Sunday July 2

Sundays are different in many ways that campers love. We sleep late, enjoy a morning run (an optional Stumblers Club), savor a leisurely buffet breakfast, luxuriate with a long shower, get dressed in our camp finest, go to church, eat a big lunch with ice cream, write letters, take a nap, then do whatever we want in the afternoon. The day is finished with an exclamation point picnic and concert on the lawn. It is the best day!

Stumblers on the River Trail is a nice upgrade from running on the track. It is one of the most beautiful and interesting settings in the area (possibly the best flat trail in the NC mountains). It is a real treat for the eyes and for the heart! Features include:

Farm Barn: Garden, Freeman Creek, Sheep, Goats, Chickens, Pigs, Pony’s, Horses, Minature Horses, Cows, Alpacas, and sweeping vistas of our river pastures (the biggest open fields in camp).
Hidden Lake: a large lake that is only partially visible from our front campus. This area teams with wildlife, the star being the Bald Eagle but also boasts otters, beavers, snapping turtles, deer, blue herons, wood ducks, mallards, and Canadian geese.
Camp the trail was improved again this year, improving drainage and footing in the marshy section. There is an unobstructed view of the entire camp from across the lake and gorgeous views across the “hidden lake”.
Green River is a Class 2 trout river that is the primary water source for Lake Summit. It is the Western border of the camp and flows next to our hidden lake and the back pastures.
Outback Pastures are a series of pastures that occupy the high ground of this wetland. The trail follows these pastures back to the Farm Barn by the backside. The views are amazing, very different from any other place in camp.

By the time we complete our 1.5-mile run/walk, we feel great. It is a hugely restorative experience. Anyone who completes two laps is “officially” eligible to join Stumblers. Three Sundays and you are in!

Our worship time in the FORT is excellent. Our community has bound together, and this relationship gives power to the Holy Spirit when we join for worship. Reid Jones is once again our minister for Main Camp. Brother Reid (a nickname we gave him this year) is a shockingly good speaker who puts a great deal of thought into his Morning Assembly devotions. His topics on Peace are layered in such a way as to culminate with each weeks Sunday Sermon. A great way of showing these girls what church can be like! It is very hard to give a 5-10 minute devotion (much less a 20 minute sermon) that captivates a camp. The talk must engage the mind and heart of a wide range of listeners (aged 10-28). Reid is well suited to the task. His years as an RUF minister on the Clemson campus have honed his voice with the college ages and his young daughters have shown him how to talk to children. This will be Reid’s last summer with us for he has moved on from his RUF position and accepted a call to become an associate pastor at Clemson Presbyterian Church.

Resident ministers at camp are a huge resource to our community. They make little things like morning assembly devotions something to anticipate and savor. They provide substantial Biblical counseling to campers and counselors. They will do cabin Q&A sessions when counselors feel they need the support of someone with a deeper knowledge of scripture. They allow counselor Bible studies to be far better than what we could otherwise provide.

All of our ministers come from traditional, reformed, ecclesiastical backgrounds (ordained ministers in the church, mostly PCA or ARP Presbyterians). They are used by the Holy Spirit in this place… they are wonderful, winsome, funny, genuine, kind, and loving representatives of Jesus. You would like them. You would want to go to their church if they were in your hometown. We will post our sermon later today, you might want to do a virtual sermon as a part of your day.

Next week I will let you know more about the offering that girls can contribute to during our church time. This post is getting way too long!

Tonight we will have our first summer concert. With warm temperatures and almost no chance of rain, a full moon will rise as the concert begins. it should be a perfect day.

Thank you for checking in. We hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend.