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National Association of Congregational Christian Churches,  P.O. Box 288, Oak Creek, WI  53154
414-764-1620 
Email: naccc@naccc.org   Web Site: http://www.naccc.org

by Mike Fales, Director of Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Olivet College in Michigan and a Trustee of the Olivet Congregational Church. Share a great idea from your congregation with your brothers and sisters in the NA. Call (616) 749-7624 or email mfales@olivetcollege.edu

This summer I had the pleasure of preaching at Pine Hill Congregational Church in West Bloomfield, Michigan. As I looked out into the congregation on that Sunday morning last August I was struck by how many faces I recognized from church camp the month before. The Michigan Congregational Christian Church Camp is a big enterprise with nearly 150 young persons, 3^rd through 8^th graders, spending six days together in worship, song and fun. They come from churches all over our state and a few from neighboring states. It takes a lot of people to run something that big and many churches send someone from their congregation to help. What struck me about Pine Hill was the huge commitment this congregation had made to this very important program.

Pine Hill has a small but growing congregation. It currently has 100 members. The Rev. Marty Hall was called there in 1999 right out of seminary. As is true of most churches this size, Marty is a one man show and has to carry a lot of the weight in this active congregation. Despite the relative short tenure of his pastorate and the enormity of his work, for the last three years Marty has been heavily involved in the planning and directing of the camp. For the last two years he has served as the Co-Director. Over three years ago Marty attended a camp planning committee meeting and was asked to begin training to become a camp director. He said he would but not without the approval of his congregation. Marty tells it this way: "When I asked my congregation, the only thing they said was; what can we do to make it better?"

Out in the congregation that day I saw Jim Rowan, who is the Pine Hill Choir Director. At camp he plays guitar during chapel and serves as a counselor. I also saw Sue Savage who has worked for years on a volunteer basis as the camp nurse. There are three adult counselors and several high school age assistant counselors who are members of this church. Whole families even get involved. Rachael and Carl Andeer are brother and sister counselors. Carl has been my very able assistant counselor for two years now. Not an easy job with 7^th grade boys!

Pastor Marty Hall estimates that thirty members of his congregation assist in some way with camp each year. That's 30% of the membership. What an amazing and generous gift this congregation is making, one that benefits not only their young people but those of over 60 congregations in our part of the world.

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