The Experience Fall 2019_WEB

the southern states. In 2018 a new Christmas Production called “All Is Bright” began. In the 20 years Gospel Productions has been at Word of Life Florida, there have been over 600 performances with 360,000 people in attendance. There have been over 86,000 people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. By 2006 , the Bible Institute began occupying the Jack Wyrtzen Center which was formerly called the Conference Center. Many of the guest rooms in that building are now being used as dorm rooms, and the Bible Institute offices are also located in that building. In 2016/17 the women were housed in the Jack Wyrtzen Center and the men in cabins at the Youth Camp. Presently the Youth Camp occupies 21 cabins with three more cabins being added this year. The Youth Camp can accommodate approximately 480 campers per week. Rich Andrews began his new assign- ment as the Director of Word of Life Florida Ministries in the summer of 2013 . Under his leadership, all areas of the ministry in Florida - Bible Institute, Youth Camp, Gospel Productions, RV Park and Ministry Retreats - have seen growth, and many lives are being changed for eternity. In 2020 , join us for our 30th anniver- sary celebration on March 20 at 7PM in the Harry Bollback Performing Arts Center.

In 1995 , the Word of Life Florida RV Park opened with 53 sites, and the RV Park has since expanded to its present capacity of 246 lots. The RV Park com- munity is a vibrant community of very active retirees who relocate to Florida for the winter to fellowship around the Word of God and the ministry of Word of Life. Over 85% of them get involved somewhere in the ministry as a volun- teer. Each year the RV Park community raises money through donations and various fundraisers for Youth Camp scholarships. This year they raised more than $105,000! The Florida Extension Campus of Word of Life Bible Institute opened in 1997 with 75 students due to the growth of the student body at the New York campus. The current student body of 123 students is from 20 states and nine foreign countries. In the 21 years the Bible Institute Florida Campus has been operating, 2,441 students have attended. The Theis Assembly Center opened in 1999 and is used as the Bible Institute classroom and Summer Camp activities room. As camp numbers continued to increase, Summer Camp meetings were moved to the Harry Bollback Performing Arts Center. In 1998 , Gospel Productions began in the Harry Bollback Performing Arts Center with the “Sights and Sounds of Christmas.” The “Passion Play” was added in 1999, and in later years “Jesus Behold The Man” replaced the “Passion Play”. In 2013, “Magi”, a Christmas production, was introduced and was presented in churches around

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Want to share a ministry memory? Email it to: MIKEBUSH@WOL.ORG

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