Fall JAMBOREE!

It is finished! At least it's finished for this year, anyway. The first annual Camp MACOBA Jamboree has come and gone and there is much to say. Not sure if there has ever been a week I worked so hard preparing for anything. For months leading up to the event we had mailed out fliers to churches, sent e-mails, met folks for lunch and did just about everything we could do to promote the event. In the final days I even personally went around to churches to touch base with some folks. What I found was a little surprising; many of the churches still had no idea about the event.

We met with some Christian businessmen who helped sponsor the event and had lined up our folks to help on the day. We were ready as we could be. I want to insert here that without the help of my family along with John and Annette McNeal, we could have never pulled this off.

On Saturday morning I had not slept much anyway so at 4:00 a.m. I was up and getting things ready. The Christian Southern Archers (CSA) group were the first to arrive, which was right after daylight. They were having a separate event on the same day but had graciously said they would donate all money made to the Camp. This is the third time they have been up to the camp this year. It has turned out to be a good partnership. I really like Chris Hester and his crew.

It wasn't too long before Shawn Reed arrived to help out with the youth event. I went with Shawn a couple of years ago to Shocco, when he was part of the MBA Leadership team. I believe God has big things in store for him soon. Some friends of mine from the fire department came to help shuttle parking along, with Billy Taylor and another guy from Hometown Lenders. Walter McGehee, quite possibly the best chicken cooker in North Alabama came along about this time and I was glad to see him. We have been friends for awhile now.

Not too long after that Wells Johnson and his lovely wife showed up to help Walter. Now these are some quality folks I would like to get to know better. Wells came up here earlier in the year as part of Disaster relief.

My daughter Jocelyn, and her friends Amy & Kimberly, came along to handle the kids craft tent, and I will just go ahead and say they did a fine job. I knew they would.

My son James came up to take some pictures and film a little video. With that camera of his you can just about spot a flea on the moon. By the time he gets through editing something it looks like a picture in National Geographic magazine. He took the picture of the pond with the canoe that I use in the blog header, by the way.

My lovely wife, Denise, and Annette worked the information tent and did a top-notch job. People started arriving shortly after 8:00 a.m. to some freshly brewed coffee.

There was much activity, faces got painted, and a few fish were caught.

On one trip down the backside of the hill, a fawn darted across the road in front of the shuttle crew. Once the chicken started cooking it was hard to focus as it smelled so good. There were several folks who had never been up here before that I got to talk to which was great. One couple even volunteered to help out in the future.

I spent some time speaking with Brother Don Shultz (Pastor, New Market Baptist Church), and he told me quite a story. He said in his church it all came to a head last Sunday -- found out there had been a bunch of lying going on for a long time. Several weeks ago he said he could feel an undertow in the church; something was going on but folks were avoiding talking to him about it. It finally reached a point where he called the Deacons in and told them he needed to know if folks were trying to get rid of him; just let him know and he'd go quietly. They assured him nothing like that was going on and everything was fine. Well Brother Don said he believed them and the feeling he had went away. The next Sunday came and come to find out it was all a celebration for him the church had arranged for his "50th year in ministry". They had invited folks he had gone to college with to be there, including former Tennessee football coach Johnny Majors (who was Don's room mate). There was food and music and a great time of fellowship. They even bought him a brand new John Deere riding lawnmower. I heard someone say there is not even dirt on the tires yet; that he has it sitting in his den at home and watches TV while sitting on it. Anyway back to the Jamboree.

Eleven o'clock was getting close so we rounded everyone for the Pastor's Lawn Mower Race.

We had four riders with one, Brother Don, who brought his own mower (it wasn't the John Deere). The course was about a half mile long and they were to follow me as I led in the golf cart.

As the gun sounded -- or rather, as the golf cart pulled forward -- the race began. There were two Craftsmen, one Murray and I am not sure what Brother Don was riding though one of the other riders said there was a strange canister attached to the side.

Everyone was even for awhile and then Don slid back to fourth as they left the field. As we came down the hill headed around the backside the Murray and one of the Craftsman were neck-and-neck. But the big hill was coming up, and this was sure to weed them out.

