2001 TENT MEETING

2001 TENT MEETING PROGRAM

SENIOR CITIZENS -- SOMETHING NEW JUST FOR YOU

PROGRESS CONTINUES ON BANK REFINANCING/ CONSTRUCTION LOAN

2001 TENT MEETING

By WILLIAM TAAFFE

Parents with small children who want to attend the Middle Creek Bible Conference -- held each year on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning, just before Labor Day -- often have a miniproblem on their hands: what to do with the kids. They can bring them to the conference, be distracted and miss the great preaching and much of the spirit of the conference. They can stay home. Or they can use one of Middle Creek’s little-known attractions: free childcare at nearby Summit Lake Camp.

As a Middle Creek board member and as a Christian who can’t get enough of the outstanding preaching the conference always offers, I’ve found Summit Lake to be a little annual gift from the Lord to my wife, Donna, and me. Each of the past four years Donna, our son, Will, and I have driven over to the Gettysburg area from our home in northern New Jersey, just outside New York. We check into a nearby motel, drop Will off at Summit Lake (child care begins at 6:00 p.m.) and take in the Friday night session.

By Saturday morning, we’re ready for bear -- and the Bible. And that goes for 8-year-old Will, too, who is convinced that Summit Lake Camp, a ministry that’s closely related to Middle Creek, is better than New York City and Washington, D.C., combined. First thing Saturday, we scoot him across the nearby Maryland border and up the mountain to Summit Lake (it’s about a 15-minute ride), where he spends the remainder of the day and evening in the care of trained counselors, doing Tom Sawyeresque things like paddle-boating on the lake, catching frogs, finding insects and hiking in the woods.

Meanwhile, Donna and I are getting the kind of spiritual boost we need after weeks in our secular jobs. We pick him up around 9 at night, his amazing stockpile of energy thoroughly spent. Sunday morning, we go as a family to the big Middle Creek tent for Bible study, more great preaching and the conference wrap-up by early afternoon. Lunch is available for everyone at Summit Lake.

As often as not, when we drive back to Summit Lake to pick up Will, we find ourselves wondering how we’re going to extract him from this leafy setting for the trip back home. After all, you can get dirt between your toes at Summit Lake. You can try to dunk your newfound friend in the swimming pool, cruise around the basketball court, catch a beetle in a bag, do arts and crafts, or try the “confidence course” -- a kind of Parris Island rope climb for kids, minus browbeating from drill instructors.

Since Will has been spending this day and a half at Summit Lake since he was 4 and has become something of an authority on the place, I decided to interview him.

“I really, really love it,” he said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I get to go swimming, go on pedal-boats, take hikes. You get to go on a little walk in the woods with one of the counselors. You look for animals that you can find. We didn’t find any, but we did hear some. We heard mostly cicadas.

“And we get to go up by the cabin and find insects that are outside the cabin. One time I caught a frog, a little one, but then I let it go.”

I asked where he would rate the camp on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

“I’d give it 100,” he said.

And how about other places he’s been -- New York City; Washington, D.C.; Colorado, where he lived as a 4-year-old -- would he rather go there for the day?

“Unh unh, no way,” he said.

This year about 50 children of parents attending the Middle Creek conference are expected to be cared for free of charge at Summit Lake, compared with 20 to 30 in previous years. The care group leaders are Jim and Cammie Barber of Chapelgate Christian Academy in Marriottsville, Md. Jim is the girls’ basketball coach at Chapelgate, and members of the girls’ volleyball and basketball teams, as well as some of their parents, help provide care at Summit Lake. In exchange for their help, the camp donates $2,000 a year to the teams for uniforms and other expenses.

Meals at Summit Lake are hearty -- scrambled eggs with bacon or French toast made with homemade bread for breakfast, chicken filets with mashed potatoes and corn for lunch -- though Will confessed he was too busy chasing insects outside the dining hall to pay attention to much of it.

