Summer is Upon Us
Bishop Philip Duncan, II
The Pier at Camp Beckwith, Fairhope, AL
Photo by Jennifer Burns Dixon
The Coastline July/August 2007
Bishop Philip M. Duncan, II
Pensacola,FL I like summer because it is hot! I said this one day to some friends and a week later regretted that statement. I do like summer and I do like heat. But sometimes the heat mixed with the humidity is “just a little much.” Summer is a time for reflection and reading and resting and playing and doing those things we so often put off doing, the odd job about the house or about the church.
When I was a young man, I would go to the church those times during the summer that we were in town, and for a few hours on a preselected day and time, I would work with a group on the gardening. It was for the church. And the days of summer always seemed to drag along even when we had plenty of chores to keep us occupied and involved. But this was different. We all wanted the Church to look good. And, there is always an “And,” we knew that sometime toward the end of the summer we would be given a trip as our reward. Yes, a trip! It was always a fun time for a few days in the mountains or down on the beach and one time there was a side trip into The City. Pulling a few weeds seemed such a little thing to do to get that expected trip with friends, traveling to interesting and fun places.
Recently, I was visiting with some of those friends and inquired what they were doing during the summer these days. Interestingly, most of them still find the time to pull weeds and go on trips with the church during the summer,
but now they are the drivers and the organizers. I could not help thinking about Beckwith, our camp and conference center and those who have grown up attending, working and being engaged with this wonderful place of refreshment. We are one of the places that people go to as a destination and time to be with friends and make new friends. What a gift this setting on Weeks Bay is for all of us - the young and the still young at heart. The gatherings throughout the year are for people of all ages. The Camps during the summer are filled with eager faces reflecting the delight in being in this most blessed place. The staff and the summer staff work to ensure that they all are moving deeper into a relationship with Christ and with each other. The water, the boats, the environmental center, the food, the activities, the friends and the many little things which make Beckwith, Beckwith, all come together to ensure that this place, apart from the ordinary in our lives, continues to mold and form lives centered in Christ’s love.
I rejoice that we have such a place and invite you all to come and see this witness to the Christian journey that we are blessed to share. It is summer and it is hot (and humid) and we can still pull a weed or two and enjoy seeing and being with friends. May God bless us all during this time of summer. I am,
Yours in His Holy Name,
Bishop Duncan
bishopduncan@diocgc.org
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