Still at the Table
Chuck Hopkins
Written by Shari Martin
Photo Credit: J. Haberdoedas
Some people come to EdenRidge for a few days of rest. Others pull up a chair and stay. For more than a decade, Chuck Hopkins has had a seat at the EdenRidge table, first as a volunteer and later as a member of the Board of Directors. But what has kept him there is his desire to help missionaries around the world.
Chuck's connection with EdenRidge began in 2012, when a board member invited him to visit the ministry.
“During the visit I met Founder and President Oliver Dossmann for the first time. He welcomed me, and we soon became friends. I later started working as a volunteer assisting Oliver with various tasks.”
That friendship and volunteer involvement eventually led to an invitation to attend an EdenRidge board meeting. Six months later, Chuck was voted onto the board.
When asked what has kept him involved all these years, Chuck's answer goes directly to the missionaries EdenRidge exists to support.
“The appreciation and honor I have for serving His missionaries the world over, many of whom risk their lives or the lives of family members, to bring the Gospel to the world as Christian missionaries.”
Chuck understands missionary life personally. His ministry experience has led him around the world and given him an appreciation for those who leave behind everything to follow God’s call and share the Gospel with others.
His commitment to EdenRidge eventually led him to document its story in his book, A Missionary Kid Did What?! The Story of EdenRidge. In it, Chuck shares the story of EdenRidge and the Dossmann family, as well as his perspective on the importance of supporting missionaries and their work.
Over the years, Chuck has also seen the impact of EdenRidge through the words of missionaries themselves.
“Major reasons I believe EdenRidge is important to missionaries are based on comments taken from guest books in the EdenRidge cabins and other testimonial correspondence that showed how well EdenRidge was helping respond to the needs of missionaries so they may be more enabled to reach the world for Christ.”
Chuck's years with EdenRidge have given something back to him as well. He developed a special friendship with Oliver's father, Daniel Dossmann, a professional musician and music teacher. For several months, the two met weekly as Daniel gave Chuck classical guitar and French lessons and shared stories from his travels.
But Chuck remembers Daniel for something much more important. “Daniel became a friend that I needed at the time…Daniel was a gift.”
What began with a simple invitation to visit EdenRidge became years of friendship and a common desire to care for missionaries around the world.
More than a decade later, Chuck is still at the table, and we're grateful for his continued involvement and contributions over the years.
Was your stay meaningful? We'd love to hear how God used your time at EdenRidge.
Email us at rest@edenridge.org and we'll schedule a short conversation with you.