January 5, 2006
Attempts to Harm Windermere
Recently a letter was sent to pastors and other church leaders attacking Windermere Baptist Conference Center. However, not only were many of the claims in this letter inaccurate, they were also grossly misstated and unethical.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. There have been frequent attempts to harm the life-changing ministry of Windermere, such as trying to dissuade speakers and organizations from attending, interfering with Windermere's banking and construction work, and spreading false rumors about Windermere.
Despite what you may have heard, Windermere is healthy and is more stable financially than it has been for years. The Windermere Board of Trustees has refinanced and reduced Windermere's principal to a more manageable level. This has resulted in strengthening Windermere's financial position for continued operation and success of the ministry.
On a number of occasions, contacts were made to speakers or organizations to urge them not to fulfill their contract or plan to attend a conference at Windermere. Beginning in 2003 the state convention promoting Girls in Action (GA's) refused to allow them to use Windermere for their highly popular annual retreats. Windermere held its own "Girls on Missions" camps that year instead. Over 1,000 girls and leaders learned that spring about having a missions heart and numerous life-changing decisions were made. Similar camps were held by Windermere in 2004 and 2005 and will be held in 2006 because Windermere refuses to allow such an important ministry to be destroyed.
In April 2004, a Missouri Baptist publication included a column attacking Windermere for hosting a Missouri Conservation Department retreat, even though the same retreat had been held at Windermere for years before the board became self-perpetuating.
Purpose Driven Ministries was contacted and urged to cancel a conference for church leaders at Windermere in October 2004. Purpose Driven remained faithful to their ministry and led the conference anyway, to the betterment of the ministers who attended.
A Vice-President with Focus on the Family was scheduled to speak at the Days of Renewal Clergy/Spouse Getaway 2004 conference at Windermere in November 2004. The speaker was contacted and urged to cancel his trip. The individual broke his contractual promise to attend, giving the reason that he wished to remain neutral in the conflict plaguing Missouri Baptists. He later spoke at the annual meeting of the state convention that dissuaded him from coming to Windermere.
In June 2005, Lifeway's Centri-Kid camp was scheduled to be held at Windermere. However, Lifeway pulled the camp because of the conflict among Baptists in Missouri. Additionally, Lifeway cancelled plans for two CentriFuge camps. Lifeway, also uninvited Windermere, the Baptist Home, and the Missouri Baptist Foundation from a Senior Adult Conference in St. Louis just a week before they were each supposed to have a booth there.
Attempts have also been made to interfere with Windermere's banking and construction work. In March 2003, a Missouri Baptist publication and the Springfield News-Leader reported that a letter was sent to Walton Construction, who heads the construction work at Windermere's Wilderness Creek, on October 17, 2002 warning them against doing business with Windermere. The September 28, 2004 issue of the same Missouri Baptist publication reported that in addition to notifying Walton, a notice was filed in Camden County to warn lenders or creditors. Despite these efforts, Wilderness Creek is open and this past summer approximately 5,000 people used these facilities. Again, life-changing decisions were made and continue to be made.
There are likely other incidents that have occurred; the pattern is obvious. Many false comments have been written in a Missouri Baptist publication that are so off-the-wall and inaccurate that it is amazing they were ever printed. No Wiccan or Hindu conferences have or will be held at Windermere because the Christ-focused mission remains the same!
Other Missouri Baptist institutions have been similarly treated. Word&Way also recently confronted the state convention for violating the law by interfering with the paper's business practices as it sought to stop organizations from buying advertising space. The paper's editor, Bill Webb, stated in the December 1, 2004 issue of the newspaper: "Missouri Baptists need to know that the state convention board's strategy is not only to press its claims in court but to try to force Word&Way and other institutions to suffer financially. To try to undermine the financial health of Word&Way, either by discouraging advertisers or intimidating subscribers, is particularly puzzling given top leaders' claims that they are seeking merely to ‘reclaim' this institution and four others as the convention's own. Wise stewards do not seek to harm what they truly believe belongs to them." Likewise, the treatment of Windermere does not demonstrate wise stewardship or Christ-like principles.
In March 2005, Wanda Lee, Executive Director of the Woman's Missionary Union (WMU), was attacked for agreeing to deliver a missions message at a meeting to be held at Windermere. A column in the March 22, 2005 issue of a Missouri Baptist publication argued, "The fact that the meeting is being held at the Windermere Baptist Conference Center, one of the five institutions involved in the legal battle, is a slap in the face to every Missouri Baptist. Lee is aiding and abetting an entity that would do harm" to the state convention.
Do them harm?! As the above cases clearly demonstrate, it is actually those making this accusation that are attempting to do harm to Windermere. The March 22 column attacking Wanda Lee's decision, stated, "Lee has steadfastly said the WMU is focused solely on missions and is willing to work with anyone who shares that view. But Missouri is much more complicated than that." If that is really true then it demonstrates how tragically far many in our state have drifted.
The staff of Windermere, on the other hand, believes that we can and must simply focus on missions. Anything that complicates that focus is wrong. Last year an estimated 1,600 or more life-changing decisions were made at Windermere. Clearly, God is alive and working at Windermere. Thus if someone is working against Windermere, who are they really working against?
Interim Executive Director, Dan Bench confirms that "Windermere's Mission Statement has not changed. As a dedicated, Christ-like team we will provide a Christian setting in which life changing experiences may occur for all involved. This is much more than a mission statement—it is the focus of our ministry."
Please ignore the attacks and distractions put forth by those who have lost that simple and Biblical missions focus. Instead, support life-changing ministries by attending a camp or conference, planning your own event or retreat, or volunteering or giving to Windermere. This will not only help Windermere, but also enrich you and all who attend. Please join us in praying for the vital ministries of Windermere Baptist Conference Center. You could help change someone's life forever!
