The Mikell Board of Governors officially welcomed their new chairperson at their board meeting on October 18th.  The Rev. Roger Ard is filling the vacancy left by the late Rev. Hendree Harrison, Sr.  Roger brings a wealth of experience to the position.  As said by the Rev. Ken Struble, Mikell Director, "I've known Roger for 30 years, and he is an easygoing, personable, well-respected leader within the diocese.  He has cultivated relationships with a multitude of diocesan members through his work at many of the parishes in our diocese."  Welcome, Rev. Ard!
 
As former chair of the board, the Rev. Hendree Harrison was an intrinsic part of the life of Mikell.  His lifelong relationship with this place began as a camper and flourished with his service as a dean for many summers  and as the Chair of the Mikell Board of Governors. He cared deeply about Mikell and the ministry that it provides to its guests.  We mourn the loss of a great advocate and friend.

Mikell is pleased to present a new page on its website: the "Mikell & Me" picture page!  We want to show the world exactly how great this place is, and we need your help!  Please send your favorite photos, along with a caption and the names of the people pictured, to our webmaster Ken Struble (kstruble@alltel.net).  Pictures of camp and conferences alike are welcome.
 
Also added to the website is a write-up and pictures of our new St. Joseph the Carpenter Craft Center.  Check it out at www.campmikell.com! 

We at Mikell greatly appreciate any contribution to help continue our ministry, which really is your ministry too.
 
Special thanks to St. Aidan's parish for their recent donation of office supplies!

Mikell staffers Ken Struble and Kat Ballard recently attended the American Camp Association's Southeastern Annual Conference, held this year in Jacksonville, Florida.  In addition to forging relationships with other camp professionals, they took crash courses in topics including:
*Creating an Intentional Camp,
*Traditional Native American Games,
*5 Sure Ways to Get Sued When Working with Children and How to Prevent Them, and
*MySpace or Yours: Camp & Social Networking.

 

Mikell participants prepared for their upcoming ACA re-accreditation visit, which includes a vigorous review (over 300 standards) of its operation and maintains a high level of quality and safety in every aspect of camp management.  Mikell is proud to be an accredited member of ACA since 1999.

 

You can learn more about the American Camp Association website, www.acacamps.org, or visit their website dedicated to parents of campers: www.campparents.org.   

Guest Camp, our Labor Day session for individuals and families of all ages, was the proverbial cherry on the cake as it wrapped up the summer camp season.  A record number of campers came to Mikell to relax and enjoy the beauty and community.  If you haven't yet experienced Guest Camp yourself, we welcome you to join us next Labor Day weekend!
 
Special thanks go to all of the volunteers who gave their time and best efforts to camp this summer.  Deans and their dean's staff provided creative and thoughtful spiritual programs for each session; high school age counselors gave a week to come take care of younger campers; and veteran Mikell staffer Gary Friend spent every weekend at Mikell helping out as needed!  These volunteers added immeasurably to the summer, and we couldn't have had such a safe, fun, positive camp season without you.

Mikell is in the process of building a road that links the Retreat Village and Upper Camp.  This addition benefits Mikell in many ways.  "This road is a great improvement that will give golf cart access between the Retreat Village and Upper Camp, which will really help our guests who have difficulty walking up and down the hill," says Superintendent of Facilities Gary Bennett.  It will also provide road access to the upper camp septic tank, and create a setting for needed extra meeting space with gazebos that are planned along the road.  Finally, this is "a permanent solution, rather than a band-aid" to the problem of having to continually replace rotting sections of the current boardwalk, says camp Director Ken Struble.  He adds, "Walking on the road will be safer during inclement weather than walking on the boardwalk, whose wood becomes slippery when wet or icy."  Come enjoy the convenience and added safety of our new road!   

"The biblical concept of Sabbath recognizes the need for rest.  The original sense of the word in Hebrew is 'to catch one's breath.'  Certainly this is something desperately needed in our lives.  Whether spoken and named or not, this desire to stop and rest and renew- to take a deep breath- lies at the heart of why people choose to retreat."
 
"The basic human need for relationships- with God, with others, and with creation- has not gone away... nor has the human search for meaning and identity.  The reality of life today results in less time and space for building those relationships and for reflecting on the questions that bring meaning and purpose to our lives.  The fruits of going away for retreat- whether to pray or learn or plan- are the time and space for tending to those essential relationships with God and with God's people."
 
Read more

 
2007 marked a record attendance for Work Camp with 90 campers, who all deserve tremendous thanks for their energy and enthusiasm.  As Gary Bennett, Mikell's Superintendent of Facilities, said in the closing Eucharist, "A man can tell me all day long who he is, but his actions speak louder than his words.  [The campers] say that [they're] a community, and this week [they've] shown it."  Look for the improvements around camp during your next visit!

NGA Open Recovery                                Nov. 2-4
Church of the Good Shepherd Women      Nov. 9-11
St. David's Youth Group                           Nov. 9-11
Christ Covenant Church                            Nov. 9-11
Cobb Consortium                                      Nov. 14-16
Happening                                                 Nov. 15-18
Covenant Presbyterian Women                 Nov. 16-18
Grafton Family Retreat                             Nov. 21-23
Junior DYC Retreat                                   Nov. 30-Dec. 2
GSV Board Meeting                                  Nov. 30-Dec. 2

 

Coming Soon to Blue Ridge:
Ridgeview Charter School                          Oct. 29-30
R.D. Head Elementary                               Nov. 2-3
High Point Elementary                               Nov. 8-9
Union Grove Middle School                       Nov. 14-16
 
Spaces are available for groups and private retreats!  Weekday dates are available from now through January, and select weekends are still available (December 7-9 and 14-16; January 18-20).  Come relax and get away from the busy-ness of life, or bring your next meeting, reunion, or retreat to Mikell.  Contact Amanda Segers at 706.886.7515 or mikell@alltel.net for more information.

 This month, meet Gary Bennett, Mikell's Superintendent of Facilities.  Gary keeps Mikell up and running, and is essential to daily life here.   
 
What do you do at Mikell?
I am responsible for all of the maintenance that takes place at camp.  This includes taking care of the waste water management, vehicles, forest management, structural repair, new buildings, serving as CPO of the swimming pool, landscape upkeep... most anything that facilitates the working of the camp.
 
How long have you worked at Mikell?
I've worked here for approximately 14 years.
 
What are some things that you love about Mikell?
I love the community, the way we get along with one another.  It's more of a family than a workplace.  Also, the actual venue of Mikell is a beautiful place to work!  The cooperation I get from Mikell's director and board is great.  Everyone treats each other with respect.
 
How do you see the Mikell of the future? 
Firstly, I envision a separate, larger, nicer conference center that's built for the times, with all the modern features.  Secondly, I see the current site reworked for summer camp and youth activities.
 
What would you like Mikell supporters to know about you? 
I love Camp Mikell and I love to work here.  I have one wife (thank the Lord!) and three children: Eric, age 42; Christina, age 37; and Michael (named after Camp Mikell), age 22.  I'm a fan of horses and cattle, and I like to fish and hike.  I'm a Vietnam veteran (1966-68) and my son Michael is a Marine who's served 2 tours in Iraq.  I love my church and related activities. 
 
Is there anything you'd like to tell Mikell guests and supporters? Come visit!  Make this your community.  Support Mikell.  We can keep it nice if we have the funding donations to do so.  We love how so many folks have made this their community by donating needed supplies.