GLCC 75th Anniversary

Green Lake Conference Center 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book

75th Celebration highlights & pictures Endearing, humorous, sacred and life- changing stories of people and their Closer Walk with God at Green Lake Ways to engage in the next chapter of Green Lake’s ministry 2020 conference, lodging and recreation information

75th Anniversary Commemorative Book and 2020 Special Edition Editor and designer: Jean Cornelius Communications Director Green Lake Conference Center Front cover photo: Elaine Hoffman Back cover photo: Ben Mott Green Lake Conference Center is located in south central Wisconsin:

W2511 State Road 23 Green Lake, WI 54941 Phone: (920) 294-3323 Fax: (920) 294-3686

Distance from:

Appleton ...................50 miles Milwaukee ................90 miles Green Bay ................80 miles Chicago ....................180 miles Madison....................65 miles Minneapolis ..............270 miles

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Here’s how you can reach us: Guest Services & Reservations.............(920) 294-3323................GuestServices@glcc.org Guest Group Event Planning.................(920) 294-7250................GuestGroups@glcc.org Gifts and Estate Planning ......................(920) 294-7333................BenM@glcc.org Employment...........................................(920) 294-7347................DebraG@glcc.org Volunteer ...............................................(920) 294-7333................DebraG@glcc.org Website Feedback.................................(920) 294-7337................JeanC@glcc.org

“We got it! We got it!” Luther Wesley Smith exclaimed to James L. Kraft, upon learning that the Northern Baptists’ offer to buy the bankrupt Lawsonia Country Club was accepted (December 7, 1943).

2019marked the75thanniversary of Green Lake Conference Center! Beginning as the Northern Baptist Assembly in 1944, then named American Baptist Assembly in the 1950s and Green Lake Conference Center since the 1980s, this book encapsulates the celebration of 75 years of closer walks with God at Green Lake.

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Yes, the Lord has done 75 years of amazing things for us! What Joy! Psalm 126:3

“A place is not sacred because we say it is sacred. A place is sacred because the Lord has changed lives in that place.”

Rev. Trinette McCray, delivering a devotional as a board member at the Green Lake Board of Directors meeting, October 2018

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Welcome Home Excerpts from Board Chair Dr. Brad Bauer’s opening welcome at the75th anniversary conference (August 6, 2019)

Welcome home to the property that holds within it the realization of Dr. Luther Wesley Smith’s dream to establish a national assembly grounds. Welcome home to this thin place where God seems to break through and come to rest on the hearts of so many. Meekly, humbly, quietly and intentionally, Green Lake has served as a soft place, a place of forgiveness, of reconciliation, and of redemption over the years. In a world of chaos and pain, of ruthlessness and torment, it has sought to always provide sanctuary and shelter, comfort and healing, a place that the world so desperately needs. In the summer of 1985 I was on my way to work as a summer staff member at the boathouse in total oblivion as to what God might have in store for me. Little did I know that His plans for me were great. I was pushed into the boathouse harbor on numerous occasions for baptism into the Green Lake community. Faith was nurtured as I joined with other summer staff in hymn sings in Roger Williams Inn, worship at our outdoor chapel by the lake and in Bible study led by none other than the amazing Jan DeWitt. Tina, the woman I was dating, turned into the love of my life as we walked along Shore Drive. That summer Green Lake wove the fabric of itself into the tapestry of my life in ways both immediate and in ways that are still coming into light even today. It is one of the mysteries of this place in its capacity to bind itself to you over time. It continues to whisper. It continues to teach. It continues to bring context and wisdom into the parameters of how we know ourselves whatever our stage of life. Welcome to your home at Green Lake Conference Center

Brad, Carol and George Bauer pose next to the portrait of Rev. Dr. William Staughton outside Staughton Hall in Pillsbury. Carol is a descendant of Staughton, Baptist clergyman and educator.

Tina and Brad Bauer at the afternoon cream tea during the 75th anniversary conference glcc.org | 3

Improbable Endurance: Celebrating the ha nd of God through 75 years of ministry at Green Lake Conference Center

This European style farm was created by Victor and Jessie Lawson between 1888 and 1914. Together, the Lawsons and their architect William Merigold created a remarkable legacy. However, after Victor Lawson followed his wife in death in 1925, the chances of keeping the estate in tact seemed remarkably low. Kathleen Kleinpaste, in her history book “Just Do It Jessie’s Way,” records: “Buyers were in short supply as the farm operation was a money-losing proposition, and the maintenance required on the vast acreage, with so many buildings, almost precluded purchase by an individual.” (p.102) The trust company for the estate reluctantly accepted an offer of $500,000 from H.O. Stone Company on an $8,000,000 investment by the Lawsons to create the estate. After constructing

