Mahaffey Camp. I'm willing to bet some of you reading this have never even heard the name, "Mahaffey," before. It's located in a town with big name restaurants, fantastic cell phone service, huge shopping malls, and skyscrapers as far as the eye can see...
Still not ringing a bell? So you're telling me you've never heard of the "Starlite Lounge" or the brand new Mahaffey Dollar Store? You don't consider farm houses as skyscrapers? That's weird. I'd send you a picture but I don't have very good cell service right now.
Okay, so Mahaffey isn't as famous as I led it on to be, but you believed it at first, right?
Mahaffey is a close knit town that is located not quite in the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there. Yet, somehow, Mahaffey camp is quite the popular camp, especially during the last week or so of July for when Family Camp starts. Families from all around Pennsylvania and even outside of the state come during the 10 days of family camp. If you've ever been to Mahaffey Camp before, then allow me to show you the perks of coming to camp.
Air conditioning is a luxary.
It's the middle of July, and debatelby one of the hottest times of the year. If you can find a shady spot, you've hit the jackpot.
The meal options.
You have two options: the camp store, or the dining hall. The camp store has typical camp food: burgers, chicken, hot dogs, etc. It's a good day when the special is either the meatball hoagies or sausage. As I just mentioned though, eating it will have to be out in the sun. On the flip side, you have the dining hall. What it lacks in quality it makes up for in decent air conditioning and workers to clear your table.
Mahaffey Milkshakes... The greatest treat this side of the mountain.
The pride and joy of Mahaffey Camp. As soon as the evening services are done, it's time to sprint to the camp store before the line gets built up. $2.75 for a nice, cold drink after a long hot day? Priceless.
There's a lock on the bell tower for a reason.
I've never been directly involved, but the best prank people enjoyed was the ringing of the bell tower. At 1:00 in the morning. The bell tower is generally used to signal the start of the different church services, as well as meal times. If you heard it ringing after curfew, (midnight), you could just imagine the joy of teenage boys sprinting for their lives as they thought they just performed the crime of the century.
You get excited about the little things.
The penny parade? A free milk shake coupon? A stray water balloon flying through the air? The talent show? Movie night at the youth tab? Mahaffey sure knows how to spice things up.
The Dorm Halls.
If you don't have a camper on the camp grounds, there are housing options for you. If you don't get into one of the newly-ish renovated dorm halls, you have some others to choose from. Let's just say, they are not five-star quality. It is rumored that the founder of our denomination, A.B. Simpson, was laid to rest on the top floor of one of the dorms.
The Spiritual growth you find at Mahaffey Camp.
Let's face it. Mahaffey Camp may not be a thriving with high quality buildings, and the best food you've ever tasted. But it's located in a place where the simplicity can be appreciated. You can actually see some of the original creation of God. And the spiritual growth here is what makes the place so special. There's really no need for high quality standards, because you can see that our God is high quality. You have a time to get back to simplicity as you attend different church services and live for 10 days with fellow believers as you all look to grow in your faith. Lives have been saved here, and souls saved by the grace of God. Lives have been renewed, and God has definitaley used this place for his glory. It's not about the standards of this physical place, but about the standard of our hearts as we seek after God.
If you've never been, then believe me, you're missing out.
God bless!
