I HAVE A DREAM

Herman Kauffman

CAMP MACK 75^TH ANNIVERSARY

"I Have a Dream" Dinner

January 16, 2000

I am delighted that each of you are here this evening. I believe your presence speaks volumes about your love for and commitment to Camp Mack. As I reflect back over my years of involvement here at Camp Mack, dating back forty-some years, this place and my experiences here have literally changed my life. Here I have learned about God and Creation, about the Church and what it means to live in community. Here I have learned about my Church of the Brethren heritage and made life-long friends. And, as others of you could also say, here I met the one I would marry. This place has touched our lives hasn't it. And the lives of thousands of others who are not here this evening.

I've been reflecting on why it is that some campers or counselors come to camp for a year or two and never come back ... and why it is that some of us spend a lifetime of involvement here. We came as campers, we returned as counselors so another generation of campers could experience what we experienced. We keep giving back in a variety of ways ... volunteering time and giving our resources to this camp that we love.

There is a story that is told of a dog laying quietly in the sun. Suddenly a large white rabbit runs past that old dog. Well, that dog jumped up, barking loudly, and took off after that big old white rabbit. He chased the rabbit over the hills with a passion. Soon, other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks, up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only this first dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.

In that story, I believe, is the answer to why some of us are here this evening.

"Ah, but you may say, I don't understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and our presence here at Camp Mack this evening?"

I ask you, "Why didn't the other dogs continue the chase?" ... And the answer to that question is that they had not seen the rabbit. Unless you see your prey, the chase is just too difficult. You will lack the passion and determination necessary to finish the chase.

Unless you can see the vision ... unless you catch the dream that is Camp Mack, you will not run the distance. So, again I say to each of you, "I am delighted you are here ... for you are among those who have a dream for this place we call Camp Mack.

Story by Edward Hays, In Pursuit of the Great White Rabbit: Reflections on a Practical Spirituality (Easton, Kan.: Forest of Peace Books), pp. 10-11.

Quoted by Peter L. Steinke in Healthy Congregations, (Alban Institute), pp. 105-106.

 

It all began with a dream.

In the early years of this past century, church leaders sensed the need to establish a program for the youth of the church and in 1920 they persuaded Chauncey Shamberger to postpone graduate school to become the first director of young people's work for the Church of the Brethren. So where does one begin such an assignment. In 1920 there were no summer camps and no curriculum for youth. Summer camping, Shamberger decided, was the logical place to begin on a denominational scale. In 1921, the first summer camp was held at Winona Lake.⁽¹⁾

It all began with a dream and our dream today is not so much different that it was 80 years ago ... for camping is still a great place to meet the needs of our young people today. And Camp Mack is a logical place, today, to begin new camps and new camping experiences...for a new generation of young people in the life of the church. And for many of them the name of Chauncey Shamberger will once again become synonymous with camping as we build this year the Shamberger cabin.

It all began with a dream.

Under Shamberger's leadership, youth camps were held in the Central Region at Winona Lake in 1921 and 1922; at Ludlow Falls, OH in 1923; and in 1924 at Mansfield, OH and Oakwood Park in Syracuse.⁽²⁾ From these 1924 camps came the dream of building a Brethren camp for future meetings. L.W. Shultz, one of the adult leaders, had done a seminar study at Northwestern University in 1923-24 on the meaning and value of Young People's Camps and Conferences. He reported on his findings and suggested that the conference at once set about developing a camp of its own.⁽³⁾ A favorable decision was reached and in July 1924 at Oakwood Park in Syracuse a 5-member locating committee was appointed.⁽⁴⁾

John Lear of Bethany Seminary had attended both of the 1924 camps. After these camps he spent a week visiting Jacob Neff on Lake Wawbee and while there he told Neff that he thought this was the site where the new camp ought to be located. Brother Neff wrote to L.W. Shultz stating that he gave a hearty welcome to locate the camp on his farm on Lake Wawbee.⁽⁵⁾ The Locating Committee accepted Bro. Neff's invitation and were much impressed with what they found and soon agreed that this location should be the site of the new camp.

It all began with a dream and that dream continues today on this same site.

What a time it must have been -- to be alive and involved in the formation of the camping movement and Camp Mack! For one like Chauncey Shamberger to dream of beginning a national youth ministry with summer camps; for an L.W. Shultz to capture and share a vision of the value of camps; for a John Lear and Jacob Neff to see the potential of this piece of land ... for these and other dreamers we give thanks!

But the dream continues ... to this 75^th Anniversary Year and on into the 21^st Century.

