The next events I want to share with you are 3 that come around this time every year – in fact I’ll just tell you now that the top 3 events I put out there every year are the following…and only one of them is a project323 event!  Just the same, all 3 are super cool and I would love for you to be a part of EACH of them.  Here they are, then I will tell you more about the first one, because it is coming up the quickest!

1)    LOVE IN ACTION , Cherry Hills Community Church invites YOU to be a part of the Love In Action Community Service Day, May 4, 2014.  Micki and I will be heading up the ‘Parks and Streets’ teams again this year.  Note the addition of ‘parks’ to that line up!  We are super excited and would love to have you help us share the love of Christ by serving our community.  Please check out the link to the CHCC page, and/or call me directly, email me – catch me on FB or Twitter, any way you do, please feel free to connect with me about how you can be involved.  It is an amazing event every year – literally thousands of volunteers making a difference in Douglas County.  Wow!  Here is the link: http://chcc.org/love_in_action.aspx

2)    Quick behind LIA, the Rocky Mountain Childhood Cancer Foundation Golf Tournament – 9th Annual!  Awesome event, RMCCF is helping LOCAL families who are faced with having children battling cancer.  They provide immediate funds for these families when they are in need.  IMMEDIATE!  More on this one soon, but you can check it out, and register to play or sponsor the tourney here: http://rmccfsite.org/coming-events/rmccf-ninth-annual-charity-golf-tournament-2014/

3)    This is the project323 event that we LOVE so much every year.  Our annual Father and Son Fishing Camp – coming up in June – what an amazing time we have every year!  A full weekend with fathers and sons enjoying each other, fishing, camping, eating, playing games – sharing in fellowship together with other fathers and sons.  Singing worship songs around the campfire!  We want you to be blessed to have this time together and get into some father and son time with our Lord.  We’re registering families now.  We ask for a donation of $75 per camper BUT ANY AMOUNT works – even if you can’t afford it, you will be covered – no charge.  IF you don’t have gear for camping or fishing – it will be provided.  Please – don’t let anything keep you away from this awesome time!  Perhaps you or your company would like to sponsor this event?  Please connect with me via email, FB, Twitter – just connect!  Thanks for considering!  More on this event soon with more details.  My email; ken@project323.org.

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 NASB)

Truly, what an AWESOME weekend!  I want to be a fisher of men.  I know that if I follow Jesus Christ, He will make me that.  I love the reference, as a fisherman.  And I love the idea of overflowing nets – not because of anything I can do, but what Christ has done and who He is.  Who Jesus is draws people in.

We had a wonderful time as dads, spending time with our boys – and there is something amazing about how spending time with other dads strengthens and encourages me as a father.  We played games, fished, ate…a LOT!  We worshiped the Lord in song around the fire.  I see this thing growing every year – and I pray that if you are a dad reading this now, that you will join us soon for this amazing event.

We are looking at a family gathering soon, and several local (Colorado local) service projects in the community.  Come with us – serve with us, you won’t regret it!

God Bless You!

ken whatmore

Friends of project323!  Thanks for your continued prayer and support!

We are excited about this years Father and Son Fishing Camp at Chatfield State Park and Reservoir.  June 7,8,9 is going to be a fantastic weekend, and we are hopeful that you will choose to be a part of it.  The camp is set.  We have the sites, we’re planning the weekend and we have lots of gear!  We’re getting some great tips on fishing locations and techniques around the lake (and in some smaller ponds nearby) – so we are going to be ready to ‘reel em’ in’ this year.  The only thing we don’t have yet is YOU!

Register now to reserve your spot!  Here is some important info regarding registration and cost, etc.  1) DON’T let cost be an issue.  We want every Father and Son who can join us to join us!  We are asking for a donation of $75 per person, but if you can’t do that full amount – or even if you can’t do any of it, PLEASE join us!  This is a great opportunity, close to home, for you and your son (or sons) to get away for a couple of days on a super easy camping trip.  Maybe you don’t have fishing gear?  NO PROBLEM!  We will provide you with the gear.  2) DON’T let gear be an issue (I just covered that).  3) DON’T let cost be an issue – I know I said that, but here is something to consider for those of you to whom CAN afford it.  Consider signing up for you and your son (or sons) – and consider sponsoring another team?  Last year we were so blessed to have some sponsored teams, and I can tell you – THEY were blessed!  They were able to get away from the ‘hustle’ for a couple of days and enjoy their time together.

This year we have a great weekend planned, and we are still working on some great things for the time together.  We will be in God’s Word together, around the campfire together, a little music, a LOT of food, some great fishing, staying up crazy late and waking up crazy early (it’s a choice.. you don’t have to stay up late – but you will have to get up early for the pancake breakfast!).  We have some pretty cool activities planned in addition to fishing – we will try and have a couple activities set for different age groups, so it is important that you REGISTER NOW and LET ME KNOW THE AGES OF YOUR KIDDOS so we make sure to keep everyone engaged!

Go to the donations page of our site: http://www.project323.org/donate/index.htm and do whatever you can … from $0 to a million

Then, email me: ken@project323.org and let me know how many of you are coming, include kids names and ages.  We would LOVE to have Grandpas too!  3 generations camping and fishing together? SWEET!