I got to the top of the hill and waited for a minute and there came the Murray pulling ahead by 3 lengths and one of the Craftsman was nowhere in sight.

When they entered the field once again headed towards the starting line interesting things began happening. Brother Don begins to pass the Murray as the rider was reaching out trying to pull him off the mower.

The rider of the Craftsman that could be seen was off the mower with it running and walking beside it.

The Murray was giving it all he had and protesting about Don pulling ahead. He was yelling something about nitro and that canister on the side.

With only about 50 yards to go from out of nowhere came the lost Craftsman who was gaining fast as he was being pulled by some guys in a Polaris!

It was almost a picture perfect finish but Brother Don managed to hold everyone off and crossed the finish line among cheers and clapping from the crowd. I believe he was sandbagging all the way.

After the race we all gathered for lunch as Brother Harold Sellers said a word of prayer. We gave away some door prizes including a brand new circular saw donated by Wilson Lumber. There was a good time of fellowship, plenty of great food, and then a trophy was presented to our lawn mower race winner.

Jason Merkel did a great job with the burgers and dogs..he knows his way around a grill pretty well.

Sam Kelly had some great Camp MACOBA tee shirts made up. If anyone would like one they can find him at Bedz for Kidz on South Parkway close to Mock Electronics.

Everyone had left by around 1:30 or so and after everything was put back in order I settled in to watch a little SEC Football. It was a good day. Already planning for next year, which by the way the date is the September 24th, the 4th Saturday of the month, so go ahead and put it on your calendars!

Before the Jamboree

I had really been wanting one of those chainsaws on a pole for the camp; they say be careful for what you wish for you might just get it! A great friend of mine from way back who owns "Southern Exteriors", volunteered to bring his crew up to the camp to help prepare for our big day coming up on September 18th. Today was the day.

It just so happens he has one of those chainsaws on a pole, and he gave me the choice to be the cutter or the one who picked up and hauled the brush to the pile. I jumped at the chance to use the saw. Shannon, the owner, worked with me while the rest of his crew went off to begin trimming around the ponds. We trimmed trees and overhanging limbs from all the roads. The saw was easy enough to work and for the first hour limbs were falling left and right. Every time Shannon would return there would be plenty more to haul away. At the end of the second hour he had just about caught up with me. By the time the third hour came I could barely lift my arm; good thing we were finished! I had a meeting to attend but he and his crew stayed another three hours working on the ponds. They are some of the most hard-working, trustworthy folks I have been around. Oh, and by the way, if you ever need anything done connected with landscaping, don't hesitate to call "Southern Exteriors" at 256-656-5487.

That evening before dark I took a quick walk up to the pond to see what a fine job they had done up there.

Camps and More Camp Visits.

Last week Denise and I visited three more camps. One was a camp I'd gone to as a kid, Camp Ney-A-Ti, so it's been there for quite some time.

This particular building looked new.

The dining hall, the bunk houses, and the bath house were all concrete block structures with a metal roof.

They had a great open auditorium with bleachers on wheels and a little stage. The bleachers could be pushed off to the side and there was a basketball net at the other end. Great space for worship services, devotions, skits, and a little pickup b-ball action.

Another camp which was not far from Ney-A-Ti was Camp Trico, a Girl Scout camp. Because of the timing of our visit, we weren't able to get an escorted tour, but they'd left the buildings open for us to be able to take a good look around.

These were primitive, wood bungalows. Denise remembers staying in cabins like these when she was a Girl Scout leader. The sides push open (or roll up, if they're canvas) and reveal a screened in room.

There were also lodges a bit more comfortable . . .

This lodge had bunks, a full kitchen at the back of the room on one side, and a bathroom with several toilets and showers on the other side. There was enough space at the end of the room for the group to meet and have devotions or do some training.

Camp Trico was built in 1950, and Camp Ney-A-Ti was already established at that time, so both of these camps have been around for a long time -- better than sixty years. They both seemed to be in a maintenance mode, for the most part.