Speech delivered at the 75th Anniversary Banquet by Ben Mott, President and CEO on August 9, 2019 Thank you to Tom Jones for your wonderful speech and to Brad Bauer for your kind words in introducing me. My Master’s Degree dissertation was an economic history study on the Somerset Coalfield titled, “Improbable Endurance: How did the Somerset Coalfield Survive Until 1973?” Coal was the energy source behind the Industrial Revolution and behind Great Britain becoming the world’s first industrial nation. However, within that story the Somerset Coalfield is a tiny player never accounting for more than 2% of national output. Somerset, like Wisconsin, is a county with rolling green hills and dairy cows, the home of cheddar cheese,

an agricultural and tourist destination that moves at a sleepier pace than other counties. It simply is missing the ice age winters such that come to Wisconsin each year. Somerset is my home county. The Somerset Coalfield has lower grade coal deposits in relatively small quantities on cragged fault lines that are hard to mine. A local market served by horse and wagon makes economic

what is now called Roger Williams Inn, Lawsonia Links Golf Course and house treasures such as Delmar Miller, Christian Writing Center and Stambaugh, the probable economic outcome came to fruition. The Stone Company ownership era lasted seven years until bankruptcy in 1932 when the Continental Illinois Bank of Chicago foreclosed on the property. It did not endure as a for profit estate, limping along until 1943 under bank ownership. Luther Wesley Smith was the driving force behind God’s miracle of the purchase of these sacred

sense for a small operation. However, this does not answer how on earth the coalfield survived until 1973! The arrival of canals, followed by the railway revolution, followed by automobiles and roads should each have wiped out the mining operations as South Wales with its rich coalfields is not far away. The survival of the Somerset Coalfield is an economic and human history story of improbable endurance. If you want to know how they pulled it off, ask me later. When economic historians study the 75-year history of Green Lake Conference Center they might title their dissertation, “Highly Improbable Endurance.”

grounds. Laura and Harriet, Luther’s daughters (pictured left), are here tonight. Luther

worked with J.L. Kraft, founder and President of Kraft Foods. The story is told of the negotiation with the bank

in 1943:

Right after he left the bank, Luther phoned J.L. Kraft. “We got it! We got it!” he almost shouted. “How much?” J.L. Kraft asked. “Three hundred thousand dollars!” “You couldn’t have. You and I agreed on an offer of $325,000.”

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“But you told me to pray and follow my leading,” replied Luther, “and I did!” “Do you know, Luther,” said J.L., “you’ve just earned your day’s pay. You made $25,000 for the kingdom in the last one and a half hours.” However, the purchase was only the beginning of the story as the reality of trying to make an estate with seemingly unlimited expenses and an insatiable appetite for cash sunk in. Opposition arose early to what became termed “Luther’s folly.” As one detractor put it, “Northern Baptists can never afford

In the 1946 summer Green Lake Broadcaster, Luther and the leaders proclaimed: GREEN LAKE TAKES ON MEANING FOR THOUSANDS – No Longer “Fool’s Paradise” of Northwest “Within its confines are expressed the hopes and aspirations of a rising generation. Along its shores leaders and followers of the Christian movement in our day have dedicated their lives anew in the master’s service…Here, we leave the

such a lovely and expansive training center” and another detractor mockingly said, “have they heard there’s a war on?” As economists, the detractors were correct. It was highly improbable that these grounds could survive as a Christian conference center. By human power alone, this enterprise is folly for Luther Wesley Smith and each President and Board member that succeeds him. In the fall of 1944, the first year of operation, one week the business manager wrote, “we

stress and strain of daily living and ‘come apart,’ as did Jesus, to find refreshment for our souls. In finding God and following in the steps of our Master, we come to a fuller understanding of

have $1,100 on deposit and $3,900 in bills” to Luther. Luther more than once wrote personal checks to advance cash and in 1946 they launched “operation solvency.” These are familiar phenomenon for every President and VP of Finance over the past 75 years. However, the model is not merely reliant on human economics. The grounds are about Luther’s God- given dream. This is described in the inspired purpose statement written in 1943 that guides us today. The statement is ecumenical and wide in its means: “To provide a comprehensive program of Christian education, training and inspiration by means of conferences, institutes, research projects, schools, college extension courses, camps, assemblies and all other appropriate means for the nurture and training of leadership for the cause of evangelical Christianity and of the world mission of the Churches.” George Moll, the originator of baseball cards, coined the motto “for a closer walk with God” taken from a hymn and this has been our motto and a guide ever since.

our fellow men and women. Thus, we experience many of the deeper meanings of Christian fellowship and discover for ourselves the true basis of service for Christ and humanity. From this point, it is possible to peer into the future and envision the ever-widening influence of the Northern Baptist Assembly at Green Lake. In this enterprise there have been opened up new vistas, the full extent of which no one can yet foretell . . . it is not unlikely that his same influence may in years to come have a far-reaching effect upon leading this chaotic world back to God.” Richard Hoiland, the first Program Director and second Executive Director (now called President) says: “I will never forget the thrill of the first National Youth Conference in 1944, the first conference ever held at the Assembly. More than 600 people came from all over the country. We soon ran out of beds, and a number of the boys ended up sleeping on mattresses on the floor, in a makeshift dormitory in Indian Village. It didn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm at all.”

