Back Home Again in Iowa

As you may have already guessed from the last few posts, I am once again back at Adventureland Park in Iowa. Although my Blogger Profile says that my "location" is Sioux Falls, SD, and although that is our "official" home base, I really feel that I am "Back Home Again in Iowa. Sandi would most likely disagree with me, but this is the place that feels most like home to me. All my friends are here. I have a job here that I love. More importantly, I am a part of a Christian community here that has meant more to my life and growth and my walk with the Lord than any other.

So let me tell you about Adventureland. Adventureland is a resort complex in the greater Des Moines area, founded by the late John F. "Jack" Krantz. Mr. Krantz went home to be with the Lord last year, and now the park is being operated by his family. It consists of an Amusement Park, a Hotel, and a first-class RV Park. The first full time season for the Amusement Park was in 1975. It has:

• 26 food stands
• 35 rides
• 39 Games

And most importantly, about 200 people (out of about 800 employees) who are actively seeking to live for Jesus Christ, who they acknowledge as Lord of their lives. Many of these are local residents, and have home churches in the community. About 150 of us "Workampers" worship together in what I call the "Adventureland Congregation". We meet each Sunday morning before work at the Adventureland Chapel, which is located inside the amusement park. There are usually around 80 of us present on any given Sunday, but the chapel will hold more, and we have had as high as 120 in attendance. Several local pastors and other speakers, including many "regulars" deliver the message each Sunday. A group from Crosspointe music ministries, together with some of our members lead the worship music.

The Adventureland Congregation had it’s beginning in 2000. A few of the workers who were unable to attend their home churches on Sunday decided to get together and have a worship time before work. This evolved into a regular worship service that struck a chord with several of the other employees, and the attendance began to grow. I did not attend the first year. The moving of the Holy Spirit was obviously present in the very beginning, and the evidence of His power may have always been as strong as I first noticed it to be when I started to attend in 2001. I only know that God began to move in my life, and in the lives of many others, in a special way through the influence of the Adventureland Congregation. As I have stated previously, what I have witnessed Christ’s Spirit doing here has been something more powerful than I have seen yet in my lifetime.

Numerically, we have grown from a few dozen people meeting in the back room of one of the park’s restaurants, to several dozen meeting in the corner the Palace Theater, to the present time when we are meeting in the Chapel on the grounds within the amusement park itself. The Chapel building was built at the direction of the late Mr. Krantz, who wanted his legacy to include something more than just a new ride. Construction on the Chapel was begun at the end of the 2003 season and it was opened for employee worship services at the beginning of the 2004 season. The first three seasons also saw Gospel music shows on the Chapel’s porch. They did not have these shows this year and I miss them very much, as I’m sure do our guests. There is talk that they may be back next year.

A weekday Bible study has been a part of the agenda, I think, since the very beginning. One year we studied "The Purpose Driven Life", and it had the same type of positive impact that it had elsewhere.

Just when the mind of my "natural man" thinks this miracle here has run it’s course, the Spirit moves us on to a newer and higher level. The newest addition to the fellowship of believers at Adventureland are the small-group Bible studies. This began as a outgrowth of the larger Bible study that we had for many years on Wednesday. Under the leadership of Jack and Karen Gregory of Christian Resort Ministries International, the small group Bible studies were organized and launched last year. This year we have three small groups, meeting on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights, and the larger group meets on Wednesday morning. I have the privilege of facilitating the Monday night group. The other groups are ably facilitated by my friends Bob and Karen Johnson, and Bert and Betty Lang, with Jack Gregory teaching a tremendous study of the book of Romans in the Wednesday group.

Just for the record, Adventureland is the largest single-location Workamper employer in the nation. About 400 of the Adventureland employees are Workampers. With the presence of the large number of Christians, I guess that would make us also the largest community of Christian RVers in the nation as well. There has been an emphasis this season challenging all of us to ask the Lord about ways that we can take our faith with us and find ways to practice it as we go forth from this place to our winter destinations.

Adventureland is not billed as a "Christian" facility. Neither am I trying to represent that it is. It is a for-profit business, operated by people of all types, regarding their relationship (or lack of same) to Jesus Christ. It does seek to create a family friendly environment, in which all kinds of folks can feel comfortable. We are very grateful that the company has allowed us to have our Christian community within the greater employee community. It is evident to me that God has honored and prospered them for their support of us.

Adventureland is located off exit 142A, on I-80. The campground has about 310 spaces, but with about 240 of these occupied by the Workampers, I recommend that you get advanced reservations, particularly if you are coming between Memorial day, and Labor day.

For security reasons, the Chapel service on Sunday is only open to employees and their guests, so if you are looking for a local church nearby, I recommend the Church of the Cross, nearby in Altoona. Even if you’re not a Lutheran, I think you will be blessed by the worship ministry of this unique congregation. I recommend the 9:15 service, particularly for non-Lutherans. The folks in the campground office can provide you with directions to this and other nearby churches.

Adventureland Park is walking distance from the campground, by way of a paved footpath provided from the campground. Admission is $29 daily, with a second day at half-price. Season passes are $85 each. So "come on over to Adventureland" and I hope you will get to meet, and be ministered to by some of us in our Christian community. Better yet, perhaps you would consider becoming one of us. The employment office is almost always open.

Thanks for sharing this moment with me today.