The Dedication of the Prayer Chapel at YouthFront Camp South was extraordinary. It rained all day and we wondered if we would be able to pull it off as planned. We started with dinner and the rain stopped sometime during the meal. It appeared that the weather was going to cooperate with the festivities. At 7:00 PM nearly 100 YouthFront staff, guests and dignitaries gathered around the Prayer Chapel for the dedication. Here is a copy of the Dedication Liturgy and Service. Download prayer_chapel_dedication.doc .
Here is a picture of Cheryl Reinhardt with other moms who requested a 24/7 Prayer Tent two summers ago which has led to the building of a permanent Prayer Chapel. They told wonderful stories of how God laid the Prayer Tent on their 
hearts and how our YouthFront Staff was so quick to respond because we had already embarked on a journey emphasizing the importance of prayer at YouthFront Camps and as essential for the spiritual formation of young people. They read several letters that teenagers had written about their experience in the Prayer Tent. I was struck at the deep and profound theology in these letters, a robust holistic theology of life with God. Fletch Kelly told some stories about the construction process and the amount of prayers that were now enclosed within the walls. He also explained how we purposefully left one outside wall and one inside wall and the fireplace undone. We are involving the teenagers all summer to complete this aspect of the project by finding a natural stone which will be used on the walls and fireplace. About halfway through the dedication we started getting a very light misty rain. I chose several scripture passages for the night. The last one is one of my favorite chapters in scripture - Revelation 21. As Eric Venable was reading "and He who sat on the throne said 'I make all things new,'" the sun finally broke through the clouds as it sunk behind the hill. As the final "Amen" was declared everyone opened their eyes to a brilliant rainbow that perfectly framed the Prayer Chapel. The night was already as perfect as most would hope for. To have the rainbow made it an evening no one who was there will ever forget.
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