NEW WORSHIP CENTER UPDATE #2

Wow! Things are moving fast up at the work site!!! It's really exciting to see how quickly things are moving along. Of course, as a general rule, it is always easier to tear something down than to build something up, but it is still encouraging to see things progressing so quickly. As I type, a crew is up there busily dismantling the building's steel skeleton. I anticipate that the next update I bring you will show a completely bare spot where once stood the venerable old Tabernacle.

As I said in my last post, it is really striking, in a strange sort of way, to see the building without its walls, and now with the roof gone it looks even stranger to me. It has been over fifty years since the sun shined on that concrete floor.

I feel like a little boy again watching the crew work.

Of course, taking down a steel building can be noisy, and we have had a group from Thanksgiving Korean Church meeting in the Mt. San Jacinto Chapel, which is right next door. The workers have been really accomodating by trying to keep the noise down, and by working around the campers schedule. Of course, the campers, and the work they are doing here, is the reason why we exist as a ministry, and it goes without saying that the campers are the most important people on the grounds at any given time, so we were more than willing to put their needs first, and we were grateful for the construction guys' willingness to accommodate our requests.

Please forgive me if my language isn't technical enough. I don't have a background in engineering or construction so I sometimes don't know use the proper terms to describe a building's components. (I'll try and avoid descriptive terms like "thingy" or "Thing-a-ma-jiggy" though.) Yesterday afternoon, the guys started taking down these beams, which run north to south.

As you can see, when I went up to the site to check things out this morning, all that remained of the extreme north end of the building were the base of the supports (...or "Gilly-Wompers" as I call them) in the corners.

Here they are disassembling the building.

...and taking the pieces down to the ballfield.

Pretty exciting! Keep on checking here for more updates as they become available.

NEW WORSHIP CENTER UPDATE- #1

It has been a busy few days up at the job site. A group of volunteers from the conference churches came up over the weekend and dismantled the front wall as well as what remained of the stage inside. Walt and Keith Shirley have been working very hard demolishing much of the stage and taking down the large wooden murals that have graced the walls behind the stage for many years. Yesterday, a crew came up and removed the walls from the north, south and east sides of the building. It looks more like a pavilion now than an actual building. For those of us who have been coming to camp for a long time this looks kind of surreal, huh?

After standing there for so many years it is strange for me to walk past and see the old Tabernacle like this. So naked and open. I'm kind of a sentimental person. Part of me is kind of sad to see the old girl go, but I am also excited about the new Worship Center and by all of the improvements and possibilities that it will represent. I wish I knew how many decisions for Christ have been made in thia old building dfown through the years.

Things are moving fast now, so check back in here regularly for more updates. I am getting so excited about the new Worship Center.

MURALS!!!

The next time you're up at camp check out the new murals. Here at camp we are always blessed by the MMAPers who come and volunteer as well as by the diverse talents. This past November a couple of MMAPers, Charlotte Dunaway and Karen Greenslate, worked on these beautiful murals, which feature scenes from nature accompanied by scripture passages. They turned out great!

The first and largest mural is at the end of the south end restrooms, and features Romans 1:20. I like the bear in the tree to the right.

The second mural is located on the front porch of the Birch Lodge and features Isaiah 30:15.

Do you recognize that rock? The third mural is located on the end of the Douglas Fir Lodge and features Luke 19:40.

Thank you MMAPers for all of the hard work you invest in the ministry at Camp Maranatha. We love you guys!!!

BLAST TO THE PAST!

Several weeks ago I was walking across the grounds toward the office when Nancy Beggs found me. She had found this old flyer (from the 60's?) and thought we should have it here in the camp's archives. I recognized Dwight Shirley on the left and Betty Crimi crouching down on the right, and Nancy probably remembered more names, but I didn't write them down then. Do any of you recognize anybody else in this photo?

I couldn't fit the entire centerfold on my scanner. This was the best I could do. The biggest surprise in the flyer was the revelation that it only cost $6.50 to go to camp back then!!! Another surprise was that the camp began with dinner at 9:30 pm, and that lights out was pretty late- after midnight! Some of our campers wouldn't mind having lights out that late, but that might be a tougher sell to the counselors. What can I say? The 60's were a crazy time!

I'm also intrigued by this game called the "basketball bop" (also apparently known as "double dribble"). According to the flyer it involved a basketball and coins. Do any of you out there recall how to play this game? I think we should resurrect it.



Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Nancy.

WORK DAY 2009!

We want to say "thank you" to everyone who came up and helped at this year's work day. Work day was well attended and we got a lot done. Thanks guys!

WHAT A PERFECT MORNING!

Sometimes I feel so privileged to live where I do. It seems such a shame to me that more people can't be here at the camp right now to enjoy this beautiful morning. As I left my house to head down to the office it was just cool enough that a long sleeved shirt felt good, but warm enough that if I had started to exert myself I would have been comfortable in a T-shirt. The ragged green mountains looked superimposed against the blue sky like they had been cut from a magazine and placed on a sheet of blue paper. Nowhere on the horizon was there a single cloud to mar the perfect blue horizon. The sun was glancing through the trees, causing the dew to sparkle on the grass. Bunnies and robins were hopping around and everything seemed springtime fresh and perfect. The air was flavored with that heady mixture of wood smoke, breakfast preparations, and the all-pervasive scent of pine. It put a spring in my step as I headed out for a day of service and directed my thoughts to the wonderfully creative God who I am privileged to serve through the ministry here at camp.

Have a blessed day, Josh Tate

DEER IN THE CENTER GRASS

During the week, when the camp is empty it can get pretty quiet here at Maranatha. This morning as I was walking across the grounds I was surprised to find these three deer grazing on our center grass. When I first saw them they were in front of the dining hall, almost as far as the fountain, but by the time I fetched a camera they had mosied back over by the gazebo.

I wanted to get a really nice picture of them right in the center of camp, but, for some reason, they didn't want me to get too close to them. My camera, and my abilities as a photographer were not equal to the task so you will have to be satisfied with these fuzzy, too-distant photos.

My efforts to get in closer for a better shot caused them to move out of the grassy area and closer to the woods.

Eventually the deer were so annoyed by me that they trotted off on those springy slender legs of theirs into the woods behind the Oak Lodge.