What cannot God do?  As a result of much prayerful listening to understand the needs of today and wisdom to prepare for the needs of tomorrow, as well as a generous grant, construction on a second dining room on the North side of Dawn Lodge started in January of 2021.  We have especially appreciated Mary Baker Eddy’s exegesis of New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse and found in this passage the building’s name (bolded):

"As the Psalmist saith, 'Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.' It is indeed a city of the Spirit, fair, royal, and square. Northward, its gates open to the North Star, the Word, the polar magnet of Revelation; eastward, to the star seen by the Wisemen of the Orient, who followed it to the manger of Jesus; southward, to the genial tropics, with the Southern Cross in the skies, — the Cross of Calvary, which binds human society into solemn union; westward, to the grand realization of the Golden Shore of Love and the Peaceful Sea of Harmony." (Science and Health, p. 575: 22)

Now that Holly Huff Bruland is serving as Executive Director, Warren Huff has more time to enjoy another passion of also being CedarS Project Architect and Construction Manager.  Warren has been instrumental in designing, shepherding and loving this project into view.  He worked with twenty-five individuals across five different trades, listening for quick solutions to anything that would claim to hinder progress, all while supporting harmonious collaborations and witnessing to God’s presence and power.  Everything from construction crews with too much work to get to this project, to weather delays, to supply line shortages, to not having enough time to get enough completed for the start of camp were handled through constant prayer, work-ethic, and expertise of a great team.  Warren worked closely with each line from “Feed my Sheep” to ask our divine Shepherd, Architect, and Supply Chain Manager to show us that only love, confidence, and obedience adequately answer the question of “how to gather, how to sow, how to feed Thy sheep” (Hymn 304).  One of the construction foremen said he would have joined many in laughing about the idea that North Star would have all the concrete poured and all the roof trusses and roof in place in the short amount of time it was accomplished.  God is so good!

Despite predictions to the contrary, Phase I of the North Star was completed in time for summer use. Campers, staff, and adult helpers enjoyed these features:

• An open-air dining room, screened with beautiful cedar doors and window frames, that allowed us to hold camp this summer in compliance with spacing guidelines. The space can accommodate up to 160 people.
• View of Mary's Chapel, lakes, ziplines, Bible Lands Park, and the Ozark hills.
• One existing, central camp kitchen serves both the North Star and Dawn Lodge dining rooms.
• Opportunities for middle and high school campers to participate in service and practice teamwork through meal cleanup, dishwashing, and sweeping.
• More meeting spaces are available for Sunday School classes.
• Two additional ADA bathrooms
• North Star, with its 18-foot tall pine posts, is high enough to create shade for Mary’s Chapel – blocking the setting sun shining in the eyes of speakers, church service readers, Wednesday meeting testifiers, and hymn sing leaders.
• A central storm shelter can hold at least 250 people under the dining room/wraparound porch.  While our full source of protection comes from God, we are grateful for this practical provision for our precious guests.

Phase II of construction is continuing this fall.  Once fully complete, the North Star will also include:

• A service bay and mini kitchen to facilitate drink refills, food warming, dish returns and modest cooking for off-season groups and needs.
• Increased off-season capacity with the ability to offer our first well-insulated, all-weather dining facility. Eventually either the whole building, or parts of it, will be able to be open-air or closed up to be heated or cooled.  
• A second story loft features a balcony, meeting space/bathroom, and a bedroom/bathroom for the Lodge Manager.
• A covered wheelchair-accessible ramp leads to Mary’s Chapel.

There is more work to be done on this project to see it fully realized, but we are incredibly grateful for the prayerful support received, the hardworking crew of builders and CedarS staff, the volunteers showing up at the right times with a willingness to share their skills with CedarS, and the loving provision for the North Star so that it could meet the need this summer and beyond.  It is a beautiful and much-needed blessing and addition to CedarS Camps.