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The Boardwalk Chapel: "Etched in Our Hearts"
Beyond the breaking of the waves, over the old planks of the boardwalk, amidst the loud noises of a carnival and the smells of a fair lies a small chapel, preaching Christ to anyone who would listen. This herald of the gospel is the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. It was established less than a decade after the founding of the OPC and has continued ever since. Its building is neither flashy nor new, but its message is timeless. My wife and I experienced this firsthand when we visited the chapel this Summer.
Never Alone
Seth Van Noord, member at New Hope OPC, Green Bay, WI, was greatly encouraged by his time at the Boardwalk Chapel. Though he was challenged by the proposition of evangelizing in a public space, he was comforted by and thankful for the community of believers by his side all along the way. Read his testimony below.
Nowhere Quite Like It
What can I say about the Boardwalk Chapel, except that we love it? Even though our church has to travel quite a long distance to get to Wildwood from Matthews, NC, we keep making the trip happily because there’s nowhere quite like the Boardwalk Chapel. Sure, we can practice evangelizing anywhere, but evangelism is best “caught” in addition to being “taught,” and the Chapel is a veritable beehive of spiritual zeal and equipping. Every two years I bring a fresh batch of new faces to discover the warmth of the Chapel’s missional Christian fellowship, and to begin their first forays out into the intimidating world of cold call evangelism. In all of this, God has never left us disappointed, as each year we return with stories of God’s power and a desire to apply what we’ve learned back home.
A Local Mission Trip
As the Youth Group coordinator at Grace Presbyterian Church outside of Washington DC, I greatly desired our youth group to go on a mission trip. But I wanted it to take place somewhere different than our homes and home church. I wanted to see the group serving or evangelizing—focused outwards on others and their needs. I was also excited to see relationships flourish as we spent time together through service, as a mission trip uniquely encourages. However, it was already late spring 2023, folks had their summer calendars decisively parsed, and honestly, I didn’t really feel like I had the bandwidth to lead a group of youth for an entire week as we were all out of our comfort zones. Mission trips are not something I myself have been a part of very much and I was intimidated by the planning required and the energy necessary for a far-away week-long trip.
STM 2023 Wrap-Up: Short-Term Missions, Long-Term Blessings
Summer 2023 is gone just as quickly as it came. However, for the first time in multiple years, OPC Short-Term Missions is thankful to be able to look back on a summer full of teams traveling around the globe to assist missionaries, engage in evangelism, and to reach the lost with the gospel. This year, over 200 short-term missionaries went out to six locations: Quebec, Canada; two Czech Republic locations; Western Ukraine; Lanham, MD; and Wildwood, NJ.
A Glimpse of Real-Life Mission Work
“I really appreciated the opportunity to catch a glimpse of real-life mission work. I learned the importance of developing and investing in relationships and saw it carried out by the Farniks. It was through relationships and connections that they were able to invite people to the activities they hosted and connect with them on a personal level.”
Pastors Serve Too!
Jim Hoekstra, pastor of Immanuel OPC in Anoka, MN, joined a team headed to the Czech Republic this past summer. While there, he helped host and teach English Camp for local children. In addition to standard vocabulary themes which are taught throughout the week, reading and conversation lessons are drawn from Bible stories. Pastor Jim speaks of the trip in this way:
Great Students, Big Themes: English Camp in Ukraine
Thank you for praying! Your prayers were instrumental in having one of the best camps yet! Students actively participated in all events, Ukrainian volunteers grew as leaders and American short-term team members were excellent teachers, roommates and examples of true Christian faith. We are especially thankful for our U.S. short-term team—primarily from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio—who braved war conditions to serve students with Christ's love!
English for Kids 2023: My View from the Kitchen
6:00AM. “Time to make the donuts!” Mornings started early at English for Kids Bible Camp at the Eglise Reformee de Beauce (Reformed Church of Beauce).
This was my family’s second year serving with the OPC’s short-term mission to Quebec. Whereas I was a teacher last year, this year I had the unique perspective of working in the kitchen, providing meals for the U.S. team. Three things stood out to me.
2023 Short-Term Missions Mid-Summer Update
So far this summer, one Short-Term Missions team has traveled to St. Georges, Quebec to serve the local children at the St. Georges English for Kids Camp and six teams have served at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, NJ. Here's what they have to say about serving the Lord, reaching out to the lost, and spending a part of their summer on mission!
Ready to Share a Powerful Gospel
One helpful aspect of the School of Evangelism is that the teaching is accompanied by daily evangelism. This past week at the Boardwalk Chapel we saw guests and staff for the summer assemble, digging into the Word, studying evangelism in the theoretical and the practical. Some who came are experienced evangelists, and others are novices.