Miracle Day, April 27, 2002, Camp Christian
(Click on a photo to see larger version)
The day dawned cool and cloudy, a perfect day to work
at camp. 275 Disciples (no wait, Linda Neal slipped in late
 and
made it 276 Disciples) showed up with service in their heart and tools in
their hands. Groups came from congregations from all over the state, north
and south, large and small. Kids from 8 to 80 helped. Dr. Ben Bohren was
on hand from the National Benevolent Association to help register everyone
while Miracle Day chairman Darrell Vandervort and Associate Regional Minister
and Camp Christian Director Michael Weeks got things organized.
The number of tasks undertaken was almost too long to
list. Foremost was the enclosing of the Dining Hall. Work at
 "Pre
Miracle Days" had already ripped out the old partial walls and studded in
the new ones. Plumbing had also been installed for two new restrooms. So
the Miracle Day crews went right to work putting up siding on the outside,
putting insulation into the walls, and putting sheetrock on the inside.
All this went on in an assembly line fashion while volunteers wired electrical
circuits and handled other details all at the same time. No sooner would
a sheet of siding go up than Regional Minister Tom Neal was behind the carpenters
with his paint sprayer, putting on the first coat of paint. A small army
of painters with rollers and brushes applying the second, thicker coat followed
Tom. It was a sight to watch as the walls progressed around the dining hall
from two directions during the day.
 But
enclosing the dining hall was only one of many important tasks. Most of
these tasks could be summarized by one word . . . PAINT! Gallons and gallons
and gallons of paint. The Directors house was painted. The sheds behind
the Directors house were painted. Every cabin at Camp Christian was painted.
Both bathhouses were painted. And almost everything got two full coats.
Several children were even painted!
But Camp is more than a place to work, it's also a place
to respect nature.
 There
is now a small space on the side of one of the sheds that hasn't been painted
- and won't be until after spring. This spot is the home to a family of
baby birds who were left to their nest while painting carefully went on
around them.
 A
Youth Group (who shall go nameless) was painting the picket fence around
the Directors cabin. In true Tom Sawyer style, they decided to turn this
job over to a group from Marietta Christian Church and ask Michael for another,
easier, task. Michael set them to clearing a new path - by moving pine trees.
That isn't how it worked out for Tom Sawyer was it?
Lots of work was done on the grounds. A group of kids
with AIM came down with Moderator
 Sandra
Barnhill and helped in lots of ways including clearing several of the trails
and paths. The volleyball court was raked smooth and free of leaves. The
road and entrance to the camp was cleared and landscaped. The Pool house
was cleaned out, swept and the supplies re-organized and stored. And the
pool itself was cleaned and scrubbed from end to end.
 And
of course when people work they need to eat! Ham sandwiches, turkey, beef,
cheese sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies, and lots of drinks of all kinds
provide energy for the work. And later, Chic-fil-a sandwiches filled out
the menu.
One of the really great things about attending Miracle
Day
was the opportunity to see the new 60 bed Woodland Lodge currently under
construction. This Lodge, along with the newly enclosed Dining Hall, will
turn Camp Christian into a year round conference facility. It was fun to
walk around among the 2 X 4 walls and imagine what a blessing this facility
will be when completed.
There was still a lot of interior work to be done on the
Woodland Lodge, but
 one
of the rooms was already furnished. Del Von Almen and his wife Juanita have
given the first bedroom of furniture in honor of the four generations of
Von Almen's who, as Del put it, "Have walked the grounds" of Camp Christian.
Del's parents, Del and Juanita, their Children and Grandchildren have all
attended, staffed or worked at Camp Christian.
 It's
fun to watch people in the service of our Lord, enjoying the day, the fellowship
and accomplishing so much. Camp Christian touches so many lives that their
work on Miracle Day 2002 will be multiplied hundreds of times over the coming
years.
Thanks to all those who turned out and helped.
Click Here
to see the two more pages of the Photos.
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