A Massanetta Story: Deep Connection

Kemper is an eighth-grade teacher living in Hendersonville, NC.  While he now can’t imagine his life without the impact of Massanetta Springs, it didn’t start out that way. To say he was reluctant to come to Massanetta at first would be an understatement.

“As a sixth grade boy I didn’t like change, and this was something new,” said Kemper “so I told my mom, ‘I don’t do camp,’ but she made me go anyway.”  This was before the first Middle School Conference he attended, and his mom promised she would bring him home after two days if he still wanted to leave, but he more than made it through. He discovered what would make Massanetta a part of his entire life.

“It was the feeling of belonging that made me stay,” Kemper remembered. “What really drew me in was the connection between participants and leaders.” He found that people from all over the area came to this one place and that even though they’d only be there for three days, people immediately connected and became friends.

When his time as a Middle School Conference participant concluded as he was headed to high school, he found another connection.  Kemper was asked to be the Activities Team (A-Team) Assistant while Kelly Kaufman was the Recreation Leader.  “She was so instrumental in giving me a chance,” he said, “here I was this young kid who hadn’t led anything before, and she allowed me to help and hang out.”  From there, Kemper became an Enabler (now Advocate), which led to even more opportunities to develop Christian leadership skills at other conferences. It was the relationships Kemper made with people like Kelly that helped him form a deep connection to the Massanetta community and what keeps him returning “home” year after year.

“It wasn’t until my first year helping at Bible and Church Music Conference, that it really hit me how long and deep Massanetta connections could be,” related Kemper. “I had been around doing all the youth stuff for years, and thought I was a ‘Massanetta expert.’ Then I saw these people that had connections and friendships that had been going on longer than I had been alive. I was both humbled by that experience, and realized this is something I can be connected to for life.”

That reluctant sixth grade camper never could have imagined the journey that first Middle School Conference took him on.  He would eventually meet his wife, Mandy, at Massanetta and be wed in Hudson Auditorium.  And now they’ve had the pleasure of introducing a new generation of Gibsons to Massanetta Springs as they have brought their daughter to Bible and Church Music Conference.

It’s the generosity of the Massanetta community that makes the development of Christian leaders and life-long connections possible.  Thank you.