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Papp. When you sit on a bench by the lake with the original iconic concrete ends, the wood and cast-iron rosette ends look original but are brand new. These and many other improvements are the gift from this

In 1944 Ken Dodgson, a student at Franklin College, had his closer walk with God out on Lone Tree Point. It led him to enroll in seminary and then in medical

school, and eventually with his wife Sally, it led to the hills of Northern Assam. Chuck Boddie discovered his gift as a worship leader that first summer. One person said, “Chuck really made us sing. Chuck could get music out of a gargoyle. Many a miracle of life commitment resulted from the music inspired by his busy hands.” Vince Godfrey discerned his call to leading worship and pastoral ministry on these grounds in 1997. Thank you, Vince, for drawing beautiful music from us this week (Vince led worship at the 75th conference).

church. One teenager who came is called Carson. Carson was born with Glutaric Acedenia, a rare disease causing protein processing issues that kills most who have it in their infancy. He spent the first two years of his life in hospital, and lives as a teen struggling to comprehend what is around him and to express himself. His parents took a risk in sending him here, and Mary Disterhaft and Therese Lewallen and their team provided wonderful meals tailored to literally allow him to survive and enjoy the week. His father’s prayer was that the week would be spiritually meaningful for Carson and that he would be able to express that. After working on benches by the lake, cleaning up the landscaping in front of Roger Williams Inn and moving new mattresses, he came home smiling. He said, “Dad, the things we worked

on all week so hard, they help people who are sad and people who don’t know God when they come to Green Lake. They matter for all summer and eternity.” Carson found meaning and identity as a gifted child of God as he passed on blessings to others. A closer walk with God changed his life. Through the partnership of Lauran Bethel, Ken Giacoletto and Marion Kobow, International Christian Alliance on Prostitution gatherings happen at Green Lake every three years. Sunny Abraham first came to the conference in 2008. Sunny is from an upper caste in India, and he had married Mercy who is from a low caste. Together they have a heart for

In 2002 in my first presentation to the Board of Directors, and early in Phil Sutterlin’s service on the board a decade later, and then in Phil’s presentation this week, we emphasized Ephesians 3: 20-21 as a defining scripture. Part of this reads: “God is able through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the ministry at Green Lake Conference Center and in Christ Jesus through all generations! Amen.”

We have heard stories this week of not only how God has done infinitely more than we dare hope or imagine in the early years and in the middle chapters of the Green Lake Story, but also very recently and into the future: In June 2019, 121 came from Southfield Church for a work week led by Board member Pastor Dennis

serving women entrapped in slavery and for sharing Christ’s love to those in the slums and rural areas in Southern India. He came to Green Lake and found the teaching that starting a business was a vital part of a long term mission in helping women escape their slavery because they needed a new source of income for themselves and their children. He began a

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wonderful grounds, and also takes the form of being ReCreated for kingdom service. This ReCreation phrase appears on the front cover of the 1946 conference center Broadcaster newspaper. All of this still happens one closer walk with God at a time. We are now at a great ‘in-between’ chapter. We are stable and working on sustainability. In terms of the place, we are out of an infrastructure crisis, but have plenty of projects on the horizon. We have replaced 25 roofs, one city water system, paved over 2 miles of road (and, yes, I know we are not done), over 20,000 bricks on Roger Williams Inn and thousands of feet of pipe for an all-new plumbing supply, countless HVAC systems and controls, and much more. Lakeview is transformed into Staughton Hall, and there is no finer conference room in Wisconsin. With a tiny team God has done miracles. The golf course is doing well under Oliphant, our fabulous lease partner, and the boathouse thrives under Pierless and Thom Lemmenes, our other fabulous lease partner. We hugely appreciate the fine way they steward our assets and display fine Christian virtue in running these businesses. What is next? The focus is on transforming the 205 sleeping rooms in the main conference area. At the time of creation, God said, “let there be darkness?” (quizzical look at the audience). No, He said, “let there be light.” Therefore, we are maximizing the light and views that you can see from our hotel rooms through new blinds and window treatments that do not always block a part of the view, even when opened. We have seen a beautiful sample in a tour of Bauer Lodge this week. We are installing new mattresses and chairs. In Roger Williams Inn we want to restore the gracious high ceilings in place of the low drop ceilings. We need new flooring and

garment making business. Sunny met Kathy Rollin and then Ben and Kelly Field from Ripon, Wisconsin here at Green Lake. As the garment making grew, Ben, Kelly and Kathy raised funds to buy sewing machines and toured churches and coffee shops selling the shirts. Kathy raised money for a Bible College and for bicycles for the pastors who graduated to be able to reach rural communities. Today, there are hundreds of women working in a garment business where they are loved, receiving Christian education and making a living. You can buy a shirt at Mugs coffee shop in Ripon. The Bible college now has 150 students per year and they have begun more than 500 churches. Some might meet in a village, some under a bridge in the slums. And the Fields have been led to adopt a wonderful girl from India named Kartiki and are in the process of adopting an Indian son, Kumar. All from a trip by a bloke from India to the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. Thousands of times, God has done infinitely more than we dare hope or imagine from Green Lake experiences that ripple all around the world. By God’s mighty power at work at Green Lake, he has defied the human economic impossibility of a nonprofit Christian conference center running the Lawson grounds and impacting millions of lives over the past 75 years. This is thanks to people saying yes to God in three major ways: Firstly, to buy and start the ministry. Please raise your hand if you were here in the 1940s. Thank you for starting us out (applause). Secondly, thank you to donors of time, money, and prayer to grow the ministry. If you have donated financially, of your time or your prayers, please raise your hand. Thank you for being used by God to grow the ministry (applause). Thirdly, if you are currently or have in the past served on the staff, please raise your hand. Thank you for being used by God to operate and grow the ministry (applause). So where do we stand today? We have studied the heart of the 1943 founding purpose statement and today we phrase it as: “Green Lake is the place and space of ReCreation that enables people to find God’s best version of themselves and their world.” ReCreation happens in play and recreation on these