It takes more than dreamers to transform a bare corn field into a camp. L.W. Shultz writes, "When the committee...and I first saw the spot it was quite bare for the site proposed was a cornfield, reached only through a lane and field, going through two gates. Only six acres were offered along the lake .... There were no trees except a few oaks along the high bank of the lake.⁽⁶⁾

Buildings would be needed and the year of 1925 was truly one of building - first Deeter Cabin in the spring, followed by Sarah Major Hall which was barely completed in time for the opening of the first camp on July 27, and also the construction of twelve cabins for the housing of campers which were gifts of various congregations. And over the next twenty year would follow the construction of Becker Lodge, Quinter-Miller Auditorium, and Ulrich House. In each case, materials and work was volunteered by countless Brethren members who had caught the dream that was becoming Camp Mack.

It all began with a dream but it took more than dreamers to make Camp Alexander Mack a reality.

What a marvelous opportunity it was for our ancestors to be apart of the dream - constructing these buildings which have served the camp well over these many years! For these countless volunteer builders we give thanks!

It all began with a dream but today the dream for Camp Mack continues and today, as in days gone by, it will take more than the dreamers to bring the camp into the 21^st Century. We will continue to depend on the volunteers, on the builders, on those who support the dream that is lived out here at Camp Alexander Mack.

O, and it took more than land and buildings to make this place a camp! And quickly they came - young people, boys and girls, from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan streamed to Camp Mack on the shores of Lake Waubee. 130 young people gathered for the first camp in 1925. In 1926, Intermediate Boys and Intermediate Girls camps were added, and by 1937 forty children were present for the first Junior Camp.⁽⁷⁾

And with these young people came adults who would relate with and teach these future church leaders. L.W. Shultz tells of one young man from East Dayton, when that church was yet in its early days, who came as a camper and wrote back: "I never knew that the Church of the Brethren had such men as Charles D. Bonsack and Edward Frantz. Now I shall always be glad to tell others of my church."⁽⁸⁾

Though there have been countless lesser known but no less important camp leaders over the years, none are so well known as "The Four Horsemen" who traveled from camp to camp for 4 summers, 1927-1930, covering almost 7,000 miles in a Studebaker sedan nicknamed "Sweet Chariot." Chauncey Shamberger, known as "Chief", was the administrator, Dan West was the discussion leader, Al Brightbill the music leader, and Perry Rohrer the recreation director.⁽⁹⁾

It began with a dream and to this dream was added land and buildings and campers and leaders and camps and programs and staff ... and here we are today 75 years later, gathered with our own memories and experience of Camp Mack, ready to continue dreaming about the future of Camp.

So, here we are in the year 2000. We survived the Y2K bug scare. The heat and electric power and water continued without fail ... and we made it to the year 2000! Do you realize that this is the first time in the history of the Gregorian Calendar that all 4 digits of the year changed - that right! A thousand years ago the calendar would have rolled over from 999 A.D. to 1000 A.D. - only 3 digits in 999. It's sort of like that magic moment when your car odometer rolls over 100,000 miles - only then you begin to think maybe the car is about history and you'd better make plans for a new car. Well, maybe it's not so different. 1999 is about history and its time to begin making some plans, not for a new car (well...that doesn't sound so bad, either), but for a new era. For whether you are one of those who sees the year 2000 as a new decade, a new century, and a new millennium ... or whether you are one who believes we still have one more year to go until a new millennium, the fact is that 2000 seems to mark the beginning of a new era in time.

Now I'm sure that some of us never thought we would make it to the year 2000. How many persons have told me, "I never thought I'd live to see 2000." But we're here, thank the Lord, and we'd better do some dreaming about the future!

Tonight we are gathered here at Camp Mack to kickoff the 75^th Anniversary Year of Camp Mack. And sometime about a year ago, Becky had this idea for a special event each month of this 75^th Anniversary Year ... beginning in January (near Martin Luther King Day) with this I Have A Dream Dinner. According to what Becky tells me, the idea of inviting me to speak came after she sat through one of my sermons at Union Center about a year ago when I shared some of my dreams for the church. Now I ask you, why is it when she first talked to me nearly a year ago about sharing my dreams for camp, I was still working on this speech yet this week. O well....

I have a dream ... that all of the growth that has taken place at Camp Mack in the past 50 years will be exceeded by the growth of the next 15 years!

I have a dream ... that the growth of the camp will be driven by the desire to serve and resource the Church of the Brethren primarily and the larger ecumenical church community secondarily.

I have a dream ... that the increased demand for use of the camp by the Church of the Brethren will make it increasingly difficult for ecumenical groups to rent the facility.

I have a dream ... that as new models are developed for children's camps, there will always be sufficient staff and that the safety and security of our children will never be put at risk.

I have a dream ... that volunteerism at Camp Mack - by counselors, and board members, and all sorts of volunteer workers who over the past 75 years have made camp what it is today - will remain a high priority for the members of our congregations.

I have a dream ... that the wonderful hospitality provided by the camp staff will continue and the Board and staff will continue to practice good stewardship of all the assets available including this land and these buildings, the gifts of congregations, and the fees paid by campers and retreatants.

