A Visionary Look Forward

by John V. Upton, Executive Director

Have you seen the movie, As Good As It Gets? The story revolves around Melvin Udall, a quirky character played by Jack Nicholson. Melvin is ill-tempered and neurotic. Most of all and worst of all, he says horrible, hurtful things to people. He meets Carol, a waitress played by Helen Hunt. Carol is a devoted, single mother with insecurities of her own, but, unlike Melvin, she has a no-nonsense way of shooting straight with others. Melvin and Carol finally go to dinner together. She has nearly drained her bank account to buy a special red dress, but Melvin insults the dress. Carol is crushed, stands to leave, but gives Melvin a last chance to say one nice thing to her. After fumbling a bit, Melvin announces, “You make me want to be a better man!” Isn’t it an amazing life experience to find someone who makes us a better person?

Eagle Eyrie—Better Place, Better People

Eagle Eyrie is a place that makes us better people and better Christians.

• I’ve been changed by visits to Eagle Eyrie over my entire life. My mother first brought me here when I was only five. I returned several times as a teen and often as a pastor. When Deb and I were in seminary, Mr. Burgess asked us to supervise the college students who worked here on the mountain the summer of 1976. We introduced each conference and welcomed the guests. It was a transforming experience. No supervisor had ever trusted me so completely. I’ve returned many times and had life-changing encounters with people and with God. I’ve been challenged to be a better person and a better Christian. Then, I’ve gone back to valley and tried to grow and serve better.
• Here at Eagle Eyrie I heard a young woman speak of how her life was turned around by the Virginia Baptist family and by one of our churches. She’d been living on the streets, but her church rallied around her. As a result, her life was reversed and blessed. Her story stretched me to be better and to care more for the lonely and hopeless in our world. This is only one pilgrimage of many that has made us want to be better and do better.
• We’re here to celebrate 50 years of changed lives…and more. We—all 500 of us here —want to become better persons who join God in making a better world. We want to make an even better place for the generations who follow us.

Gathering God’s Better People

Review the last 50 years of cultural changes in Virginia and the world. How can Eagle Eyrie serve as a instrument in making better people and better churches?

• Eagle Eyrie can serve as a “front porch” for the Virginia Baptist family. 50 years ago our homes had front porches, places where we gathered to chat with our neighbors and each other. Today our homes feature decks and patios, places that face away from our neighborhoods and invite us to live in isolation. We’re taken that isolationist attitude to church too. God has called us to be kingdom minded, and we’ve settled for being merely church minded. Eagle Eyrie is a front porch to us, a place to meet, talk, learn, pray, and dream about the kingdom of God.
• Eagle Eyrie can provide a gathering place for us. We’ve become a more diverse society. That’s obvious in the tension between Sunday School and worship in some of our churches. In a homogenous world, churches could divide families into departments and classes for Bible study. But, in a more multicultural world, families want to be together more at church. Eagle Eyrie is an ideal place for families to gather and enjoy each other.

Looking toward Better Tomorrows

Eagle Eyrie has a promising, although different, future. Today, we celebrate the legacy of ministry this place has given us. We thank Dr. Stephenson, Dr. McDonough, Nat Kellum, Mr. Burgess, Binky Huff, Rod Miller, and others for making Eagle Eyrie a historic place of blessing and a place of future promise.

Building on their work, we have changes to make still. Here’s my wish list for places and programs in our “family room.”

• New exteriors, lighting, sound equipment, keyboard, flooring, and bathrooms on all levels for the auditorium.
• A renovated hotel.
• A new swimming pool.
• A new multipurpose building with a gym.
• A new playground.
• A visit by our elected Board in October and perhaps an Annual Meeting here in the future.
• An expanded staff for programming and marketing.

Eagle Eyrie is our training ground for tomorrow. Virginia Baptists mobilize seven thousand volunteers yearly. We have a disaster relief outreach that’s second to none. Let’s use Eagle Eyrie as our training center and launch pad.

God has dreams He wants to share with us. If we don’t gather our ministry forces here on this mountain top, I fear we’re going to miss dreaming some of those dreams. Let’s get our family room in shape. More importantly, let’s get our churches back into a front porch mentality of talking together. Let’s dream God’s dream for our world. We have a great future ahead. May God bless us all.

This is a summary of John’s presentation,
“A Visionary Look Forward”
made at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the
ministry of Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center
on June 17, 2006.

To view the complete presentation,
click on one of the links below:

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