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pictures of these sacred grounds for the artwork. All of these moves are to bring comfort and to enjoy the great views. This improvement of our hotel rooms is the economic next step to sustainability. We will also continue to improve youth, volunteer and cabin housing. This helps draw more new people to experience a closer walk with God here to grow revenue to survive and thrive. After that will come the Roger Williams Inn lobby, Veranda and Crystal Room and the rest of lakeside renovations that so magnetically draw people to Green Lake. And all of this is to grow program and the number of people having a life-changing closer walk with God. In the past few weeks, Northern Pines has had more than 1,200 coming to wonderful Christian family camps that, as well as the great family reunions that have come, build up marriages and multi-generational families. The Music conference sends music back to churches and to heaven. Great Escape and Christians for Mission brought hundreds of students. These conferences help people hear

anniversary celebration conference. On Wednesday we reunited. On Thursday we were re-created, with play and an afternoon cream tea in preparation for new Christian service. Today our theme is recommitment. You have a sheet at your place setting inviting you to recommit to serve God through the ministry of Green Lake Conference Center. You can do so through serving on the paid or volunteer staff, wholeheartedly and with humility. You serve by praying faithfully for God to do infinitely more than we dare hope or imagine for his glory. You can also invest financially to help transform the sleeping rooms or to give to our scholarship funds that enable many people to come and hear God’s call who would otherwise not be able to afford to do so. A LITANY OF RE-DEDICATION (Based on the original litany from the Dedication Service on August 27, 1944) Read by Rev. Sandra Wimpelberg, Vice President of Development and Rachel Bediako, former Quest attendee and Quest Assistant Director, who recently graduated with a Master in Leadership and Communications and who is at the launch stage of her professional career and calling. Rev. Sandra Wimpelberg: To the glory of God, the Father…To the honor of Jesus Christ our Savior… To the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit

People: We dedicate this place

Rachel Bediako: To the enrichment of mature Christian experience…To the challenge of the Christian decision of youth…To the Christian nurture of boys and girls and of little children

People: We dedicate this place

God’s call on their life and equip them to go out around the world to build the kingdom of God within their families, schools, churches, communities, businesses and more. No initiative is more exciting than our own thriving and growing Quest programme. Celebrating its twentieth year, this is led by Rev. Dr. Heather Henson, our Youth Ministries Director. Heather is going to tell you about Quest in this video (Quest video shown). On Tuesday we were welcomed home in the 75th 8 | Green Lake Conference Center

Sandra: To Christian fellowship of mind and heart… To Christian conference and understanding… To Christian cooperation and unity of purpose…

People: We dedicate this place

Rachel: To the memory of those who have gone before: saints, apostles, reformers, martyrs, fathers in the faith, preachers of soul liberty, missionary pioneers at home and abroad…And to the ever- present necessity of rethinking, retranslating and reliving this spiritual heritage of Baptists…

more that stains the window and blocks the light. The humbler we are, the cleaner the glass stays and the more Christ’s light can shine on those we serve. Almira Collier and Vivian Garrett told me that Dick Hoiland, the first Program Director, who later became the Executive Director (now termed President), modeled always being humble and kind in the early years. Vivian’s story on page 28 illustrates this. This morning we celebrated 50 years of Children’s Center service by Caroline Jungwirth Overzet. What is incredible is that Caroline’s humility throughout every year means that an amazing amount of Christ’s light, love and hope has shone into children’s lives and everyone else she interacts with. Her servants’ heart is displayed when Sandra asks if she would be willing to start a new serving chapter in the dining room and she excitedly said yes. This humble and kind service is modeled powerfully by Sandra Wimpelberg and Brenda Morrell, our Vice Presidents. Our KKPI is to be always serving wholeheartedly with humility and kindness. This is Green Lake at its best, and this is what allows God, once he is receiving all the glory, to do infinitely more than we dare hope or imagine through the ministry of Green Lake Conference Center in the next 75 years. Benediction: Hebrews 13:21 “May you God equip Green Lake and all of us, its supporters, with all we need for doing your will. May you produce in Green Lake and its people, through the power of Jesus Christ and the movement of the Holy Spirit, every good thing that is pleasing to you. All glory be to you God forever and ever! Amen.” This is the key for the next 75 years.

People: We dedicate this place

Sandra: To the strengthening of Churches in all their local and denominational life…To the advancement of all their evangelistic, educational and missionary endeavor…To the cause of peace and goodwill and justice among all nations and races… Rachel: To the righting of social wrongs…To the establishment of truth and righteousness…To the coming of that day when the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever, King of kings and Lord of lords… People: We dedicate GLCC with all its houses and properties, with all its accommodations and provisions, with all its wondrous beauty of sky and water, hill and valley, tree and flower, with all its uses and developments, now and in all time to be…In the name of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. other business leaders, have KPIs: key performance indicators. Brenda Morrell, VP of Finance, the Board and myself have those key financial measures we closely monitor. However, we also have a KKPI: a key key performance indicator. This measure for the Executive Staff team and Board of Directors is: “Are we, all staff, volunteers, conference planners and supporters, serving God wholeheartedly with humility and kindness?” This is the spirit of which we must maintain enough to be worthy of God’s blessing and thus for GLCC to survive and thrive, rather than to collapse as the detractors of Luther Wesley Smith’s folly predicted. For this Highly Improbable Endurance story of Green Lake to continue for the next 75 years, we, like “Now all glory be to God, who is able through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the ministry at Green Lake Conference Center and in Christ Jesus through all generations! Amen.” Rev. Sandra Wimpelberg puts it, we have two choices on ego: to edify God only or to edge God out because it is all about ourselves and not humble service. We are like windows through which Christ wants to shine his light on the world around us. The more we focus on ourselves and are proud, the The full scripture of Ephesians 3: 20-21 reads

