W y rtz en ’s camp program is typ ical of the w ay he sees God’s guidance in the work. H e wanted to start a camp and settled on the Schroon Lake area some 95 m iles north of A lbany in the Adirondacks. In the lake is a 90-acre wooded island. In 1946 it was up for sale. P rice: $190 ,000 . W y rtzen visited the owner’s pastor and together they went to the owner’s home. W y rtz en told her of the plans he fe lt God had given him . M uch as he trusted God, he could hard ly believe his ears when the elderly and rich woman (o f the C lark thread m anu factu ring fam ily ) agreed to sell the entire island for on ly $25,000. Th e n ex t two steps in the camp program seem even more m iraculous. On shore was the fabulous Brown Swan Club but rea l estate men told h im flatly it was not for sale and even if it were it was valued a t h alf a m illion. W y rtzen prayed and boldly marched in on the owner. In a disgruntled mood over an argu m en t w ith some employees, the owner sold for $125,- 000 and then the next day told the evangelist, “I don’t know whatever possessed m e yesterday. If you had come the day before— or today— you couldn’t have bought it a t any price.” Th en in 1955 W y rtzen looked over a 135-acre piece of property on the lake that was valued at $300 ,000 . T h e property had a new $50 ,000 dining room, a beau tifu l beach, a large theater, five tennis courts, stables, an archery range and ball courts. W y rtz en prayed again and offered a meager $60,000. And the owner calm ly accepted (although he la ter tried to withdraw from the co n tra c t). W ith evidence like this few people would care to argue th a t God was not answering prayer on the be h a lf of this aggressive evangelist.
Wyrtzen’s musical staff consists o f such talent as Organist Patsy Cahall (standing) and the singing W hite sisters. Patsy has appeared with Paul W hiteman on radio and TV and the White sisters left a bright career in show business to join Word of L ife (they formerly appeared with Dennis James and Arthur Godfrey and in night clubs across the nation and in Europe).
Wyrtzen and w ife have five children ranging in age from A to 19■ His summer camp program ( below ) is centered at beautiful Schroon Lake, N .Y. The Island is for ages 14-25, Ranch ages 7-12 and Inn for entire family. Last summer over 14,000 campers came.
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Wyrtzen slants his radio broadcasts to young people; one Saturday night recently when his program originated in Hollywood he featured an Olympic ski champ and two all-American football players from UCLA. H e believes when vigorous young men like these speak for Christ, youth will listen. Pictured here with Wyrtzen are San Carlo Opera Soprano Lucia Evangeliste and her husband, the well-known Metropolitan Opera Baritone, Jerom e Hines. Both are Christians and sing often for Wyrtzen.
The King's Business/June 1957
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