Month of September

September marked the launch of Crew Fellowship, Cedar Bay’s first year-long discipleship program. On September 2, the Crew Fellows (Adam, Logan, Maggie, Gloria, Kalli, Chloe, and Aulexsia) arrived on campus and joined leaders Marcos, Telma, McKinley, Anna, and Kam. The weeks quickly settled into a rhythm of about 25 hours of camp work and 15 hours of practical discipleship. The team began a year-long Bible reading plan, starting in Ecclesiastes and moving through 2 Corinthians, the Psalms, and Isaiah, alongside a month-long focus on the topic and practice of prayer. Several fellows came in uncertain about a brand-new, untested program. Yet many described their early concerns giving way as they found a welcoming, united team and a growing trust that God is in control of what remains unknown.

The month was full of hands-on service. Over Labor Day weekend, the crew served private retreats in housekeeping, the kitchen, the snack shack, the coffee shop, and on the waterfront. A few days into the program, they helped Archie and Kathy, an older couple from the local church, insulate the building that serves as their house, barn, and garage, finishing in a few hours what would have taken the couple days. There was plenty of fun along the way: sailing outings (including a broken mast, a punctured hull, and a sunfish towed back to camp), “scavenging parties” through closed-up cabins, dinner cooked over a fire, and many nights of worship and campfire conversation. Throughout the month, the team kept looking ahead to January, when they will serve at Camp Victoria and with two local churches in Tres Ranchos, Goiás, Brazil. Several fellows are still working to get their passports in time.