Cabin 12

In the rustic chapel at West Bank Bible Camp near Swift Current, Saskatchewan, a special event unfolded on September 14, 2024.  It was a beautiful morning, the sunny, warm kind, nestled between summer's end and fall's early beginnings.  Some seventy family and friends of Cassidy Grimm came to the camp to participate in the dedication of cabin 12, which had become known unofficially as Cassidy’s cabin.  She had served at the camp for years as a cabin leader and beloved friend of campers and fellow staff. Sadly, Cassidy’s life was cut short at the age of 23 in a vehicle accident. The family and camp leadership formally decided to dedicate cabin 12 in Cassidy’s honour. Several of her favourite songs were sung at the chapel service, several testimonies were shared, and a plaque to be fastened inside the cabin was read. Rev. Philip A. Gunther, SKMB Director of Ministry, led the service and dedication. The following is a portion of his chapel service and message and words of dedication shared at cabin 12.
 
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Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Into this special place, into this sacred space,
                  we welcome you.  We need you.
May your presence, peace and power permeate this chapel.
Holy Spirit, encourage us.
Jesus, walk with us.
Father, in all we think, say and do,
                  may you be glorified.
May this time of worship, remembrance,
and dedication, be pleasing to you.
Be of great comfort to the family.
May your grace – your gospel – be lifted high.
We thank you for Cassidy’s life and testimony.
We look to the day when we will be reunited.
Into your hands, we commit this time.
Amen.
 
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Message
 
Some three thousand years ago, an ancient enemy of Israel was marching toward them at Mizpah.  Israel’s leader at the time was the prophet Samuel. Seeing the army of their enemy marching toward them, he, together with the nation of Israel, appealed to the Lord for deliverance. Once again, they were desperate for God to come to their rescue. And he did. The Lord supernaturally broke into history and delivered Israel from its enemy. In response, Samuel took a stone, set it up at Mizpah and called it “Ebenezer,” meaning “stone of help,” and it was to declare to the nation of Israel: “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” That particular stone was formally set aside for a purpose (dedicated), to declare to the world that not only did God exist, but that he had helped Israel. This was a praise event, a sacred moment.
When our three sons were babies, Janine and I dedicated them to the Lord. In doing that, we were publicly giving thanks to God for them as his gifts. At the same time, we were giving them back to him for kingdom purposes. Such personal acts of dedication are powerful testimonials of faith.
Family, I am deeply honoured to serve you this morning at this most precious of events, the dedication of cabin 12 in Cassidy’s name. I want to acknowledge the willingness of West Bank to respond favourably to the Grimm family’s request to have one of their cabins dedicated in this manner.
When we walk this earth, all of us want to be remembered. When we walk the paths of heaven, our loved ones want us to be remembered by those who continue to walk the paths here on earth. This is an act of love and honour. My own little brother died in October 2013. My dad built a large gazebo on the property of the retirement community complex where mom and dad lived. It was his way of carrying forward Edward’s memory and bless those who would come to rest in the gazebo. Dad told me that he constructed the pavilion as a place where people could come and be met by the Lord. 
Today, the Grimm family wants their beloved, Cassidy, to be remembered.  She left us on August 23, 2023, and today, September 14, 2024, we have come to West Bank Bible Camp to fulfill their expression of that remembrance. In this place, Cassidy spent summers caring for campers, developing leadership skills, and celebrating and sharing her faith in Jesus. 
For Cassidy, West Bank was a special place and a safe place, a spiritual space. It was here that God met her. It was here that God’s Spirit worked in her and through her. It was here that she comforted, counselled and prayed with little ones. It was here that hugs were given, laughter was contagious, and the joy of her salvation shone brightly. Cabin 12 was her place and space to be a difference-maker in the lives of young people – some who knew Jesus and others who did not. She loved them all equally. My sense is that, in some way, her adventures here at West Bank fueled her aspirations to teach in public schools.
Cassidy told campers of Jesus, the one who loved them unconditionally, who gave himself for their souls, who wanted to walk with them throughout their lives. In some ways, cabin 12 was Cassidy’s chapel and she was the pastor.
Cabin 12 was where she welcomed campers and made them feel safe and accepted. Cabin 12 was where she heard the life stories of campers – the good, the bad and the ugly. Cabin 12 was where she fixed the eyes of campers toward Jesus as the source of hope, help and healing. Cabin 12 was where she wiped away tears and quieted fears. Cassidy made Cabin 12 a place of refuge.
I never heard Cassidy’s words to the campers under her care, but I think they would have been similar to the prose in the poem “You Are More.”
 
You Are More
 
You are more than the cells that make up your frame,
More than the letters that spell out your name.
You are more than the ideas that float in your mind,
More than the feelings, no matter what kind.
You are more than the choices you make each day,
More than the expressions you give on the way.
You are more than the worries that grip your heart,
More than the fears that rip you apart.
You are more than the dreams that sometimes distract,
More than the hopes that move you to act.
You are more than the ailment that robs your well-being,
More than the stubbornness that keeps you from seeing.
You are more than your finite points of view,
More than the goals you now pursue.
You are more than the history that so shapes your present,
More than your relationships that sometimes aren’t pleasant.
You are more than your reputation or diplomas on the wall,
More than the awards hung up in your hall.
You are more than the doubts that shake your conviction,
More than the questions that shatter your nonfiction.
You are more than the short-comings that litter your life,
More than the weaknesses that instill in you strife.
You are more than your habits, good or bad,
More than the addiction that drives you mad.
You are more than your mistakes, your sins, your errs,
More than all the stuff that comprises your cares.
You are simply more…
You are the beloved of God, a child of the King,
A person of purpose with something to bring.
You are a treasure, cherished to the core,
A saint, who in Christ Jesus is always more.[i]
 
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Dedication of Cabin
 
In Cassidy’s honour, I would like to do something I believe she would welcome – a biblical proclamation spoken over cabin 12 – a declaration of Jesus.
 
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” 
Colossians 1:13-20
 
We dedicate this cabin to Jesus in memory of Cassidy Grimm, his beloved disciple.  May this place, this space, be filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We dedicate this cabin to the proclamation of the gospel, to the redemption of hearts and minds and to the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.  We dedicate this cabin to the glory of God in memory of Cassidy, a good and faithful servant to whom, we believe, the Lord said, “Well done.  Well done, Cassidy.”
 
WBBC Cabin Dedication Prayer
 
Heavenly Father.
We welcome you to this event of dedication.
We welcome you to this sacred moment.
May every thought, word and deed bring you glory.
We meet you with hope and faith.
We remember your beloved Cassidy,
cherished and deeply missed by her family and friends.
We thank you for her life, her faith and her love.
We thank you for the summers she served at West Bank,
in this very cabin.
We thank you for the moments of laughter,
the minutes of dialogue and the hours of fun.
We thank you for the lives that Cassidy changed in this cabin.
Thank you for the Holy Spirit epiphanies she experienced here.
We dedicate this cabin in her memory and for your glory.
Bless this cabin to be a space of divine revelation.
Bless this cabin to be a place of supernatural encounters.
Bless this cabin to be a space where your Word is read, recited,
and remembered.
Bless this cabin to be a place where hearts and minds are
redeemed.
Bless this cabin to be a place of first-time commitments and
renewed commitments to Jesus.
Bless this cabin to be a space of love for you and others,
a testimony of your loving-kindness.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 
Amen.
 
[i] Poem author: Philip A. Gunther.