MBA Father-Son Campout 2011

I am not sure exactly how long this event has been going on but this is the second one that has taken place since we have been at the camp.  Chris Wilson from Willowbrook is in charge of organizing the event and lining up a missionary to speak every year.  This year we had Mark Busby who has been serving in Japan for 20 years. 

I spoke with Mark a few minutes, "Hey Mark, I heard you are from Sand Mountain?" 

He said, "Yeah that's right; you know something about the mountain?" 

I told him I'd  heard that there used to be some snake-handlers up there, and asked if there was any truth to that?  He grinned and told me that oh yeah, there were, but he was never in that group.  We had a laugh and then talked ministry for awhile.  He did a great job with the kids as the groups rotated in and out. 

The day started out rather iffy as at noon it was still raining at the camp and the Weathermen said it would be rather cold on Saturday morning.  I called Chris and he said things were still a go.  There were over 100 father/sons registered to come and while the weather did affect the attendance some, there were still a great turn-out as 88 showed up! 

One of the first ones to make it up was Sam Kelly with a truck full of equipment.  Sam is always prepared for whatever comes and is one of the most resourceful guys I know.  He is one who is out doing what needs to be done when everyone else is still thinking about what needs to be done. 

I am not sure how many churches were represented but my conversations revealed at least three different churches.  Right before supper I saw a familiar face from the Fire Department, Brant Maynard.  Brant is pretty good ol' boy and runs and owns an equipment place out on Highway 72.  I have heard good reports from those who do business there. 

The boys were divided into three groups when the day began on Saturday morning.  Each activity was about 30 minutes to an hour long.  There is the missionary group, the trail walk and then the events.  Under events there is an air rifle shoot, bow and arrow, slingshot and a hatchet throw.  Now the hatchet throw seemed to be the hardest one but I will say the guy in charge of this event was good, he could put an axe in the wood no matter how he threw it or from what distance...he reminded me of Grizzly Adams. 

The last event of the day, after lunch on Saturday, was some sort of pumpkin chunkin' contest.  There were two groups who'd built launchers and everyone gathered up in the top meadow to see which team could chunk their pumpkins the furtherest.  Denise and I rode up on Easy to check it out.

Originally we'd parked behind the launchers, but a friendly fellow came over and said we would probably be safer somewhere else.  He went on to add that he'd looked the launchers over pretty well and we really probably did want to move!

We went off to the side and watched.  The team got ready to shoot their pumpkin up in the air.  I had my camera poised, ready to catch that pumpkin mid-launch.

Huh.  Nothing but clear blue sky.  I wonder what happened to the pumpkin?  Oh . . . that's where it went.  And I think it actually rolled most of the way there!

Everyone seemed to have a good time and we are always glad to have them up.  It seems I missed the banjo picking and wash tub playing that went on late Friday night involving the missionaries.  Not sure this was a Japanese custom...must have come straight out of Sand Mountain!  

Well the Fall Jamboree for 2011 is over and done!  We could not have asked for a better Fall day and we had plenty of folks that came to help.  Let me just start out by thanking those who made this day possible.  Chasing The Light from First Baptist Gurley were the first group to sing and they sounded great.  I overheard several say how much they enjoyed their group.  These are a great bunch of folks we got to know during our time spent at Gurley.  Norman is very talented and has put together a great sounding praise team there. 

Next I would like to give a shout-out to one of the new church starts in our association Ignite City Church.  This group, led by Pastor Robert Ekis, is very excited about reaching our younger generation and they have such a serving heart.  We were so thankful to have them out to help with events and then serve the food. 

Chris Crutcher brought a group from Lighthouse Baptist Church out to help us with the games and events as well, and they did such a fine job.  Chris is really committed to growing the youth program out there in Toney and is making some great progress.  Their pastor, Randy Watts, also came out to support the camp.  He is a dear friend and we go way back. 

Pastor Charles Miller from Owens Crossroads Baptist also came out and brought his wife and grandkids to enjoy the festivities and even do a little fishing.  Brother Charles is a regular to the camp and has been one of our biggest supporters.

 As always, my buddies from the Fire Department were a tremendous help.  Derrick Stuckey let me borrow his Gator for the day and let me tell you it was such a help.  I would love to have one of those up here all the time.  Retired fireman Malcolm Davis brought his two Gators and trailer to help with the parking and I don't really know what we would have done without his help. John McNeal, and his lovely wife Annette, made themselves available to do whatever, whenever.  John brought his trailer up and we used it for the hay rides.  John and Annette and dear friends, and their assistance -- both on the day of the Jamboree and in the days leading up to it -- was invaluable.

 Pat Merchant, a great friend of mine, and the Flint River Praise Team did a outstanding job.  They were our second group to sing out here, and I knew they would be fabulous.  You can always expect to get quality from whatever Pat is involved in.  

I want to thank my whole family including my wife Denise, daughter Jocelyn, son James, daughter-in-law Kim, and son-in-law Jason for giving up part of their Saturday to help out with the Jamboree.  Jason agreed to take pictures and video for the day and he got some great shots; he is multi-talented and always ready to help out. 

New Market BBQ gave us a great rate on the food and it tasted very good too -- lots of folks wanted to know where the food came from.  I hope to continue this partnership in the future. 

The door prizes were great this year as well.  Two Friends, Lowes, Dicks Sporting Goods, Wilsons Lumber, Kaleido Scoops and some individuals donated some wonderful gifts. 

In the Lawnmower Race this year the four churches represented were New Market Baptist, Ignite City Church, Flint River and First Baptist Gurley.  Last year Brother Don Shultz, after getting off to a slow start, managed to pull away from everyone the last 100 yards or so to win going away.  This year was a different story.  Julia from Ignite drove with reckless abandon as she took a commanding lead coming down the first hill.  There was some jockeying back and forth between the rest until Brother Don begin to make his move coming up the hill in the last 50 yards. Julia had the race won but a couple of rookie mistakes cost her dearly.  As Don pulled out to pass her in the last 20 yards if she would have blocked him it would have been all over but she didn't.  Still they were side by side and as they were within 5 feet of the finish line Julia stood up on the mower and reached for the finish line tape not knowing the mower would cut off and Brother Don won by an eyelash! 

We appreciate Camp MACOBA board members  Chris Wilson for coming out to support us and Sam Kelly who is responsible for the great new signs we have.  As busy as Wells Johnson is he was able to come out for a little while and we are so thankful for his donation to the camp and everyone else who contributed as well.

Whew.  Good thing there's a whole year to go before the next Jamboree!

Pastor's Conference

The last Pastor's Conference before summer break was held Tuesday at Camp MACOBA. This was also the fish fry. The best I could determine there were about forty folks present for this event, including all the staff. Chris Wilson and Sam Kelly also made it up. I noticed Bobby Gordan, pastor of Legacy Baptist Church, was there and I spoke with Don Shultz of New Market Baptist.

The food was great and there were no leftovers...except maybe a few hushpuppies. The weather was not too hot and everyone seemed to have a good time of fellowship. Brother Jones and I talked for a bit about ministry and various things. I am at a loss for his first name but I know his son (Steve) real well, as he is Captain at the Huntsville Fire department.

When everything was all cleaned up and people left there were three of us who stayed and talked for about another hour. Tom Parker and Josh Harris, both youth guys from Wall Highway, and I had a good conversation. I had heard good things about these guys from my daughter and son-in-law. They seem to really have a good head on their shoulders.