CAMPING TRENDS ARE CHANGING (concluded)
talked the owner into selling to him. He put down his only $1,000 as a deposit. He had to provide $4,000 more within ten days to insure the deposit. He had no means of providing this. He and his wife and their three chil dren had only an old car left as assets. Eshleman was on his knees praying before the big fireplace in the larger of the buildings (an officers’ club, replete with bar, dance floor, other amusement provisions), while rain fell dismally through a big hole in the roof overhead (the building had been damaged by the 1947 Florida hurri cane) when a stranger walked in. The man told him he would provide the deposit balance—his only stipulation being that his name should never be revealed. It hasn’t been. There began then a series of awe some developments w h ic h cau se veteran residents of the area still to shake their heads in wonder. Mem bers of the Bible teacher’s radio audi ence pitched in physically and finan cially into restore the stripped build ings, clear the overgrown lands, plant shrubs and flowers. Today a million dollar tropical paradise stands on the once desolate site, vibrant with the eager enthusiasm of God’s followers. The Conference owns a 5,000 watt ra dio station to aid its ministry. Planes and steamships are chartered regular ly for evangelistic tours to the Carib bean Islands, Hawaii, other distant places (Rallies for as many as 14,000 persons have been held.) In May of this year, a group of Conference resi dents and friends departed for a tour of Europe and the Holy Land. This ministry is done on a non profit, non-denominational basis. “All of which reflects only the glory of Christ—and Him alone,” says Ira Eshleman in retrospect. “I merely happened to be used by Him . . . in this case the rusty pipe through which He chose to have the clear, spring water flow from the Rock of Divine Provision.”
In addition, a limited number of apartments are available for those who prefer to prepare their own meals. Next winter a separate dining room will be operated for those on special diets who may prefer to order their food a la carte. The Conference directors are con vinced that well-fed and well-rested Christians are the ones who derive the greatest spiritual benefits from camp life. “Another significant change is the swing back to the old camp meeting type of gathering—with no denomi national emphasis,” says Eshleman. “Our motto at Boca Raton is ‘All One In Christ Jesus’ and we find more and more Christians feeling the same way.” The genial Bible teacher, son of a poor Pennsylvania farmer while do ing evangelistic work in South Florida and the West Indies nearly ten years ago first recognized the need for a “spiritual oasis for God’s people com ing to Florida.” He felt that to be most effective such a site should be located somewhere between the fa mous Florida vacation cities of Miami and Palm Beach. But exorbitant land prices immediately inspired friends to dissuade him. Nevertheless, Eshleman and his wife Viola had unlimited conviction that God would provide a way. He did! They happened by chance upon an abandoned Army air base at Boca Raton. The place was a shambles. Windows were shattered; the build ings long since vandalized. Streets were weed-grown. The Eshlemans selected two of the larger buildings and thirty acres of the surrounding o v e rg row n land. They were shocked when they learned the price: $50,000. In fact, the owner had already been offered this price for the two delapidated buildings and three acres of land by a Detroit gam bling syndicate. Ira Eshleman—with God’s help—
Boca Raton tug-o’-war across fish pond has Miami Youth Ranchers in a frenzy of thrills and excitment.
Vague Springman is typical of the top musical artists who are regularly featured at Boca Raton Conference Grounds.
Young people from conference church, co-pastored. by E. Ernest Tatham and Wendell P. Loveless, go on hayride.
One time army officer’s dance hall has been transformed to a site for weekly sacred musical converts at Boca Raton, mm nm p y
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