Later this same day, we headed to Camp Helen, which is owned by the Limestone Baptist Association. The caretaker met us there and we were able to get a good look around.

There was a large multi-purpose building which housed offices, storage, and a full industrial kitchen.

They also had two bunk houses, which were concrete block buildings. These were set up with bathroom facilities at one end of the bunk house.

The grounds were well-kept and there was a pond and a swimming pool. The property was small, unless you include the soccer fields down in the lower area.

Anyway, it was a pleasant day and I have the information needed now to put together a proposal which I have already started working on.

Okay, enough with the camps, it's time to focus on the the mission at hand! Proposals will go on the back burner for now, until the Fall Jamboree is over. It looks like we may have a bathroom up on the upper campground area ready to go before the Jamboree gets here. The committee voted and one was purchased; we just need to get it up here and working.

A Flurry of Weekend Activity

Well I had spoken with Brother Shannon Johnson and e-mailed a time or two and it was set, a group from Central Baptist was coming up to spend the night this past Friday. The weather man threw in a chance of rain, actually fifty percent, and one by one the folks started canceling. By the time the phone calls stopped, only Shannon and a couple others were left. They stayed a little while but decided to not spend the night and to possibly reschedule in the future.

On Saturday afternoon, right about the hottest part of the day, Brother Jim Kidd and his lovely wife showed up to prepare for their church picnic. Another couple showed up shortly after to help. I had a connection with the gentlemen as his father had retired from the Fire Service years ago. I chatted with the folks for a few minutes and then went back to the RV for awhile. Sometime after 5:00 the rest of the church started trickling in.

Close to 6:30, Denise and I made our way over to do some meeting and greeting. By this time everyone was through with dinner and they extended an invitation for us to have a bite, which we did. Never been to a Baptist outing yet that chicken was not to be found and this was no exception.

The food was great and Denise said the homemade pimiento cheese was really good, as well as the potato salad! We sat around and talked for a bit, took a few pictures and then helped them pack up. I enjoying listening to some of Brother Kidd's stories about work and ministry and there was even a few he said he could tell me but then he would have to kill me!

He did tell me of a story about a lady who came to a church he was the Pastor of in Florida that wanted to put her dog in the nursery. Don't think they cover that in Seminary! I think everyone had a good time despite the heat and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Busy & busier!

What a week it has been. Last week Denise was bitten by a spider. Now we live out in the woods, but where does she get a bitten? At work! That day we thought it was no big deal. It looked and felt much like a mosquito bite. The next day it changed and produced a dark center, so we went to see the doc who gave her an oral and topical antibiotic. A re-check appointment was made for Monday. Well it had changed quite a bit by that time. When the doctor came in and saw that her leg was swollen and the effected area was bigger than a large dinner plate, he was caught off guard. He immediately admitted her to the hospital, which is where we spent the next three nights. Finally they found something on day three that had some effect. He told us that it looked like a brown recluse bite, for which there is no known treatment. Anyway I stayed up there with her until finally she was released on Thursday morning. We had great nurses and techs, but I was sure glad to get out of there. So now we are back home and everything is gone except the center, which is the size of a quarter. We pray that it will just go away...we will see. Denise has two doctor appointments for Wednesday, one for the bite and the other for her foot. We hope she begins physical therapy this week.

One thing great about ministry is the people that you meet. Last week, in the continuing effort to prepare for the big day coming up on September 18, I met with a great guy from First Baptist Huntsville. I hope to get to know him better in the future. He is a Christian businessman with a heart for the camp and has pledged to help. So far that makes two businesses on board.

I spent about four hours up at the camp cutting grass on Friday. I did not get it all done but put a dent in it. Today I took a mower up there that was donated from Restoring The Church Ministries. Now we have two in case one breaks down.

There is a lot of planning and logistics that goes into a day like the upcoming Jamboree, but I am very encouraged by how things have been coming together in the beginning. Next week will be filled with meetings with camp directors and possibly RA leaders, touring other camps, meeting with possible sponsors, doctors appointments, therapy sessions and the first mail-out of the Jamboree flyers. Oh yeah, and Lighthouse is having their 15th Anniversary coming up this month, so I will be making sure that letter gets out tomorrow (which will be no small undertaking) and then there is something called my job to deal with as well.

