Memories to get you in the mood

Get in the Camp Meeting spirit and reminisce with these three personal memories from NACs past!

Paul Yerden, music minister: “I remember the dorms on the camp grounds, the old white tabernacle, the early morning prayer meetings in Byrum Hall with Sister Cotton, raising one million dollars for World Service (the large thermometer), the CBH building on the grounds, hearing Herb Thompson sing, and Dr. Dale Oldham preach every year.”

Lori Salierno, speaker: “One of my favorite childhood memories of Camp Meeting was listening to Ben Reid, going out to dinner, spending time talking with friends, and learning about the Church of God from the older pastors and people who had been in the movement for years.”

Ron Patty, music minister: “One of my favorite memories of Camp Meeting is when we were in an old tabernacle, even before the dome was built. We were having a Camp Meeting service and our quartet, the Christian Brothers, was singing “I Bowed on My Knees and Cried Holy,” and it just seemed like there was a wonderful spirit there. And Dr. Dale Oldham spoke. It was a wonderful, momentous time.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "[The NAC means] having opportunity to speak into the direction that the church of god is going. Many, many educational opportunities! And wonderful times of worship."--Dr. MaryAnn Hawkins, Associate Professor of Christian Ministry, Anderson University School of Theology

Heritage Sing-Along continues strong

With each passing year, the Heritage Sing-Along at NAC has attracted larger and larger crowds. After only a couple of years after the event's inception, the crowds exceeded the 550-person capacity at Byrum Hall, prompting a move to Park Place Church of God. After only a couple of years there, it moved to Reardon Auditorium. Now the event--led by Paul Yerden, Robert Nicholson, and Dean Schield--draws more than 1,500 people. Notable guests have included Bill and Gloria Gaither; the late Dr. Robert Reardon; Ron and Carolyn Patty; and Jim Hill, who wrote “What a Day That Will Be.”

Paul Yerden is delighted that the Heritage Sing-Along has been such a success. “They get to sing these songs in a large crowd, in four-part harmony. We don’t jazz it up or put a contemporary beat to it. I think we sing them the way we remember singing them.” Paul adds, “The event belongs to the people.”

Even young people can enjoy the Heritage Sing-Along. “Hearing these songs and all the parts is something new for them,” Dean Schield explains. “Young people want something new, and this is new. They come with the idea it will be boring old hymns, but they hear the energy and really appreciate and enjoy it.”

Don't miss this year's Heritage Sing-Along, which will take place for the first time in the intimate, well-lit setting of Madison Park Church of God, on Monday night during the North American Convention of the Church of God, June 26-July 1. The event will begin promptly at 9:15 p.m., following the evening worship service.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “So what do we do? We sing twenty or so of our great heritage songs. Just great singing! Which of our songs will we sing this year? Well, you’ll have to come and see. But you will know them and will enjoy them. The sound of fifteen hundred voices singing lustily—sometimes devotionally—is wonderful.” --Dr. Robert Nicholson, Anderson University President Emeritus