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Help update sleeping rooms in Roger Williams Inn

RWI’s exterior masonry, plumbing supply and lobby entry and windows are complete! Our next step is to update the 2nd & 3rd floor hotel rooms (1st, 4th and 5th floors rooms are done). New window treatments are needed to open up the lake views, and new furnishings, paint, historic Roger Williams Inn artwork and flooring is also needed. The goal is to reflect the charm of the 1930s original with the comforts of today. The total cost per room is $12,000, but any size gift will help as we fund each improvement with the money we receive. To make a gift, visit

RogerWilliamsInn.com and click on Give-Serve

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Help a kid come to Quest. Or a family attend a family camp. Help others come to the World Mission Conference, International Christian Alliance on Prostitution Global Conference, or Conference for Church Musicians who could not come without your help by giving to our scholarship fund. glcc.org/give

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2020 Quest Weeks - • - QUEST YOUTH MINISTRIES

June 14 20 June 21 27 July 5-11 • July 12-18

Quest is a remarkable, ridiculously fun, re-imagined way for youth groups and youth leaders to experience God, encounter Christ, grow closer as a group, and refocus! It is completely different than any other youth group experience. With Bible study and worship, an expansive high ropes course, climbing tower and zip line, amazing lakefront activities, and refreshing food and lodging, Quest is more than your average church camp. One of the greatest things about Quest is that your entire youth group can come. Anyone who has completed 6th- 12th grade is included! Director of Youth Ministries Rev. Dr. Heather Henson (920) 341-3426 • HeatherJHenson@gmail.com Registration Coordinator Pat Zimmer • (920) 294-7365 • PatZimmer@glcc.org QuestGLCC.org

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Rachel Bediako’s Story Rachel is a five-time Quest attendee and served as a wonderful assistant Quest director in 2017. She and Rev. Sandra Wimpelberg led the rededication litany at the 75th anniversary banquet on August 9, 2019. Public speaking is the #1 fear for most people. Rachel Bediako feels the fear and embraces it. Rachel attended one of Green Lake’s Quest youth conferences in 2012 with a group from her Cleveland church, Antioch Baptist. Always on the lookout for future staff leadership, Quest Director Rev. Dr. Heather Henson spotted Rachel and her potential. With additional prodding from her parents, Rachel applied. The engaging college junior bloomed while working at Quest the summers of 2014 and 2015. Before she worked at Green Lake, Rachel experienced some pretty tough stuff. Adapting to the unknown through a series of moves with her family plagued Rachel with terrifying times of anxiety. “I was unable to eat, explain what was wrong, and would frequently get sick,” Rachel recalls. This continued right up to the time she left home for college. Her anxiety eventually subsided, only to crop up again with the prospect of “starting over” as a Quest staff member, again facing a new situation, new people and new responsibilities. But feeling the fear fueled Rachel’s desire to be open to it. “If it’s scary, I feel like it’s something God must want me to try,” she says. The mix of nerves and anxiousness of public speaking was now upon Rachel because she was one of the staff members picked to preach throughout the week. Rachel had never preached before. Her dad told her to use what she knows that impacts people. “She has natural power and strength,” Heather said. She did well and Heather

suggested she attend Green Lake’s Festival of Young Preachers in both 2014 and 2015. The Festival’s mission is to identify, network, support and inspire young people in the call to gospel preaching. At the festival, participants preach for 15 minutes and receive an encouraging consultation from a preaching expert, peer discussion time and feedback from the audience. Being heard and receiving that feedback was invaluable to her. Inspired by her father, grandfather “Papa T” and engaging pastors at her church, Rachel’s chief rhetorical tools are reciting scripture and use of repetition. Her style is powerful and effective, and sharing her personal story through her sermons helps her overcome her anxiety while opening up connections with her listeners. “I love God more than my fears,” she says. Rachel credits Green Lake’s Quest program for developing not only her presentation skills but also her confidence, faith and independence. During her first summer on staff she fell in love with the person she became by the end of the summer. She learned “how to be Rachel” during this ‘Rachel- based’ summer. But her second summer proved to be outward-focused as she left a lot of her anxiety at home, mentored Quest students and came into herself. She says, “Heather provides a platform for us to exercise our strengths. There’s no place I can see myself flourishing more than at Green Lake.”

“There’s no place I can see myself flourishing more than at Green Lake.” glcc.org | 13

Green Lake Conference Center’s 75th Anniversary Conference Aug. 6-9 was wonderful!

People traveled from all over the country to bring to life our theme verse, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3) during our 75th Anniversary Conference August 6-9, 2019. We had such joy seeing old and new friends, some who first came to Green Lake in the 1940s! Speakers included Chuck Metzgar, grandson of the Lawson’s architect (William Merigold), and Laura Germer and Harriet Hostetler, daughters of founder Rev. Luther Wesley Smith. Rev. Dr. Reid Trulson was our keynote speaker, exploring Green Lake’s role as a place of focused prayer, a place to hear God’s call and an intentional place to deal with controversial issues. Sharon Koh shared greetings via video from the ABC family. Dr. Vince Godfrey led worship, including a hymn sing in the lobby of Roger Williams Inn, a longtime tradition at Green Lake. Great is Thy Faithfulness was the week’s theme song. Morning watch devotionals were led by Rev. Homer Ford at the No Hurry boat; Rev. Soozi Whitten Ford at Memory Lane; and by Rev. Dr. David Laubach at Chapel Car Grace. This commemorative book contains some of the many wonderful Green Lake stories we received leading up to our anniversary. More stories will be shared in other ways in the future.

