Editor’s Note: Today is day 42 of our 50 Years at Lake Agape countdown. Click here to read the other articles.
One of the statements I hear regularly about Delanco goes something like this:
After all of these years, it still looks the same…
The exact quote differs from person to person, but that’s the gist. For some, it’s a negative comment about aging facilities, not building anything new, etc. For most though, it’s positive and affirming. While we realize how awesome it would be to have a pool, full-size basketball court, air-conditioned dorms, and a host of other amenities, the fact remains that WE LOVE CAMP! When we drive onto the grounds, walk into the Tabernacle, cross the bridge on the way to the Dining Hall, or simply get the first bit of sand in our shoes, WE FEEL AS IF WE WERE HOME!
Leonard Sweet recently wrote a book entitled: 11 Indispensible Relationships You Can’t be Without. It is a great book and most of the relationships were directly tied to a Biblical character (for instance, you need a Peter/Paul–mentor; you need a Jonathan—true friend; etc). However, the eleventh one is puzzling: you need a Jerusalem…a place. A place? Why are places important in our spiritual lives and our development as believers? Is this just a nostalgic grasp at the past? After all, we’ve learned through the years that the church is the people of God…not a building.
I think Sweet is on to something: our personal and spiritual journeys are marked by moments, by people, and by discoveries…but also by places. The Israelites erected monuments of rock to commemorate God’s mighty works “lest they forget what the Lord had done for them.” Places are important not because of what they are in and of themselves, but rather what they represent and Who they point us to…that God met us and did a work inside of our lives There! Delanco Camp is one of my “Jerusalem’s.” At camp, I met Christ…at camp, I surrendered my life completely to Him…God placed a calling to ministry upon my life at camp…and, perhaps most of all, Delanco is the place where I feel like I’m “home.”
And so Leonard Sweet goes on to ask: “What places represent holiness in your life? What are the coordinates of your ‘holy ground’? The intonations of your home space? Show me on the map your Beulah Land.”
Many who write this week will talk about specific places at camp that are their favorites…I could go on and list a few of mine. But for me, it’s always been camp itself…just being there on the grounds, that was awakened, encouraged, challenged, and clarified my life…and I am eternally grateful!
Join us at camp for the Lake Agape 50th Anniversary Dinner on Saturday, June 6, at 5 p.m. Click here for more info.
