Wears Chapel Baptist Fish Fry

Sunday afternoon was a little rainy, but it cleared up just in time for our Wears Chapel group to come in and enjoy some fellowship.  When they got there, most of the crew headed straight down to Secret Creek and splashed their way up and down the water!

The group stayed down there until the fish were ready.  It was a fun afternoon of splish-splashing and chit-chatting!

Life of Christ Fellowship Family Camping

We had a last minute cancellation for Memorial Day weekend which worked out perfect for Life of Christ Fellowship.  Their original plans fell through and left them looking for a campground and Camp MACOBA was it.

They started coming in early Friday afternoon and put up their tents.  About ten families and lots of children, which means it wasn't long before the camp was filled with the happy sounds of laughter and shouting and fun!

They quickly had a campfire going and it looked like a pretty nifty camp setup!

Not long after getting all set up, they found their way down to Secret Creek and I think they may have spent the majority of their time in what we like to consider the BEST spot in the whole camp!

They had a great time and we're so happy we were able to accommodate them!  We hope they'll be back again soon!

Jackson Way Missions Supper Club

We had the pleasure of hosting the Missions Supper Club from Jackson Way Baptist on Tuesday night.  This group meets monthly at various restaurants depending on what country they're discussing in their group.  For example, if they're discussing missions in Mexico, they eat Mexican.  If they're discussing missions in China, they eat Chinese. And when they were discussing camp missions, they called Camp MACOBA to see if they could meet out there.

Of course we said yes!

The evening started with games . . .

Marshmallow games to be specific!

Then a typical camp dinner of grilled hot dogs and chips.

After dinner, we shared with them a powerpoint program on the Camp.  It was nice to be able to share with them about the camp and upcoming events that are planned, like the cabins.  We hope they'll go back to their church and share with others and we'll see more Jackson Way faces!

Annual Pastors' Fish Fry

Each year, to finish out the Minister's Conference schedule, the pastors meet at the camp for a fish fry.  New Hope Baptist, who had been up to the camp the day before for a church picnic, left their nifty fish-frying grill to use, which was very handy!

We had a good turnout and great food.  

Followed by some great preaching by Rev. Troy Garner. 

A couple of the guys headed down to the pond to do a little fishing, but before they trekked out, we remembered to grab a group shot.  Good looking bunch, right?

New Hope Baptist Fellowship

We were excited to have the group from New Hope Baptist up to the camp for a fish fry.  They brought a pretty big group up with them . . . almost fifty folks!

One of their members had a tremendous grill contraption -- one that just made it's way onto the camp's wish list!

Three burners fitted with a three-tank aluminum fry well . . . one for fish, one for fries, and one for hush puppies!  

They also tried (and some of them found) their luck down at the ponds!

They had a great time and we'll look for them to visit again soon.

New Market Baptist -- SS Fellowship

Sometimes, when a particular group visits often enough, they start to feel like family.  That's certainly the case with the group we had on Saturday night -- Mrs. Sarah's Sunday school class from New Market Baptist.  They've been using the camp for their class fellowships two-three times a year since we came to the camp six years ago!

This go 'round the group was smaller than usual, but still enough for a rousing game of scrabble!

And after dinner, Sarah treated us to her review of Sunday School materials from the last quarter. 

Truthfully, this is one of our favorite parts of their get-togethers -- always a lot of fun, spirited competition!  They're already on the schedule for fall -- we can't wait!

Mable Hill Seniors

The weather was simply perfect for the senior group who came up to picnic at the Camp on Tuesday. They ventured all the way out from Mable Hill Baptist in Ardmore, Alabama, and were ready for an afternoon of fun, fishing and food!

When they got there, the power was off at the pavilion -- the stars had aligned and we were able to get workers, an electrician and the utility company to all be there on the same day for some work to be done -- but that didn't daunt our Mable Hill group!  They were such troopers!  Someone exclaimed that they didn't need any electricity -- the sun was bright enough to give them the light they needed. They sure were right!

After lunch, they headed off down to the pond to enjoy the 'pond breezes' and to put out some fishing poles. They were a fun group to have around and we hope they'll visit us again soon!

Alert Cadets

We hosted the Alabama 3rd Alpha Alert Cadets this past weekend.  This is their third annual Camp MACOBA camp out and we were very pleased to see them!

The guys set up camp in the area behind the pavilion . . . 

And along with some archery skills practice:

They also did some brush hauling to help clean up around the property.  

 

We really appreciate their hard work!

The group had a great weekend and we look forward to hosting them again next year (if we can't get them here in the fall)!

Two Eagle Projects Completed!

The Camp has been the beneficiary of several Boy Scouts working on Eagle Scout projects this year.  The first project finish was one that's been near and dear to the heart of the camp -- taking the Nature Trail and adding tree/plant identification markers:

and over twenty birdhouses:

to the trail to make it of educational benefit.  The scout, Ethan Canup, has worked diligently for a year, working with a several different people to get this project completed and we're so excited!  We are very thankful for Ethan and Troop 8 for all the hard work and effort that went into getting the project finished.

The second project was completed by Neil Hudson from Troop 7004.  Neil chose a project that benefited the obstacle course.  Most folks when they come up don't even see the course, so Neil organized the building and installation of a large sign at the obstacle course entrance. Neil's troop came out to help him get the sign in the ground:

They did a great job!

So, two Eagle Projects are finished and several more are in the works!  We're so blessed to have the support from the Boy Scout community in Madison County!