Nancy (Ross) & Tim Gaffney at afternoon tea. That’s Nancy leading her coworkers off the edge of the diving board in 1968!

“We had such a good time at the anniversary celebration. It had been 10 years since we had been at Green Lake. And my heart still races a little more as soon as we turn in at the main gate!! I hope to be back again!!” Nancy Gaffney

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Lobby hymn sing at Roger Williams Inn led by Vince Godfrey

Gerry Mottram, JoAnn Blair, LeeDel Howard and Wayne Blair; Gale Tull and Laura Alden; sisters Anna and Emma Mott

Sandra Wimpelberg & Laura Germer; Jean Cornelius & Tom Jones; Brenda Morrell & Debra Garetson

Regional Executive Ministers of American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin: (l. to r.) Marie Onwubuariri (current); Arlo Reichter (2001-2014) and George Daniels (1991-2000)

Hopevale tour led by Reid Trulson

Morning watch in Chapel Car Grace led by David Laubach (left, with Wendy Bernhard and Ben Mott)

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Morning watch at Memory Lane led by Soozi Whitten Ford

Rachel Bediako and Heather Henson

Mary Disterhaft and Brad Syverson ready for the banquet

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Hors d’oeuvres reception preceding banquet; Sienna, Elena and Vince Godfrey; Caroline and John Overzet

Carol and George Bauer; artist John Martin; Tom Jones, Nancy Young, Bo and Bonnie Standifer

Peggy and Ken Giacoletto; Brad Bauer, Mary Disterhaft, Therese Lewallen and Ben Mott; Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, Susan Gillies and Dave White

Sam Mott & Gwen Kermott; Judy Haase and Ardis Mitchell; daughter and father Abby & Jeff Grewal

In Appreciation Staff serving 30+ years recognized Current staff who have served at Green Lake Conference Center for over 30 years were honored at the 75th anniversary conference with a framed picture of appreciation. Our wonderful employees have been the backbone of the Green Lake story for 75 years!

Randy Skolarz Amusing guests with jokes and sports updates since 1988

Gloria Schleicher Checking guests in with a smile since 1988*

Jean Cornelius Sharing Green Lake stories and treasures since 1987

Elroy Morris Creating sparkling rooms and spaces since 1987

Sharon Jahnke Wrapping up the bill with diligence since 1984

Mary Disterhaft Wowing with the gift of hospitality since 1983

Darlene Baskett Serving yummy coffee breaks since 1979 Caroline Overzet Caring for children at Green Lake since 1969 *Gloria also worked in Lakeview Dining Room 1959-1962, and in the Snackery 1967-1969! Sharon Pless Booking the income with care since 1981

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Editor’s Note: This page is excerpted from Green Lake’s 10 year anniversary book (1954)

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June-October 1944, the U.S. government rented William Carey Barn by the front gates and some cottages as a temporary camp for German prisoners of war. Approximately 400 POWs were housed there and worked at nearby canning factories. The following memories were shared with us about that time in our history. German POWs housed at Green Lake in 1944 “Germans were at the concrete exercise

“The German prisoners were housed in the Abbey. Several decades ago Laurena checked out her memories with Larry Janssen. Larry confirmed there were Germans on the grounds when we bought the property. Laurena remembers no fences, but visitors were told to stay away from there. She believes they worked at local farms. I vaguely remember hearing that they did some work on the roads/walls on Green Lake grounds.” ~ Bob Fisher swimming pool. I was only 12 years old at the time and the soldiers looked huge.” ~ Dick Murdock “I saw the German prisoners of war in 1944 (who were housed in William Carey) when my brother, John, was a lifeguard at Roger Williams Inn

yard around the Abbey, and behind barbed wire fence. I read in a history book about the Lawson era that the state requested housing POWs in the Guernsey barn area, and paid a per diem, which helped the Assembly get some cash. That cash flow was needed to help get ready for summer conferences, a real worry! Yeah, some income! The men were trucked to the nearby Green Giant cannery to work. Maybe they picked the product too, since there was a shortage of menfolk in 1944.” ~ Laura Smith Germer

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My Green Lake Story: Almira Collier

Board the train in Indianapolis; take the Parmelee between train stations in Chicago; ride from Fond du Lac on a train with slippery woven straw seats and gas lights; a stop at cross roads to pick up milk cans to take to the creamery in Green Lake. Then a bus ride to the gates of the Northern Baptist Assembly; a breathtaking ride down to the lake; a handsome bellhop in full uniform to welcome you, show you where to register and take your luggage up to your room! It was 1945 and we were at the Youth Conference! The start of a spiritual growth experience - a closer walk with God! That conference and the one the next summer left me with memories of fellowship, singing, Bible studies and sitting on the hillside for evening vespers, listening to Clarence Jordan; one year hearing thoughts on the Sermon on The Mount creating thoughts of what it must have been like for those sitting on the hillside listening to Jesus! My second year at the Youth Conference (1946)