Regular visitors to Middle Creek may not be aware of it, but after the Dale and Marguerite Crowley Pavilion is completed and the lodges are erected, a section of the 535-acre Middle Creek grounds is expected to house a youth Bible Camp that will mirror the mission of Summit Lake.

That would be “awesome,” as Will would put it -- a site-based camp, with its own creepy crawlers to be discovered right on the banks of the creek. But until then, the preaching (and eating) under the tent, and the free professional child care at Summit Lake make for a God-given combination that's hard to beat.

REMINDER: Please contact Kathy Coley with the number and ages of children you plan to bring to the conference, and which day(s) you plan to attend, in order to aid us in planning the children's activities.

EMAIL: kccoley@aol.com       FAX: 919-556-3458       PHONE: 1-888-770-5338

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2001 TENT MEETING PROGRAM

Friday, August 31

7:00 p.m.

Praise and worship with Paul and Marjorie Ferrin Dr. Danny Forshee preaching Sue Dodge, Larry Ford, and the Johnsons in concert

Saturday, September 1

10:00 a.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Dr. Danny Forshee preaching
11:00 a.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Dr. Paige Patterson preaching
Noon	Lunch at the Tent
1:00 p.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Dr. Ergun Caner preaching
2:00 p.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Pastor Jim Holbrook preaching
5:30 p.m.	Supper at the Tent (including children from Summit Lake)
7:00 pm.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Pastor Jim Holbrook preaching
8:00 p.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Dr. Ergun Caner preaching

Sunday, September 2

10:00 a.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Dr. Ken Coley teaching
11:00 a.m.	Praise and worship with the Ferrins Pastor Bob Crowley preaching
1:00 p.m.	Lunch at Summit Lake

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SENIOR CITIZENS -- SOMETHING NEW JUST FOR YOU

As you probably know, in the past we have never offered any type of programming for adults at Summit Lake or Middle Creek. That's about to change. Starting in September, you can arrange for your senior citizen group at church to come to the Lodges at Summit Lake or the Manor at Middle Creek for a two- or three-night retreat during the week. These retreats will include not only the food and lodging we have always provided, but also a devotional time in the morning and a Bible study and music in the evenings. Our own Pastor Bob Crowley and his lovely musician wife, Libby, will be leading the evening sessions. The Pastor will be teaching from some of his favorite passages. And your group can select a list of their favorite songs, send it ahead, and Libby will lead you in singing from the piano. If your church doesn't have a large enough group (minimum number of guests is 15), consider combining with another church, or just organize a group of friends.

During the day, you can shop at outlets in Hagerstown, Gettysburg, or even Lancaster. Or you can visit historic sites in Fairfield, Gettysburg, and Frederick. If you like antiques, there are numerous areas to check out. In the winter, if your group has skiers, Ski Liberty is about 10 minutes from the Manor and 20 minutes from Summit Lake. There's plenty to do -- we'll pack you a bag lunch and send you on your way. You can enjoy homemade bread and all the other good food from the Summit Lake kitchen as you gather back at the table for supper each night.

If you have a group that would be interested in these weekday packages, please call Kathy at 888-770-5338, or e-mail us at kccoley@aol.com. Pictures of both retreat centers are available on our web sites -- summitlake.org and middlecreekbible.org. Call soon to reserve your date.

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PROGRESS CONTINUES ON BANK REFINANCING/CONSTRUCTION LOAN

Bids are in from the contractors and our architect is reviewing the cost estimates, etc. The bank will then consider the bids. The first Lodge area has been surveyed and marked out with the proper placement for the building. Grounds are being mowed and prepared and parking areas have been positioned. The Tabernacle also has bids still coming in from those who will finish up the work started a few years ago (heating, plumbing, kitchen, etc.). We are excited about getting the cost estimates finished and reviewed, in collaboration with the bank. We are still hoping for early winter occupancy, Lord willing. Please continue praying for these negotiations. We know God has His plan, and we want to follow as He leads. Proverbs 3:5-6

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