There's achurch camp in Bethel, Vermont that has been there since 1886 called Green Mountain Christian Camp. Although we had never been there before, Sue and I were invited over to be there for their first day of family camp. After a morning show on a recent Saturday, Sue and I headed across New Hampshire's Kangamagus Highway for the mountains of Vermont. The "Kank" as the highway is known, is a beautiful drive, but unfortunately it rained the whole way. GMCC is also lovely, but the rain continued, so when we got there, we had to unload in the rain and slog through wet grass. And, since we were spending the night, we had to unload both our overnight stuff into our cabin and our props into the tabernacle.
while the rain was unfortunate, I don't mean to paint this trip in a negitive light. First, Sue and I were together, which always makes things perfect. Also, once we were unloaded we went over to the dining hall for supper. We met a lot of nice people over a tremendous dinner (not usually the case at most summer camps) of pulled pork, barbecue slaw, and cornbread. If this sounds especially southern, that's because the cooks, and several of the families, were from South Carolina. As we spent more time there, we learned there were families and individuals from Vermont, Maine and Vermont as well as the aforementioned southerners. There were three generations of some families, individuals camping alone, and a youth team.
After dinner, I finished setting up in the tabernacle- a huge wooden structure with rafters that just added to the challenge of juggling a little bit. Then, after a few worship songs, I began my set. I included "Juggler's Creed" early on, and "Mary and Marty" midway through. These are two of my favorite rouines that I don't get to do everywhere, so I was really pleased to include them both. I also included my updated version of "Judgement Day", a monologue based on Matthew 25. For me, it was very enjoyable to do these personal favorites, as well as some of my regulars, such as "When the Saints go Marching In" and "He Must Increase, and I Must Decrease". My set was over an hour, and the audience was with me from beginning to end. More importantly, the feedback made it clear that the message(s) resonated with many who were there.
After packing up the show and some conversation with various people, Sue and I headed back to our cabin. It was not the most rustic lodging we've ever had, but definitely more rustic than most. The bathrooms were in a seperate building (like public campgrounds), and the stairs to the loft where we slept were narrow and with a tight turn, but sturdy. It POURED rain throughout the night, which, on our tin roof, ranged from cozy to terrifying depending upon the intensity. Nevertheless, we slept enough to be refreshed in the morning.
After a breakfast of grits and biscuits and gravy (did I mention the cooks were South Carolinians?) Sue and I packed up the car and waited for the Sunday morning church service. The speaker was from an area Baptist church even though it is an Adventist camp (And Sue and I are CMA; nice to see us working together!). It was a warm and challenging sermon.
From there we left even as family camp at GMCC was just getting started. We didn't go straight back to Maine, though. We took the opportunity to stop in on my brother and sister-in-law in Jeffersonville, Vermont for an amazing spaghetti and meatballs lunch. Then it was back on the road for a few hours to Bridgton, Maine. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!