Remember – all you need to do is sign up.  Don’t let gear, money or anything else be a factor, you will be covered!  We just need you there!  This will be a weekend to remember!

What to bring:  (if you have it, if not, just let me know)

Fishing license – that is something you will need to get (teens and up – teens are cheap, adults are a little more)  If you have a little dude (or dudes) and you don’t get a license – they can still fish, but you can’t.  You need a license to fish.

Sunscreen, bugspray, water (we’ll have all 3, but just be safe and bring it if ya’ got it)

Sleeping bags and a tent (let me know well in advance if you, or a family you’d like to gift the trip to doesn’t have these so we can be sure to get them covered)

Fishing gear IF you have it.  (If you don’t, let me know and we’ll get you covered)

Bible IF you have one. (If you don’t, we WILL give you one )

Journal, and any acoustic musical instrument you have.

Normal camp needs (soap, shampoo, TP, and toothpaste, etc…)  The showers at Chatfield are nice, but they operate on quarters, so bring a few (or let me know and we’ll get you covered if needed).

That’s it!  GET SIGNED UP TODAY!!!!  God Bless You!

We really feel like we’re on to something here as it relates to ‘building’ a successful community outreach program.  We’re starting at home.  That’s the place project323 can have the most impact first, and then we build from there.

I am old fashioned.  I think a father’s role in a family is critical to the development of his children.  I know I am guilty of being a bad father sometimes as much as I am a good father other times.  I do want so badly to learn what a good father looks like, how he acts and even more how he recovers from the times he doesn’t get it right.  God gives us examples of this in His Word.  I know for sure that getting it right, and recovering when we don’t, starts with a visit to the Lord for forgiveness and direction.  God says a lot about a mans role in his household.

You know, the most important thing any one of us can do is share Christ and the message of Salvation through Him, and Him alone.  We can introduce people to His love by serving them unselfishly and lovingly.  That’s the whole idea behind community outreach for ministry, sharing Christ by serving the people He loves.  I feel like our desire to reach beyond the family and into the community is bold, but so much more effective if we are helping build and strengthen the family first.  I decided to start with dads.  That’s why we started the Father and Son Camps, and why we are moving to Family Camps next.  We have a role in ministry to walk alongside families and help them grow and achieve together.  To help them experience the fullness of the Lord together.  If we start there, it makes our community outreach program powerful.  Lets get our dads and our boys bonding together and understanding who God made them to be, then help them build that into their families by fulfilling their role in the family!  Then we become a mighty force in service for the Lord in our communities and beyond!

If you want to learn more about project323 and our camp program, contact us today!

ken@project323.org

Plenty to talk about!  Welcome to the Blog323, our new blog – now without those long gaps between posts!  At least, that’s what we’re going for!  You will begin to see some changes to the site here on project323.org, and with some very unique new outreach projects happening, some very cool opportunities to get involved!  AND… there will be some very cool, inter-active radio323 opportunities on the way soon!

camp323?  You might be saying ‘what is that’? And of course, you should be saying that because the camp has not started………yet!  We are exploring a couple of different directions for camp323.  One is establishing our own camp, and the second, which may happen first in order to pave the way, is starting our annual camp323 at an existing camp within the next year.  Either way, the camps will be FAMILY CAMPS – themed in Outdoor Activities; primarily Hunting and Fishing – including Archery and Firearm Shooting.  Sound great?!  Heck yes it does – and all this wrapped up in fellowship, worship and great study with your family!  We will be putting together some cost analysis for both and set a timeline for our first camp projection meetings.  YOU CAN BE INVOLVED!

2nd Annual Father and Son Fishing Camp!  Woohoo!  I can’t wait for this camp.  Really because we learned so much in our first camp last summer.  It is going to be a great joy to fill in some gaps and build on what we discovered last year.  Last year the suggested donation was $75 for camp – a Friday Camp set up and a Sunday Camp break down.  This included a tent site, Friday dinner, Saturday 3 meals, Sunday breakfast – all the fishing gear is provided if a camper didn’t have any, AND, we even had gear to give away!  We’d like to keep this suggested donation the same this year.  And even more, we’d like to ask again for you to sponsor a father and son(s) team if you are able.  This way, we can reach out to some folks who really can’t afford to get away for this event.  We want to bring in Dad’s and their boys who perhaps have never fished before – or very rarely.  There is something so special about the ‘close-time’ you get with your kids on a fishing camp.  We’d like to not only have teams sponsored, but be able to provide them with all the gear they need to keep on fishing and camping.  You can help us to make sure they have rods,reels, tackle, tents and sleeping bags!  Any contribution you’d like to make, please go to our site and donate – the link is below.  Then, email me and let me know you’d like this to be designated for our fishing camp.  Maybe you’d like to come to camp AND sponsor a team?  Just let me know, and if you prefer to do it the old fashioned way, just write a check to project323 and designate it in the memo for Father and Son Fishing Camp.

For online (secure) donations of any amount, you can click on this image below:

Thank you and God Bless You!