Campmeetin' Time!

Wow, where has time gone? It's been a while...

We were rather involved getting ready to leave for, going to, enjoying, returning and recuperating from the AL Bible Methodist Church camp in Pell City, AL.

We've been associated with the AL Bible Methodists for 11 years, however, this year's camp was our first to attend. Not that we haven't been invited, had our arms twisted, etc., but that to me there just seems to be something wrong with this picture: "campmeeting in AL in July!" For the past 10 years I have been telling those who asked when we would come that we'd be there "when it was held in February," but after enduring a simmering, sweltering, miserably hot God's Missionary Church camp in Penns Creek, PA, last summer (our first there since we had moved to TN 10 years earlier), I decided we may as well attend in AL!

Always a highlight of campmeeting to me is being part of the band. I was excited to be told to bring my instrument. I very much enjoyed playing, but the band was not quite the size I had been expecting! The highest participation was eight people. I just know that in that group of 300 or so people were some people hiding their talents and instruments!

Another highlight of campmeeting was the God & Country service on Friday, July 4. Lots of patriotic music and flag waving and applause! As each branch of the US military was called out, veterans of that branch stepped to the front of the auditorium for recognition, a photo op and a prayer. This photo is of all the veterans.

Dr. David Gibbs, Jr. (founder and director of Christian Law Association) was the featured speaker and was entertaining and powerfully convicting as he usually is. Never pass up an opportunity to hear the man speak!

Of course, another highlight of campmeeting is fellowship, but we felt a little apprehensive initially since we thought we only knew two families in person and another couple by phone. Interestingly enough, within our first five minutes on the grounds, we had bumped into all of them!

Here are a few people we enjoyed seeing again:

We became acquainted with Bro Eads when he was our pastor. He works in the sound booth (that's what he tells us, anyway!). The first three times we went to the sound booth especially to find him, he was nowhere in sight. The next several times we stopped by, he was there, but he wasn't workin' that we could see! :) Ken finally managed to snap a pic of this rare moment when he went to see if our ordered CD of camp messages was ready--it wasn't. "We report; you decide!"

I had to laugh when I saw Ken's photo of Bro Eads holding a money bag. One of my most embarrassing moments in church happened in response to Bro Eads saying from the pulpit that ...I better stop there to protect all the innocent, but it had to do with money. LoL Oh, the stories I won't tell here!

Jessica was still a cute-as-a-bug pre-schooler when the Eads left our church, so you can imagine that we barely recognized the beautiful young lady we met at camp. I was sitting behind her in the band the first evening we were there thinking that there was something very familiar about this girl playing the violin. All of a sudden it clicked: Jessica!! Duh, she should be familiar! (She wasn't very eager for us to snap a picture tho.)

We also had time for a nice chat with our friend, Carm. (It's a shame when people live nearby and you have to go all the way to AL to sit down and talk together! LoL)

We were delighted to see Jeff & Susan again and their not-so-little Colton. (Susan was a teacher at Foothills Christian Academy when I worked there 7/97-7/01.) We enjoyed being part of the same church as Jeff & Susan for a time and were sad when they moved to GA.

Rana's family attended Ken's home church in Baltimore, MD, way back when Rana was a kid. We've visited their family twice since we've been married, but the last time was probably at least five years ago. Thankfully Rana recognized Ken! (Having only seen her twice before, I didn't recognize her until Ken pointed her out to me.) We so enjoyed meeting her and her husband, Byron, and talking together. Interestingly enough, Byron did his pastoral internship and a year of youth pastoring with Bro Eads! Now Byron & Rana are pastoring near Huntsville, AL.

We met lotsa people, most of whom were new to us. Surprisingly, we met people with whom we had various connections we didn't even realize! Most often, Ken was recognized as being "Paul Young's brother" (Paul & Christine lived there on campus for 6 years.) A few were with my family. A dear lady with whom we have been acquainted in TN for almost 10 years was so surprised to discover that I'm Becky's sister (she's known Becky for years). She had no idea we were related! Obviously, the #1 reason connections between people are hidden is our cultural practice of a wife losing her maiden name and taking on her husband's name when she marries.

I have to chuckle again and again at myself. As a teenager, so many times I groaned, rolled my eyes, shook my head, etc as my parents, especially my dad, explained how people were connected to others in one way or another. Now repeatedly I find myself doing the very thing--and, worse yet, loving it! :)