Indian Village, with the beautiful totem pole, was a wonderful place to consume an ice cream cone. And it was easy to slip into the prayer tower for a quiet moment to talk with God. I was also trained as a backup for the switchboard - the ancient toggle switch type. The last two weeks I ran the Conference Office putting out the nightly newsletter to be distributed at dinner and printing a list of conferees on those messy mimeographs. A sidelight: Dr. Hoiland’s nightly announcements and “newscast” at dinner, with his sense of humor, was not to be missed. Those last two weeks led to my returning the next summer to run the Conference Office. Upon arriving, found both mimeographs needed a drastic cleaning. What do you mean it will take two weeks! I sent one to be cleaned. Knowing the mimeograph was like my father’s, one Sunday afternoon I got a coffee can of gasoline, found a small screwdriver and an old tooth brush, took the mimeograph apart and started scrubbing away. Dick Hoiland came in to find me on the floor with pieces of a mimeograph spread out on newspaper all around me. Fortunately, he did not have a heart attack or fire me! Never told him I ended up with one itty bitty spring left over! But it worked just fine without it. What a memorable experience it was working for Dick Hoiland. His warmth, his sense of humor and especially his love of Green Lake and its history are still etched in my memory. Taking his tour of the grounds listening to the stories sprinkled with his sense of humor brought the history of this place alive. What experiences those two summers held. Listening to speakers like Clarence Jordan and Dr. Cranford. Getting to know J.L. Kraft, C. Oscar Johnson, Dick Sun from a wealthy family in China responsible for the snack shack who shared stories of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, a friend of their family. Listening to Adele Norman singing (her never- to-forget rendition of “His Eye is on the Sparrow”), listening to two musicians who had escaped (believe it was from Estonia) in a leaky boat traveling by night and hiding by day; two students from JuiIliard School of music on student staff playing the piano and organ in RWI lobby (you could see the bumble bees as one played “Flight of the Bumble Bee” and feel the

God opened the door to a wonderful summer never to be forgotten. Dr. Oliver deWolf Cummings, Director of Northern Baptist Youth Work, asked my parents if I, a high schooler, could stay for the summer as his secretary at Green Lake. What trust my parents had when they said “yes” and sent me another suitcase of clothes! Long evening and night walks struggling with forming my own beliefs and a closer relationship with God. · What fun to move at the end of each conference to whatever room was available! Since Dr. Cummings had not known he would need a secretary at Green Lake as well as in Philadelphia, no room had been reserved. My favorite place was John Clark Lodge.

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chariots shaking the floor as the notes of “Chariot of Fire” filled the room); Richard Alsasser who had memorized all of Bach’s organ works by age 21 playing the organ; a young man with one arm playing the piano; singing in the student and adult staff choir directed by Chuck Boddie who with a grin told us we would never get the rhythm of the Negro spiritual right because we had never toted a barge! “Many nights I wandered the roads with no fear, struggling to weave my own concept of God, to find and weave my own beliefs.” What a safe haven this place was. Many nights I wandered the roads with no fear, struggling to weave my own concept of God, to find and weave my own beliefs. Always knowing the night watchmen would pick me up on their rounds if I had wandered and wondered too late. Years later I had the opportunity to come back as a volunteer during the Christmas shows and then during the summer to work the switchboard. But this time it was a much more up-to-date switchboard! Another chapter of my time at Green Lake! Busloads of people arrived two consecutive weekends for the Christmas celebration. What fun! People with all types of crafts filled Morehouse Hall. Coffee, cider and homemade cookies were served in the lobby. My job – make the coffee and keep the trays filled. What wonderful people I met! There was the year it snowed the night before we were to leave. We loaded into a vehicle crossed our fingers and inched into the Goose Blind. An evening of good food, sharing stories, telling jokes and tons and tons of laughter. Laughter was still ringing out as we said good night to each other. Then came summers of volunteering for a month or more at the switchboard, my favorite place to be. The beginning of becoming a part of the volunteer family; building friendships with the gals at the reservation desk. All calls had to come through the switchboard. Sometimes you were talking on one line and the other four lines had people on hold. A piece of paper

at hand was a necessity otherwise you forgot who was what. And the switchboard and guest services desk were in Roger Williams Inn lobby while Kraft was remodeled and expanded. How noisy when conferences came in. But what fun! I was at Green Lake! Then came the summer when we were back home in the new lobby of Kraft. The switchboard was located in the small hall behind the guest services desk. We sat on high stools with our feet dangling until Red built us a box to put them on. The switchboard was later moved into the guest service area. Hallelujah! But volunteering here is so much more than your opportunity to serve. It is becoming a part of the volunteer family, making and sharing friendships, going places together, playing table games in the evening, putting a piece in

the puzzle always in process, sitting with others by the lake, watching sunrises and sunsets, attending Bible studies, having times

when God opened your eyes to something new. There were the times I watched the lake go from smooth as glass to waves

with white caps in what seemed like a twinkling of an eye. God guided my thoughts to the stories in the New Testament that involved the Sea of Galilee. How much more meaningful they became. And I still think of Green Lake as a reflection of the Sea of Galilee. Finding the berry bushes and picking the ripe berries. Walking to take in the beauty God created; listening to the morning and evening songs of the birds; watching the squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks scurrying around; stopping to let the wild turkey and her brood cross the road; being surprised by the sight of a doe and her fawn. Being a person who thinks there should be a purpose to walking – enjoying the fresh air, letting thoughts wander, talking with God or picking up trash. I learned to take two plastic bags – one for trash and one for lost golf balls. We said the fawns must have played with the balls at night. They seemed in an odd place for golfers to have lost them! God, thank you for these years. Please just one more! glcc.org | 23

