Philosophy

Mission:

Our mission, as Grindstone Lake Bible Camp, is to build the global church by serving as the evangelical arm of the local church through a shared mission of charting the course to Christ.

Statement of Faith:

We believe the entire Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God and rule for faith and practice.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe and that only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God.
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and during this age to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

(From the bylaws of Grindstone Lake Bible Camp; Adopted March 17, 1981)

Purpose:

The purpose of this organization is to provide a camping program of a spiritual nature.
Derived from this purpose are the following correlated purposes:

To reach the unbeliever for Christ;
To help the believer to grow spiritually and socially;
To create interest in missions, evangelism, and spiritual growth through Bible teaching and Christian music;
To further the cause of a Christian camping program through recreation and other related activities;
To strengthen the fellowship among the cooperating churches.

Our Main Objective is:

To preach the Gospel clearly and enthusiastically.
We want all to know that they have sinned against God and are without hope except for His grace and mercy offered through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the divine Son of God and the only Savior of sinners. He lived a perfect life, died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and rose again from the dead. Through this divine act, God grants forgiveness of sins and gives sinners the perfect righteousness of Christ. This great gift of love is received by faith in Christ alone.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!" (Romans 5:8-9).
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

Our Desire is:

To know Him and be like Him.
“To be conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
To love campers with His love.
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you" (Thessalonians 3:12).

We Understand:

Our power is in Him.
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exhorted in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come" (Ephesians 1:18-21).
Our service is for Him and our reward is from Him.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:22-24).

Our Attitude is:

To be respectful of our denominational diversity.
Grindstone Lake Bible Camp is an evangelical organization called the GLBC Association. Member churches represent the Evangelical Free Church of America, the Presbyterian Church of America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Baptist General Conference and Independent. It is safe to say that campers come from a much broader background than these, such as no church, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, etc. GLBC takes no position on baptism or communion, nor does it practice these ordinances. Furthermore, it takes no position on the particulars of eschatology. It is also a non-charismatic ministry. GLBC exists to teach the fundamental basics of gospel truth, call young people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, to teach the basics of Christian living and trust the power of God's Word and Spirit to minister God's transforming grace in the lives of sinners.
To keep the cost affordable, so that no one is turned away because of cost.
Our registration fees cover our staff and food costs which is about 50% our budget. Everything else comes from donations or other income. We are thankful for the many people who contribute to the camp.
To model a lifestyle that is according to the message we proclaim.
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9).
“For our gospel did not come to you simply with words, but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake" (Thessalonians 1:5).
To be committed to living the Christian Life with integrity.
To explain the Gospel with crystal clarity.