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Through the years it has been a great blessing to work with many talented individuals who seek to honor and glorify God by using their gifts to serve others. Through my time at Twin Lakes there have been many who have given of themselves and have contributed to making this ministry what it is today. Each set of fingerprints on the program has left a mark that continues to affect the experiences, outreach and reputation of Twin Lakes as a whole.
Over the past six months we have been undergoing a transition within the program staff at Twin Lakes. In February we learned that we would be sending out not one, but two of our own to serve the Lord in other work that He had prepared for each of them. It was at this point that we began praying about and bringing in the new faces that will continue the tradition of leadership and ministry.
GRANT LYONS joined our full time staff in March of 2014 after several summers of service on our summer staff, as a weekend host, and as a part of our maintenance crew. He served as head of guest services where he managed details for each of our on-site groups, led our team of hosts, as well as served as an Assistant Camp Director during the summers. Grant and his wife, Mary Claire, moved at the end of June to Pearl, Mississippi and he has taken a teaching position at Brandon Middle School where he teaches History. If you know anything about Grant, you know that he is an energetic, lively kind of guy who is VERY entertaining. We know that God will continue to use him in this setting to grab the attention of the students in his classroom. These boys and girls will quickly come to love Mr. Lyons, as well as gain an appreciation and love for all things historical.
MATTHEW ELLIOTT has been a part of our program on and off for about fifteen years. He served on our summer staff as a counselor and leadership staff and as a host throughout college and seminary. He also spent some time at Camp of the Rising Son in French Camp, MS. Matthew also holds a Masters of Divinity and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. When God brought him to Twin Lakes in February of 2014, all of his experience allowed him to jump right in as he began planning for camp – just four short months away. Since then, he has continued to be a valuable part of the team as he researched, wrote, and directed much of the Bible program for our summer programs. His added ability to craft and write scriptural theme songs added yet another valuable element to what we do. Matthew has accepted the call to Cornerstone PCA in Huntsville, Alabama where he began serving in August as the children’s ministry coordinator. He will also be pursuing his Doctorate while there. We pray for his continued ministry to the Lord and to the church body at Cornerstone.
GRAYSON ERWIN is no stranger to Twin Lakes. From Harrisville, Mississippi, he has been serving on our summer staff and maintenance crew consistently since 2011. Having recently graduated from Mississippi State University, God had him already working as a permanent part of our maintenance crew. When we realized that we had a program position available, we asked Grayson to consider taking on his responsibilities. In March of 2016 Grayson began training and has already done a great job overseeing all of the needs of our guests throughout the spring, special season and now moving into fall. He has also been a huge asset contributing to the summer camp program that he knows so well. We look forward to seeing his continued growth and opportunities for service throughout the years to come.
WILLIAM CRUTCHER is from Birmingham, Alabama, a graduate of Mississippi College, and served his first summer at Twin Lakes Camp in 2016. He is currently finishing up his Masters of Business Administration degree at MC while transitioning to full-time work with Twin Lakes. William’s abilities were quickly realized this summer in the areas of theatrics as he played the role of King Ahasuerus for our skits portraying the Old Testament story of Esther. We were also highly impressed with his leadership skills and understanding of the overall concept of camp ministry. Near the end of July we began talking with him about the possibility of moving into Matthew’s role at the end of the summer. We were happy to extend the position to William and are excited about how God will use his gifts to continue to benefit this ministry and the honor of the name of Christ.
I am reminded of the passage from Psalm 121:1, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” We greatly appreciate your continued prayer support of the ministry of Twin Lakes. Nothing that is done is worthwhile unless the Lord is behind it. We are prayerful and encouraged about what is to come!