Building on a Heritage of Prayer
by Joanie Yonker

As I glanced around the room, I saw people I have come to depend on bowing their heads and approaching the throne of God with requests from our box in the Prayer Chapel at Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center (WBC).

Each year, WBC has an event called "The Lights of Christmas." Over 45,000 people attended this lavish display of lights last December. There is much to enjoy, including rides, entertainment and over a million lights.

However, there are several spots on the grounds that have become areas of peace and calm in the midst of a hectic and hurried season of the year. The larger-than-life nativity is one of them. The other is the Prayer Chapel. Many of the guests find their way to this beautiful, serene center of quiet and peace. They come for various reasons: to avoid the noise and jostling of the crowds, to regain a little calm in the midst of the Christmas rush, or to write down their prayer requests and put them in the box. On that box is a notice that the staff meets together and prays daily for these requests.

This prayer time is nothing new to Warm Beach Camp. It has become a well-known fact that the staff meets together daily for devotions and prayer. Why do we do this? There are several reasons. This organization was begun and built on prayer. Waiting in the presence of God the Father for His direction was one of the founding fathers' core values. That core value has been maintained for almost 50 years. We want to keep this ministry in His hands, so daily we make sure the foundation of prayer is maintained.

Many of our guest groups, Christian and secular, know we pray for them. And people from around the country call if they have special needs that they want taken before the throne of God. We gather at 10:00 a.m. each morning, have a short devotional thought and then spend time in prayer together. Since this has been a "habit" for years, it was a natural outgrowth for us to place a "prayer request box" in our prayer chapel during The Lights of Christmas.

There is no request too small or too large for our staff. We have prayed for everything from a sick friend or family member (from a cold to cancer), to a child praying about his parents' divorce, to salvation requests — many, many salvation requests. All requests receive the same attention.
Stepping into God's presence has been, and continues to be, the cornerstone of Warm Beach Camp and we desire to continue to grow in the ministry of prayer.

May we pray for you?