My Green Lake Story: Jeanne Shafer Koons

My father and mother were on staff in the beginning. Luther Wesley Smith contacted my father who was serving as an American Baptist pastor in Rutherford, NJ in the early 1940s. My dad was a certified Water Safety Instructor and had taught at the YMCA. Luther knew him and asked him if he would consider heading up the waterfront at Green Lake. My parents were there in 1945 and 1946. I had my birthday party at Green

Lake when I turned six in August of 1945. At my party was Carol Ann Cummings, whose father was on staff that summer; and Laura Smith, Luther’s daughter. My mother served as a hostess at the original Lawson House near Roger Williams Inn. I remember attending the Children’s Center

“Green Lake was always presented as Heaven on Earth. It was and continues to be!”

C a r o l i n e a n d J e a n n e

in the late 1950s because I had my Water Safety Instruction badge. I remember coming to Green Lake as a high school student to attend a big conference in the Abbey Area that was led by Roger Fredrikson. At that time I was on the Kansas State Baptist Young People’s Board. My daughter Sherry served on the Children’s Center staff in 1984. I came back again in 1994 for Green Lake’s 50th Anniversary. Soon after that I started working at the Children’s Center with Caroline (Jungwirth) Overzet. I worked for Caroline almost every

with a small group. At that time it was headquartered in the White House. We lived in the “Pink House” that was located near Judson Tower. The Cummings’ lived in the brown “Peter Pan House” near the Children’s Center. At the time my parents were there, the beautiful inboard boats were in use at the waterfront. I remember Lois Blankenship and Jeanne Crain, who spent their summers working at the Children’s Center. It was also a place for Sunday School teachers to come for training during the summer.

I came as a high school student in 1956 and spent two weeks working with Rodney Brittan and other high school students building outdoor wash stands in the camping area and a dock on the waterfront across from the Tea House. I also spent one or two summers working at the waterfront

year up until 2014. I attended the 75th anniversary celebration, and it just so happens that it was my 80th birthday week!

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My Green Lake Story: Mary Alice Sorenson Girling

Hoiland. He would give the news, tell jokes and have everyone sing Happy Birthday to those who were celebrating that day. He always ended the song with “God Bless You.” I remember we were paid $33 a month for our work effort. Of course food and lodging were included. During the years I worked on the staff I attended vespers by the lake, listened to special speakers who were there for conferences, and spent time by myself worshiping and reading devotionals. I have a beautiful manger scene that I made at the craft shop run by the Gadbaws. Since we lived in Milwaukee my father helped secure things that the Assembly needed. Helped get a fire truck for the grounds and an organ. I needed a ride to Green Lake so he said I could ride in the truck. I didn’t know that he meant in the back with the organ! “It was a very hot summer. We wore pink nylon uniforms and had to use hair nets.” One of the most meaningful events that I attended when I was on staff was a special communion service. It was held at the time when “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” was the way of life in many countries around the world. We gathered at one building and were given directions to the place the service was to be held. We could only go in groups of two or three and could use no lights of any kind. If we were stopped we were to draw the sign of the fish on the ground. When we arrived at the place of the service it was in the lowest level of the building. Only one candle lit the room. We entered without speaking and sat on the floor. The communion service was conducted by one person. At the conclusion of the service we left the way we came. It gave all of us a real feeling of how many Christians around the world had to share their belief in Christ and follow the teachings of Jesus. Dad, I know that you are looking down on Green Lake Conference Center at this time of celebration. You must be smiling and are so thankful that through worship, music and mission the word of God is being sent out to the world through people attending the conferences held at this beautiful place.

My experience at the American Baptist Assembly began in 1944 at the Children’s Center. In the postcard above I am sitting on the swing (age 8). My brother, Paul, (age 4) is second from the left sitting on the ground. My family, particularly my father, Perc Sorenson, was very involved in securing the area for the Baptists. We spent many days attending many special events and conferences as a family. When I became middle school age it was time for me to go to “camp” with other Wisconsin youth at Green Lake. The gathering was held in the Abbey area. Campfires, devotionals and other inspirational groups were very meaningful. When I was in high school I came to Green Lake every summer to join in the Senior High gathering. It was so much fun to meet other Christian youth from around the country. It also was held in the Abbey area. Singing camp songs around the campfire, sharing ideas for youth groups at home, listening to leaders who enhanced our Christian faith. There was a man, Mr. Wheaten, who kept talking about this college called Ottawa University in Ottawa Kansas. He told us of all the wonderful things the college had to offer and about their close connection with the Baptist church in town. I transferred to Ottawa and to my surprise I found there were many of the students I had met at Green Lake. The summer between my freshman and sophomore years (1956) I went back to Green Lake to work on the Student Staff. That was the first summer that Pillsbury Dining Hall was opened. It was a very hot summer. We wore pink nylon uniforms and had to use hair nets. It was extremely uncomfortable. All the guests sat down to eat at the same time with the food being served family style. The emcee was Dick

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