Making improvements.

What a busy day Wednesday was. After the committee agreed to move forward with the camp's fundraiser, I have hit the ground running with both feet.

First of all, I spent most of the day with two different camp directors, asking questions and getting a tour of each of their facilities. The first stop was made a Camp Maranatha in Scottsboro.

The guy over the camp, Gene Joiner, was very helpful and very passionate about his ministry there. He is very program-oriented and has really added some great things to the camp in the short time he has been there (just shy of two years). As a matter of fact, he told me that the camp finally turned a small profit last year.

He's installed several different youth activities including a climbing wall, a giant slip-n-slide, and there's soon to be a zip line. They have a great place and location as well . . . right on the water. They have a newer facility which is similar to a hotel, which he says stays booked.

I was more interested in seeing the cabins, which was the main reason for my visit. They used to have some very small cabins that he called hogans, but those are now used strictly for storage.

They did have several cabins, however, that are bigger and are used often.

The next place I went was the Marshall Baptist Retreat Center, in Guntersville.


The manager there, Phil Robeson, was very helpful and spent some time with me, even though he had one group that had just left, and two more groups coming in. Phil spent 25 years in the Park Service before the Lord led him to Marshall. This retreat area is also located right on the water, and has much to offer.

We toured the place and I was especially pleased with the set-up of the bunk houses. I believe this is something we can do -- Phil is going to try and find me a blueprint.

Both of these camps had an obstacle course for the kids to go through. I thought it was a great idea when I saw the one at Maranatha, but knew we could not afford the set-up they had. I was ready to discard the idea when Phil said he wanted to show me something. We took the golf cart (which would be nice to have), and drove around to an area tucked back into a corner. It consisted of a wall and some tires and a couple of things built from ropes. The light went on -- this would not be too expensive or difficult to build! I am on this.

I left around lunchtime, full of ideas and happy to have spent some time with these two gentlemen. Next I had a meeting with some local Christian businessmen, to see if they would be interested in making an investment into the camp. What I'd originally anticipated being a 15-minute meeting turned into two hours. I left that meeting feeling like I had really made a connection with one of the guys there. They both assured me they were on board.

Tuesday I had lunch with a couple of fine men from Christian Southern Archers (CSA) Ministries, who said they will bring out a crew to help with our fundraiser event. The Camp MACOBA Fall Jamboree is counting down. It is scheduled for Saturday, September 18th, from 8 am until noon. This is only the beginning -- there is much blood, sweat, and tears to go here; excitement does not begin to describe how I feel about this right now!

VBS vs. Disaster Relief!

With so much going on lately, we had a close one out at the camp this past Tuesday! I had contacted Wayne Miller about having the Disaster Relief Team come out and cut up a couple of trees that an earlier storm had blown down near the pavilion.

Kay Howard, who has been doing the Hispanic VBS out at the camp, had told me (I thought) that they would not be out at the camp on Tuesday, as their own church (Winchester Road Baptist) would be having their VBS that Tuesday, and they would take the kids there.

Wayne had called me the night before and everything was set. I got out there early, made some coffee for the guys, and awaited the arrival of the Disaster Relief Team. And who shows up bright and early? Kay! I apologized for the miscommunication on my part.

Just as she gets everything set up and leaves to pick up the kids, the team arrives! They had a great bunch of men on this outing and they made quick work of all the downed trees.

Let's see, working this particular project were Wayne Miller, Wells Johnson, Bob Dougan, Gordan Raney, Al Drost, and Forrest Callicut.

About four different churches were represented and one of the guys even took off from work to be out there. They did a great job.

I think Kay moved game time around to the beginning and the disaster relief guys were finished before the next Bible study session started, so everything worked out fine in the end.

Wells told me bits of a story about how he was involved with the camp back when the ponds were put in. I'll do a follow-up entry on this at a later date.