Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #23
June 3, 2024
Returning to Warwick Conference Center
Two weeks ago, I spent a glorious day at the Warwick Conference Center in Warwick, NY. It is a retreat and conference center that is run by two particular synods of the Reformed Church in America. The synod of New York and the synod of Mid-Atlantic’s have jointly run this center since it was purchased in the 1950’s and since then, it has been a site for camps for the young, programs for the older, and various meetings. I fondly remember going there on youth retreats in my middle school and high school days.
Two weeks ago, I went to Warwick to participate in a boundary awareness training that was sponsored by several classes of the Reformed Church in America. The course was a good refresher, as I had taken it before. I also got to spend quality time with colleagues, some of which I had not seen in a while. I had a wonderful day in a quiet setting, learning and re-connecting. During lunch, I even got to go on a treasure hunt.
One of the things that I remembered most about this conference center from my youth was the dining room. The walls of this dining room are covered with church plates from the various churches from the two synods who have owned and operated this conference center. While there in my youth, we got to seek and find the plate from my home church, Old Bergen Church in Jersey City.
Now, fifty years later, once more in the Warwick Dining room, I sought out the plate of the church that I pastor, Clinton Avenue Reformed Church in Bergenfield, NJ. Before I sat down to lunch, I began my search. It took about ten minutes, but I found my treasure, the church plate from Clinton Avenue Reformed Church.
It sat proudly on a wall amid plates from other Reformed Churches and was a tribute to the support and participation that our congregation had with this center. While our women’s guild still functioned, the ladies made yearly trips there for a retreat. One of the young ladies who grew up in our congregation became a staff member at the center a number of years ago, met her spouse there, got married, and moved to California. I am told that in the past, a few of our members have served on the board of this facility. Our history there is long. Our church plate hangs on the wall as a tribute to that long history. I wonder what renewed connection our congregation will have with Warwick in the future.
I was accompanied to this conference by our Hispanic Church planter, Ivan Gil. He instantly fell in love with the facility and asked if his growing worship community might use the place as a retreat center. He asked about camping experiences for the young people. He asked about using Warwick for a congregational picnic.
I just have a feeling that a new generation will fall in love with this place and our congregation will be engaging with this place once more, in ways that we haven’t for a few decades. Perhaps our church plate has stood waiting until we returned once more to view it and make use of the conference center.
Our congregation has witnessed to Jesus for 100 years. Warwick has witnessed to Jesus since the 1950’s. Different individuals have come and gone. Each institution has gone through periods that wax and wane, but we are each still here and, I believe, our congregation will soon be engaging with Warwick once again. By God’s grace, we will continue to nurture one another.
#www.markwilliamennis.com #PastorMarkAuthor.com
#ReformedChurchInAmerica #WarwickConferenceCenter
#BergenfieldNJ #ClintonAvenuerReformedChurch
#ChurchPlates #ChurchCamp
To read more of my blogs, to hear my podcasts or to watch my Children’s Bible story videos, please visit my new website, www.markwilliamennis.com
Pastor Mark Author 