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Westbury
LAKEHOUSE
Westbury Lakehouse
by Mike Newton
Facilities Director
As 2009 came to a close, Camp Tejas was preparing to start construction on the Westbury Lake House. This new retreat
spot would sleep 24 in the retreat season and 32 as a bunkhouse in the summer. With doors between the rooms in a similar
fashion to Four Seasons, the private rooms would become a communal space. It would breathe new life into the Tejas side
of the camp and bring the aesthetic taste of the Meadows Retreat Center to a four room bunkhouse sitting on the water
in view of the Marmax Conference Center. There was much work to be done and, as usual, retired volunteers would be
shouldering the bulk of the labor. We had already emptied about six feet of water from the lake, and set seventy piers that
would support the structure. Now, the volunteers would show up and work their magic.
As always, I would meet with the volunteer coordinator on the Friday prior to starting the project. I remember a good, long
conversation with a 79 year-old volunteer named Bill Lehman who had come to the camp with his crew of SOWERs. Those
volunteers are good for a long conversation. They have some good stories that draw your attention to our God and bring
Him glory. After some time was spent listening to me carry on about Camp history, he began to share about growing up
in a little town called Berne, Indiana. As the conversation went on, I started to realize that the two subjects were merging.
When I mentioned the Marmax conference center and how it came to be, I could tell the gears were turning in his head, and
he was putting something together. I then went on about the donor for the construction project and how the building was
named. Bill interrupted and said “Habegger.” He then looked at his wife and said “We’ve heard that someone I grew up with
in Berne, Max Habegger, was helping a Christian camp in Texas. We didn’t know it was this camp. What a small world,” he said.
Now, I’m not a big fan of words like luck, chance or coincidence. I know that what I’m describing to you was not lucky
happenstance. You see, the following weekend, there would be a banquet to show our appreciation to our donors. Max and
his wife Martha would be there. When they arrived at the office, I met Max and told him that Bill was here. He was elated. In
short, they spent a good time sharing the experiences of life at the banquet, and later had a lengthy conversation on the
phone. After all of those years, both men with different paths converged on the same place with the same purpose, giving in
their own way to the ministry of furthering the Kingdom of God.
That was almost a year ago. More volunteers have come and gone, and the full-time staff has worked many long hours to finish on time. The Westbury Lake House now sits on the water, waiting to make its own mark in Camp Tejas history. It already
has one story. Let’s see if we can make some more.
Before:
During:
After:
Progress
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11/8/10 12:25:12 PM