Every morning for 70 years we’ve gathered in our chapel by the lake to sing loud songs and hear a quiet message.  It’s my favorite place, which is good since I figure that I’ve spent about 2,500 hours leading programs there.  I especially like that it is open-air.  I think that says something about the way we live at camp, our faith not being separated from the rest of what we do.  I also like that it overlooks Lake Doris.  It is impossible to sit in the chapel without daydreaming about the things that are about to happen on that lake.  I think what we do in chapel should always be in reference to our whole lives.  We should always daydream a little.

All of that will stay exactly the same, but there is something that is going to change.  After 70 years the chapel foundation has given way, and it’s time to rebuild.  Of course the new chapel will be beautiful, and in many ways it will be a big improvement over the old one, but I promise that in the most important ways it will be exactly the same.  Each morning we will sit next to our best friends and sing.  Each morning the girls will hear a little bit more about the faith that makes their counselors so exceptional.  And each morning the counselors will stay behind to pray for their girls.  So I am looking forward to another 2,500 hours in our chapel.

Designing the new chapel has made us think through a lot of things we don’t normally think about.  For example, there has been a lot of talk about whether we should give the new chapel a name.  We decided that we like it the way it is.  It is one of the only buildings at camp that has never had a name, so we’re going to keep it that way.  Sometimes the role something plays, in this case its being a chapel, says more about its character than any other name can.  Of course that is different in other places.  Tweedle Dee is much more than just a cabin!

So in the end I don’t think we are going to have a new chapel at all.  We’re just going to have the chapel.  It will be the same chapel that Macky led, the same chapel that Monica led, the same chapel that Spencer led, and the same chapel that our girls have always loved.

From This Haven…

Adam and Ann