Nehemiah 3:1-5
Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccus son of Imri. The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set upits doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Mermemoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz repaired the next section of wall. Beside him were Meshullam son of Berekiah and grandson of Meshezabel, and then Zadok son of Baana. Next were the people from Tekoa though their leaders refused to work with the construction supervisors.
Phase 1 of Project Nehemiah involved the building of 4 new cabins, known as “The Pines”
Why is our major building campaign named “Project Nehemiah” when other large projects around Camp are relegated to the projects page without a major name? Why such a focus on new cabins now, at this period of Camp’s history? What is the purpose of it all? These are questions that may spring to mind in reading a post about Project Nehemiah.
I thought it fitting to first point us back to the inspiration for our capital campaign’s name. Project Nehemiah was named for the book of Nehemiah, a small but mighty part of the Old Testament in which we read about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after years and years of exile and despair. The completed walls were more than just a building and more than just something to break up the landscape and look impressive. They represented security, the gathering of community together, and most of all, fulfillment of the promises God had made to His people.
In the days of Daniel and Jeremiah, the Israelites had seen the city destroyed and their people taken into captivity to Babylon. Both men would receive visions from God about the length of the exile, first a promise of 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12) and later extended because of the faithlessness of the Israelites. But even with the lengthened years, a promise remained: God would rescue His people. They would not be left in exile.
All of this was coupled with revelations and promises of a future hope, some of which many Biblical scholars even today recognize has yet to be fulfilled.
But 141 years after the destruction of Jerusalem, through visions to Nehemiah, the softening of the Persian king’s heart, and through the inspired community of Israelites and even their neighbors, the promise was fulfilled that Jerusalem would be restored.
This is the monumental moment that Nehemiah 3 begins to capture. The gathering of God’s people to complete the work, done with intention, with joy, with every step dedicated to the Lord. This joy, passion, and offering of both the work and its final result are the inspiration for Project Nehemiah’s name, and the intention we wish to bring to each step of the project.
Our need for Nehemiah stems from several reasons, but a major one is the lack of wheelchair accessible spaces at Camp. With phase 1, we’ve already seen the ability to invite more groups to our space, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend. Many of our existing cabins have stairs, making them inaccessible and exclusionary.
Another key help from the Nehemiah cabins is the ability to temporarily close cabin spaces around Camp to do much-needed repair work. Notably, we recently were able to repaint and refurnish all of the Cedar Village cabins and have them “offline” for a little while to complete those updates. Similar updates will take place in other cabins in the upcoming months.
Black Lake Bible Camp remains committed to its founding mission, to be a place where people can encounter the presence of God. As we live the mission, we look to steward the resources God has provided us well, both through creating new spaces for community and retreat, as well as protect and improve the existing places which make up the physical legacy of Camp. Through it all, we are grateful to God for His provision of volunteers, campers, guests, and more, who are the beating heart of this Camp.
Please be in prayer for Project Nehemiah and for Camp as a whole, that God would continue to work through the people involved and help create a welcoming environment where the Gospel is daily shared.
Interested in more information about Project Nehemiah and how you can be involved? Visit the Project Nehemiah Page