events are also used as evangelistic opportunities.
[edit] Argentina
Word of Life Argentina began in 1971. In 1972, a 30 acres (0.12 km²) camp property was purchased in San Miguel del Monte, a small town about 62 miles (100 km) from Buenos Aires.
Word of Life Argentina (known in Argentina as Palabra de Vida, Argentina) serves as the hub for Word of Life's Spanish-speaking ministries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A Bible Institute campus serves students from all over the world and doubles as a youth camp in the summer.
[edit] Brazil
Word of Life Brazil (known in Brazil as Palavra da Vida, Brasil), founded in 1957, was the first international outreach of Word of Life Fellowship. The first youth camp was held in Atibaia the following year. The ministry is based near Sao Paulo.
The ministry also has several other locations in Brazil. A center in Recife consists of a youth camping program, a one-year Bible Institute, and various evangelistic outreaches. A youth camp has been established in Curitiba. 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] Portugal
Word of Life Portugal began in 1976. The organization has a property near the town of Ericeira, in the municipality of Mafra, about 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Lisbon.
Word of Life Portugal dedicates itself to church and outreach ministries and uses its property for annual summer camps.
[edit] Australia
Word of Life purchased a property of approximately 150 acres (0.61 km²) north of Sydney in 1970. A camp ministry and Bible College were established.
In 2004 the property was sold because of diminishing numbers in camp attendance and no Bible College registrations. There was some opposition to the sale. Requests were made to international headquarters in Schroon Lake, New York, that the property not be sold. Word of Life approved the sale of the property.
[edit] Other international ministries
Word of Life also has ministries in the following countries, as of 2006:
[edit] Camps
The organization currently maintains 45 camps in 52 countries.
Word of Life's 48 acres (0.19 km²) island in the middle of Schroon Lake, called The Rock, provides week-long camps for teens ages 14-19.
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 Bible study programs and activities including swimming, miniature golf, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and tennis.
West Coast Camp is located near Lassen Peak in northern California. The facility has activities such as swimming, volleyball, basketball, go karts, and crafts.