Further, I have a dream ... that the camping experience will remain "affordable" for all children and youth and adults, through a matching scholarship program instituted with congregations.

And, I have a dream ... that more and more of us, following the lead of Dick and Marjorie Bigler, will include Camp Mack in our estate planning and in our wills so that future generations will be able to experience the joy and enrichment that we experienced at Camp Mack.

O, I have a dream I tell you for Camp Mack, for this place I love!

I have a dream ... that the core values taught to our children and youth at camp will include:

• •appreciation for God's creation - both the gift of nature and the gift of humanity
• •appreciation for God's Word - with a focus on key biblical texts
• •appreciation for God's Church - especially the values and heritage of the COB
• •appreciation for a Christian Lifestyle that includes worship, service, discipleship, stewardship, and the giving and receiving of Christian love.

And I have a dream ... that when the Brethren gather here for the 100^th Anniversary of Camp Mack they will look back in amazement at all that has been accomplished in the 21^st Century. And what will we be celebrating in 2025?

I dream that we will be celebrating some new camps and programs which may include:

• A Discipleship Camp for 6^th through 9^th graders which emphasizes the beliefs and practices of the Church of the Brethren. This special camp will be offered several times throughout the year to accommodate students who will likely be attending school year-round with different vacation times. In my dream, I see its leadership coming from pastors and other church leaders, and perhaps guest leaders from throughout the denomination, who are committed to training and mentoring our young people to become church leaders. I dream of congregations that will make Discipleship Camp mandatory for all young people who wish to become baptized members of the church and will pay the full cost of this discipleship training.

And my dream is that 25 years from now, at the 100^th Anniversary, we will celebrate as we begin to see the results such a Discipleship Camp can make in our congregations.

• Likewise, A Heritage Camp that will be held for a week, or perhaps on a weekend, and geared for those adults new to the Church of the Brethren. A Heritage Camp that uses the murals as a primary resource in telling the story and the history of the Church of the Brethren.

And my dream is that at the 100^th Anniversary as we unveil yet another new mural of the past 25 years, we will celebrate as congregations in touch with our past and ready to live out Brethren values in our present.

• Exploration of Simple Living will be the theme of yet another popular annual camp in the 21^st Century. With the increasing use of technology and the decline of family values within our society, more and more persons will want to attend a camp that helps them discover once again Another Way of Living. In this place where they can commune both with nature and within a Christian community, persons will come to slow down their hectic lifestyle and to learn from the church what Simple Living means in the 21^st Century.

And my dream is that in 25 years the church, through its camp, will be one of the few places left where persons can go and reflect and learn to live a Simple, Christian Lifestyle.

• Bible Camp will be a treasured camp by the time our 100^th Anniversary rolls around. This camp will appeal to church members with a variety of biblical perspectives as a camp to which they can come and dialogue with one another and find their own perspective on biblical inspiration and interpretation to be respected. Campers will come for the opportunity to spend concentrated periods of time studying the scriptures together. They will leave with their own lives enriched and having made wonderful friendships with persons who may view the Bible differently than they. And the Church - and our various congregations will be strengthened by once again studying the scriptures together.

And my dream is that because of Bible Camp at Camp Mack our congregations will enter into a new era of biblical literacy.

• And there will be Intergenerational Camps that bring together children, youth, adults, seasoned adults for Computer Camps and Music Camps and Drama Camps. The youth will teach the adults in the computer camps. The children will help those who are older to act out of their imaginations in Drama Camp. And the Music Camps will help those of all ages to appreciate different styles of music.

And my dream is that all sorts of Intergenerational Camps will assist in breaking down the barriers that keep congregations from growing.

And, while most of my dreams focus on camps and programming, I have a dream ...

• That facilities at Camp Mack will be developed to meet the needs of programming

• That as new facilities are needed, the builders will come, the givers will give, and together the needs will be met

• That woodlands and wetlands and wilderness areas will be preserved and developed with care

• That property lines will be expanded as available so that future growth is not limited to property we currently own

• That various areas of camp property will be developed to meet a variety of camping options

I have a dream this evening ... a dream that keeps me chasing the white rabbit.

I have a dream ..... that we will build on the dreams of those who have gone before us ... for all those who come after us.

And I have a dream ... that all that we build and all that we do ... will be done for the Glory of God and our Neighbors God.

And I have a dream that together, in this place, we will Continue the Work of Jesus.

Endnotes:

1. Passing on the gift: The Story of Dan West, by Glee Yoder, pp. 34-35

2. History of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana, 1952, p. 291

3. L.W. Shultz, The Story of Camp Alexander Mack, 1956, p. 15

4. History..., p. 291

5. Ibid.

6. Shultz, p. 9

7. Shultz, pp. 57-67, 119

8. Shultz, pp. 9-10

9. Yoder, p.42ff