It’s Sunday morning and the faithful have gathered. This is the day for the outdoor service at Hometown Friends Church. A pancake breakfast on the lawn wasn’t enough incentive to get us here at what would have been our usual time.

The weather has cooperated—overcast but no rain. From where we’re sitting on the lawn I can see through the doors and windows into the front entry. On the back wall of the entry area I can see where the original entry door had been. Other reminders of long ago are the Christian Endeavor stained glass window, the big Ponderosa pine, and the grand old cedar tree.

Clyde Thomas is participating in the service, but before he comments about the bits of God’s creation that people have found and placed on a table he’s talking about the opportunity he and other will have this week in the natural setting of Twin Rocks boys camp. This makes the third time that boys camp has come to mind. The first was when I saw the Staples family minus Don and realized that as boys camp director he was at the coast doing orientation. The second was overhearing excited talk about going to camp from a group of boys behind me—young trees sending roots down and branches up.