First Time WCPPC

Dear WCPPC First Time attender - I’m writing to give you a special welcome to the week and give you a brief orientation.

Monday Check-in is 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Mount Hermon Main Camp

Go to the check in table (under the redwood trees – there will be a big crowd, you can’t miss us) to get a warm welcome, your name tag, room assignment, INFO pack which includes the schedule for the week and a roster of all who are attending (all 217 of us). You will be directed to the Mount Hermon Office to get your room key and a map of directions to all rooms.

We also provide a brief orientation for First timers during check-in time to answer any questions you might have.

Monday dinner is at 6:00 PM in the dining hall. We ask all first timers to sit together at specially marked tables for just this first meal. We’ll have 1 or 2 conference veterans there to welcome you and facilitate the dinner-time conversation. We want you to get to know each other and begin to form friendships.  After we finish dinner, while we are still at the tables we’ll introduce the leadership team and cast the vision for the week.

Worship begins at 7:00 PM in the auditorium, just a few steps from the dining hall. Our evening speaker Jerry Sittser will give an introduction to his theme.  Then we’ll break into 4 groups of 50 each for “Log In” – a tradition of first night sharing. It goes like this: Each person in the circle of 50 gets one minute to share a word that sums up their previous year and then elaborate on that.  Some words are humorous, some are poignant, some are creative, some are simple. We have found that “Log In” helps people connect quickly with each other and sets the scene for later conversations during the week. Don’t get stressed by having to ”come up with a word”. It’s easy, you’ll get the hang of it quickly, and you will enjoy it.

The morning schedule starts with breakfast at 8 AM, worship at 9 AM, and then Jim Edwards’ Bible teaching throughout the morning. We do take a mid-morning break for some small group sharing. The small groups are varied – some cluster by affinity (First Call, spouses of pastors, etc.) others just reach out to the 6-8 folks nearby and form a group. Some groups have stayed from year to year. You decide what type of group you want to be in.  Lunch is 12:30 and then the afternoon is free to rest, play, hike, swim, read, talk, go into Santa Cruz (we have a fact sheet on Santa Cruz with great ideas), go to the beach, play basketball, golf…. It is up to you.  6:00 PM is dinner, worship and Jerry Sittser teaching.

Dress is casual. Be sure to bring a warm jacket, sweater or sweatshirt for cooler nights. Shorts and t-shirts are fine, it could get warm during the days.  All your meals are provided, but the 7 AM Coffee Barrista Cart requires cash for those awesome coffee drinks. We have a swimming pool available in the afternoons – bring a suit. All towels and linens are provided – leave your sleeping bag at home! Laptops are fine, though the auditorium has limited outlets (get there early to snag one if you must). There is free wifi in certain spots on campus. Cell phone coverage is good.

See you Monday, April 16…which is truly “8 days after Easter”!!!!

John Moser

Director, WCPPC