A word from last year's leadership award winner

Hey folks, here's a post from last year's leadership award winner, Jim Bodden:

Inspired for Life, called to lead

So you’ve been accepted into this program which has a tag line, “Inspired for life. Called to lead.” You have been called to lead. There is no better place to learn crucial leadership aspects than at Camp Qwanoes in the Kaleo Program. You will have many opportunities to step out in leadership throughout the year whether it’s on an adventure, or leading worship, or cleaning in the dish pit after dinner. You will have the opportunity to listen to, and participate with Andrew and his leadership team in leadership lessons. However, I challenge you to pay attention to the whole leadership team in their regular day to day activities as you will learn much from their example.

To be a leader is to have others follow you. Many believe that to be a leader you must be a talented public speaker for influencing the mass’s, a great guitar player for leading great congregations in worship a top physical athlete or a famous star admired by the world. Though many great leaders have these talents, these talents are not what define them as a leader. A leader is someone who has a positive attitude that rubs off on those around them, even if they are scrubbing dishes of cleaning toilets on a weekend retreat. A leader is one who is honest and has integrity, and makes those around them strive to follow their example. A leader must be willing to serve, to re-quote what Rachael Allen posted from Matthew 20:26-28, to be great you must be a servant and to be first you must be a slave, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.
I am so excited that you have decided to go to Qwanoes to and partake in this leadership program. I pray that God will prepare your hearts for the lessons to be learned and the growth to be had. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Tim. 4:12)

In Christ

Jim Bodden