February 26, 2009
by Janet Tuck

NASHVILLE – With continued dedication to bringing clean water to people in need, Living Waters for the World (LWW) plans to open a West Coast Clean Water U at Calvin Crest Conferences in Oakhurst, CA.

Clean Water U-West will expand the capacity of LWW – a ministry affiliated with the Synod of Living Waters – to train and equip people to install clean water systems around the globe. Clean Water U is the training school for LWW. It uses simulation to equip teams with the skills needed to form partnerships with communities in need of clean water, show local leaders how to continue education and install clean water systems.

LWW plans to hold Calvin Crest's first Clean Water U in October. LWW will continue holding training sessions at the original Clean Water U site at Camp Hopewell in Oxford, MS.

"We've talked for a few years about starting a second campus," said Wil Howie, founder and director of LWW.

Calvin Crest Conferences, located about twenty miles from Yosemite National Park, is near Fresno, CA, which has one of the largest Southeast Asian immigrant communities in the nation.

"Through ties with our partners working with the Laotian immigrant community, already the conversation has begun toward developing a network in Laos," Howie said.

The hope is that more clean water systems can be installed in Southeast Asia because of the establishment of the Clean Water U site in California.

Joanie Lukins, chairwoman of the LWW committee, said that God led the way for this new endeavor.

"The opportunity came along unbidden and will be so beneficial to both parties," she said. "We felt God leading us in this way."

Having the Calvin Crest campus will allow congregations in the western part of the United States to have easier access to the training.

"The point is to expand the total number of students we can train in a year, therefore expanding the clean water we can bring to those in need in the world," Lukins said.

Before finalizing plans, the LWW committee and representatives from Calvin Crest Conferences conducted long and detailed discussions. They crafted a covenant detailing responsibilities and finances that was approved at the January meeting of the Synod of the Living Waters.

"When we met Tony Biasell, the program director at Calvin Crest, and Scott Henderson, the executive director, we felt that God's timing was at work," Lukins said. "We (at LWW) are unanimously convinced that this is the right thing at the right time. We believe that this is a Spirit-driven thing and that the people and funding we need will be provided."

Biasell will serve as the program director of Clean Water U-West.

Henderson said he is excited about the partnership.

"The establishment of Clean Water U at Calvin Crest is about sharing something we take for granted: clean water," he said. "And it is about making a lasting impact on people's lives."

Through this new partnership, LWW continues its mission to provide clean water for all God's children.

Presbyterian News Service