Q&A: Lyle Hartwell

Director, Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge

Lyle Hartwell, Class of 1995, is in his second year as director of the Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge.

Lyle has been involved in ministry ever since his Bible Institute year. He spent his summers on Word of Life Island while attending Tennessee Temple University then returned to the Bible Institute to serve as the director of athletics (1999-2003) and assistant dean of men (2003-2005). Lyle and his wife, Becky (Chambers, Class of 2003), then served in local churches. Lyle was the ministry leader, college pastor, and ministries pastor at Eliot Baptist Church in Eliot, Maine, from 2005 to 2010, then served as the pastor of families and worship at Sonrise Bible Church in Rotterdam, New York, from 2010 to 2013.

Lyle was then asked to consider returning to Word of Life with his family as the Inn continued its transition to the Inn & Family Lodge, with a renewed focus on serving and strengthening families. Lyle and his family (including Austin, 7, and Olivia, 5), moved to Schroon Lake and are also involved in their local church, Mountainside Bible Chapel, where Lyle is a worship leader and helps with children’s ministry.

We caught up with Lyle to hear about his journey and vision for this new arena of ministry.

Whose life has impacted yours the most spiritually?
My parents truly were the greatest influencers in my life. Our journey with God is a faith walk, and no one has ever modeled that with more clarity than my parents.

My parents were church planters from the early 1970s until 1993, when my dad resigned from his last church. They were always bi-vocational (working jobs as well as being involved in ministry) and earnestly trusted in the gracious provision of God to meet our needs. My father was one of the most faithful laborers for Christ right until his death in 2002. As a widow, my mother continues to seek the Lord’s will in every area of her life despite the difficulty, trials, and circumstances that are out of her control. I strive each day to be as faithful as the example set before me by my parents, who truly loved God and loved others.

How did your year at the Bible Institute affect your life?
My year at the Bible Institute was a tremendous year of growth, as it is for most. I spent most of the year running from the Holy Spirit, Who was challenging me to surrender my life to full-time ministry. Trying to run from an omnipresent God is a foolish quest.

It was during the first week of summer ministry that I finally gave up the internal struggle of my will and surrendered to give “all that I am and all that I ever hope to be” to God for His glory. I was a counselor on the Island, and through the power of the Word of God, I watched seven of my nine campers put their faith in only Christ for their salvation. That was Week 1 of my new life, which has an unquenchable desire to come alongside people who need Jesus or need a clearer image of Who He is to see their lives changed.

What’s unique about the Word of Life Inn & Family Lodge?
Statistics show that a majority of families are unhealthy, struggling, and giving up at a staggering rate. At the same time, there is a significant trend in our culture toward families vacationing together. The Inn & Family Lodge must make the most of this opportunity to impact multiple generations of families.

We are a unique vacation destination that provides an exciting environment where kids, parents, and grandparents are challenged to grow closer to God and each other. Come and stay for a week in the summer or enjoy a weekend retreat in the fall or spring. No matter when you visit, you will be greeted by a wonderful staff eager to make your stay a refreshing one, complete with Adirondack adventures and world-renowned speakers. You also can schedule your own retreat for a church group or family reunion, and we’d be glad to work on tailoring the perfect retreat to meet your needs.

What’s new for 2014?
This summer, every week had a special “artist of the week.” These artists ministered through music and as part of our worship team throughout the week.

One of the other changes for 2014 is the location of check-in and customer service. You will now be welcomed in the lobby of the conference center to enjoy arrival refreshments. Customer service representatives will be in the lobby to assist you with anything you need during your stay.

What unique conferences are planned?
We have several. Answers in Genesis, with both Ken and Steve Ham speaking together for the first time at Word of Life, was at the Inn & Family Lodge for Week 1 this summer.

This fall, Linda Dillow and Julie Slattery will be at the Women’s Retreat for the entire weekend. Special music guest Shannon Wexelberg will be leading worship. The speaker at our Fall Marriage Retreat will be Pastor Jerrod Jones, the lead pastor of Grace Community Church, a multicampus church in Washingtonville, New York.

How can we pray for your ministry?
Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we seek to only bring glory to God in meeting the needs of multiple generations of guests. It’s not an easy task, but the need for life change is so great that we must be excellent in all that God has called us to here at the Inn & Family Lodge.

Please pray for people to come as they are and have their needs met exactly where they are.

Campus Update: Bible Institute moves across U.S., into Africa

By Dick Dray, Associate Executive Dean, New York campus

For many years, Jack Wyrtzen would introduce Word of Life’s radio program as being from high, high, high in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. He also would say at times that Word of Life was reaching youth both around the corner and around the world. This past December, through the Bible Institute, we saw exactly that happen.

In the last issue of The Victory Journal, Bible Institute Chancellor Don Lough, Jr. talked about student groups heading to New England and the southeastern United States for various music and drama tours, including the new original presentation Magi as well as a Collegian group and the ensemble Redemption.

