Yesterday at 12:57pm the power went out. Well, at least the electricity did. It was an issue with a transmission line that affected large parts of the area, including several larger towns.
On an ordinary day, it might be an occasion to slow down, choose a board game and relax. But this was not that kind of day. Within the next 5 to 8 hours, we were expecting over 1000 guests and about 100 staff to join us for our largest Winter Teen Retreat weekend in years.
Within minutes, it became clear that the electricity was not coming back on… at least for a while. And that’s when we started to see the power restored.
There is power in prayer
Circumstances like this remind us that, even with a great plan, a great team and great momentum, the work that happens through our ministry is dependent on a God who provides. In John 15:5 we are reminded that our primary connection must be to Him and that apart from Him we can do nothing.
So, we prayed together for wisdom. We prayed together for the churches and leaders we partner with. And we prayed together that the electricity would be restored.
There is power in community
Within minutes of the power failure, I had opportunity to connect with an incredible team of people, each with their own skills and gifts. Over the course of several hours we saw the unique gifts in the Body of Christ, members of our team, serving in their strengths:
- Our foodservice team adjusted their plans and prepared salads and sandwiches for the staff.
- The maintenance team started delivering and connecting generators, restoring power where possible and engaging our partners to bring in additional equipment.
- Members of the registration team ensured our guests had a way to contact us (since our phones were also down), prepared for an off-line arrival of 49 church groups, and organized a calling campaign to notify every church of the situation.
- The activities team installed temporary lighting to ensure we could open the tubing hill, our premier winter activity, for our guests when they arrived.
- Our productions team made adjustments, rewired equipment and temporarily hardwired projectors to ensure we’d have minimal production capability regardless of electricity.
- Hosts helped to ensure our guests would have access to the right buildings, and that there was a plan to reopen public spaces as the power was restored.
- Our leadership team strategized options, coordinated resources, and supported the members of each team as they sprung into action.
Each team shined. They did what they could with joy and enthusiasm to ensure our guests would get the best possible experience.
There is power in a plan
This was a unique circumstance for us. We had lived through power outages before, during weekends when guests were already on the property. But none of us had faced a power failure as our guests were preparing to leave their churches and head our way.
What were we to do? Ask them to sit tight and wait for our cue to head to camp? Ask them to come anyway, on the hope and expectation that power would be restored? Apologize and cancel the weekend? These were tough and calculated decisions.
I was reminded of how important good information was for us as we made these decisions.
- What was the timeframe and likelihood of power being restored?
- What would we be able to do if it was not?
- What resources, equipment and people did we have available?
As these bits of information became more clear, it became easier for us to develop a plan that would allow for a great experience.
There is power in communication
From the very beginning, we made it a top priority to keep communication open. We did several things that proved to be essential and made a difficult situation easier:
- We communicated well with one-another. Using radios and cell phones we were able to keep in touch as we went about our tasks. But we also took time periodically to bring people together face-to-face to discuss important matters and consider options. Face-to-face is always best.
- We communicated well with every level of staff. Sometimes, segments of a team can get missed as they go about their normal responsibilities. We made sure to connect with staff in other buildings, provided additional radios to members of our team that didn’t ordinarily carry them so they could be aware of circumstances as plans unfolded.
- We communicated with our guests. We decided very early on that if we had been in their shoes (or buses as the case may be), we would want to know what the situation was we were driving in to. Most were grateful on the phone for the effort we took to make this happen, but it became even more clear of the value of this important step as they began to arrive.
At 7:39 pm, less than two hours before our main session was to begin, and as the outside temperatures were dropping, we saw a flicker of hope. Emergency lighting came back on. It meant at least one leg of the power had been restored.
With the next two hours, our team jumped into action again, to switch us back to municipal power, and restart systems in hundreds of buildings. And by 9pm, when our Leaders’ Meeting started, we were fully operational across most of camp.
It was true. The electricity had gone out, but the power never did.