All Around the Campfire

 All Around the Campfire
One of the young men and teen youth leaders at Mt. Zion Community Church decided to make an evening where all the men of the church could gather for a time of fellowship. We’ve had several out door activities for the youth with games and food, but this was a little bit different. The evening was intended to draw the men of our church into a closer bond to be able to help and support each other. The young man who suggested it brought his propane grill for cooking the hot dogs, hamburgers, and pork steaaks to grill.Other men brought soda pop, Kool-aid, and ice water to drink, baked beans and macaroni salads, chips and pretzels. Whille that was being set up, others build a campfire inside the metal rim from a truck tire and sevearal metal folding chairs were set out around the campfire.
Shade from the trees at the rear of the church was chosen for the site. The evening was warm while a gentle breeze cooled the men and seemed to defeat the high humidity making the gathering more comfortable and welcoming.
Small groups of men gathered, talked then shifted, forming new groups.We were learning more about each other creating new bonds and hearing stories of each others’ past. The conversations were nothing of great importance, but it made us more aware of each other and the things that shaped our past and who we were now. We learned tidbits from each person’s past. Laughter often accented the evening’s conversations.
After a time of smelling the aromas of meats on the grill, food became a welcome interlude and the conversations were interspaced between bites of food. And of course once the edge to our appetites was dulled, there were several desserts from which to choose. A guitar appeared and soft music filled the air. As we settled to digest our foordd, the young man who thought of this gathering spoke, sharing the way a person’s perspective on life could change when focused on God. He used the shifting happenstance in the book of Ruth to illustrate as examples. Although it seemed odd that a biblical book about a woman was the inspirattion for this men’s retreat, but it was the lesson.
Clean-up was anticlimatic, but it was a great evening of fellowship.