During the nearly two weeks these groups were out, they shared the message of God’s Word through music and drama in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. We saw God work in bringing in more than 18,000 people in attendance. More than 100 people made decisions for Christ, and we made many great contacts with alumni and potential future Bible Institute students.

At the same, we saw God working “around the world.”

Bible Institute Executive Dean Mark Strout headed to Uganda to connect with Thomas Obunde (Class of 1995, 2000) and David Kirabira (2005, 2007) to work on plans to open another Bible Institute campus there, on the continent of Africa, this fall. At this time, a one-year program is planned, with 25 students anticipated to start the inaugural school year this September, although the campus as is can hold up to 50 students.

Teaching will be provided by resident lecturers from Uganda and surrounding countries, as well as some professors from the U.S. campuses, and additional options will be considered for ongoing training at the school as the Bible Institute looks to train up future leaders for Africa.

It’s been a packed fall and winter so far, but we’re only get started as we continue to watch God work both here around the corner and out around the world.

Refresh: Reaching the next generation for Christ.

“It is the responsibility of every generation to reach the next generation for Christ.”

Jack Wyrtzen often made this statement when he preached. Growing up in Word of Life, I always assumed ministering to young people was normal — everyone did that, didn’t they? That seemed to be part of the core DNA of any ministry: the next generation.

But as I’ve grown and become actively involved in different ministries, I can’t help but notice an absence of young people — not only sitting in our pews but also involved in life-changing discipleship in our churches. It begs the question: Have we, as believers, lost sight of this goal? Does ministering to this next generation seem like a lost cause because young people’s hearts are so hard from the world’s influence? Or, maybe, have we forgotten how to minister to them?

What does it look like to reach this next generation for Christ? Here are some specific ways we should approach today’s young people if we want to be effective in sharing truth in their everyday lives.

1. Talk to them! Don’t assume that young Christians are immune to the influence of the world.

This next generation is being exposed to adult content at a younger age than ever before, and it’s not just in public schools. This is the world in which this generation has to live, and we must prepare them to do so successfully. We can’t assume they’re OK because they seem like “good Christian kids.” We must help them by actively building relationships and talking with them about real issues. We need to put the iPhones and iPads down, get off Facebook, and interact with the next generation. This way, they won’t choose to reveal their secrets to a stranger but rather to a trusted guide.

2. Show them the difference between acceptance and approval.

There is a big difference between acceptance and approval, but so often our world confuses the two. In their minds, if you don’t approve of their choices, you’re rejecting them because their identity is wrapped up in the decisions they make. But we must teach this generation that God alone has the right to define them (Genesis 2; Ephesians 1). Acceptance and approval are very different — though we accept people because we love and care for them, we do not approve of some of their actions. When young people admit to doing something, remind them that you are there for them, you want them to be successful in life, and you accept them always. But also tell them that you cannot approve of the choices they are making because there is a difference between acceptance and approval.

3. Give them love with leadership.

No one made this point better than Jesus Christ! When dealing with the woman caught in adultery, first Jesus loved her, and then He led her (John 8:1-11). Titus 2 talks about how the older generation should protect, love, and lead this next generation by example for the sake of the Gospel. What are we doing to fulfill this?

4. Don’t give up on them.

Tenacity is key when working with this next generation. We must be more stubborn about their growth than they are about their own way. Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9 not to give up! This next generation needs us to be persistent. We must teach them and guide them, but most importantly, we need to pray for them. We can’t afford to give up.

The young people of the next generation may seem like they’re chock full of challenges, and they are. But they aren’t without hope, because they aren’t without an older generation to teach them.

How are you reaching the next generation for Christ?

Sarah Bubar, Class of 1995, is the dean of women at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus. She recently graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, where she received her masters of divinity in women’s studies. While there, Sarah and her friends started an online resource ministry called UnlockingFemininity.com and co-authored a book called Radical Dating: When God Takes Control of Your Love Life. Her passion includes discipleship and teaching the Word of God to women.

The Second Generation: Ryan Williamson

I came to the Bible Institute in my mid-20s as a married student when my daughter, Kirsten, who is now a Bible Institute student in Florida, was only three months old. I already had a college degree, but I wanted to spend a year immersed in the Word of God so I could grow more and prepare to serve the Lord.

Following my time at the Bible Institute, I served with Word of Life Local Church ministries in Indiana.  My training at Word of Life equipped me to be a lifelong student of the Word and to be active in ministry. Our children have known from an early age that their college career will begin at a Bible Institute, no matter what career path they choose. The year or more they spend immersed in the life-changing Word of God is a foundation for lifetime growth and service that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.

Click here to read about Ryan’s daughter, Kirsten, Class of 2013

For more second generation stories, click here.