2021 Recap: Telling the Story
80 Years
This year marked HCBC's 80th anniversary! God used Jack & Eleanor Murray and friends in 1941 to revive a seemingly worthless, abandoned hotel and show its tremendous potential as a ministry to thousands of people each year.
Opportunities
This year, we were gratefully able to host events including Alumni Weekend, Youth Leader Summit, and...youth weeks! Five weeks in the summer are reserved for youth groups to come and have fun at the beach, study, and fellowship together in a beautiful, calm environment.
The next generation is a big focus of ours, and the careful return of youth weeks this year meant lots of opportunities for these kids and teens to learn about who they're made to be, why they're here, and where they're going. We look forward to another great year!
Facilities
This summer, our team completed the major renovation of the former Summer Staff boys' dorm into a two-bedroom apartment to house year-round staff, missionaries, and more. We're always looking to improve the conference's facilities, using our spaces to provide the best experience. We're sure that God will continue to use the Victorian-era housing unit to bless its residents!
Other facility improvements this year include the addition of the bay-facing Hut located outdoors near the Canteen. In the summer months, the Hut serves as a convenient smoothie bar with additional weekly events like burger nights at sunset and music performances by our Summer Staff.
Continuing work began with our recent Stepping Up campaign, we're now in the process of installing a new fire sprinkler system in the Chapel Dorm. Initially built in 1978 and renovated in 2020, this dorm now houses staff guys in the summer. Continuation of Stepping Up will include adding the Cove building at the north end of the campus in the coming years.
Summer Staff & Waypoint
This year brought the ability to have over 60 Summer Staff participants with us at the same time thanks to upgrades to larger dorm spaces. If you're at HCBC in the summer, you're likely familiar with these awesome young people who work hard serving and making a significant difference in various areas around the conference.
While our Summer Staff works, we also get to see the Lord working in their lives as each week, month, and even year goes by. One book the staff group studied together this year was Kyle Idleman's "Not a Fan," detailing the difference between simply "enjoying" Christ's teachings and truly following him. This is in addition to the many staff devotionals, chapel sessions, small group times, leadership opportunities, and much more that come with being a Summer Staffer.
40 of our 2021 staffers joined us for a much-needed winter reunion this week. We're currently accepting summer 2022 applications, with the application process now being entirely online.
Waypoint is our "gap-year" program designed for young adults discovering their God-given identity and purpose in life. This April, we held its first formal graduation ceremony where participants shared their personal experiences with the program and the friendships and skills developed throughout. Ten new students are now halfway into another strong year!
We're extremely thankful for Todd and Michelle and everything they do for these programs!
This year's theme, "Telling the Story," has a double meaning: We tell about that memorable history and God's restorative work that started and sustained HCBC, and we celebrate the way it now serves as a place to tell the gospel story in which he restores broken lives the same way.
We hosted a formal celebration during Family Week 3 this August and had the opportunity to hear from Al Oldham, George Murray, and various members of the board of trustees.