A Massanetta Story (Rev. Reed Hopkins)
A MASSANETTA STORY
Reed Hopkins, pastor, Churchville, Virginia
As we enter a season of gratitude, expectation, and reflection, we are glad ato share a few stories that highlight the kind of lifelong impact Massanetta Springs has. We hope you enjoy Reed’s story. We also invite you to prayerfully consider making a gift to ensure Massanetta Springs continues to make lifelong impacts.
Rev. Reed Hopkins at the Massanetta pool during the summer of 1968 during the Bible Conference.
My two older sisters were avid Massanetta campers, who later became summer staff members. How excited I was when, at the age of 10, I was finally old enough to be a camper. My first counselor was the legendary “Uncle Ed” Conner. He and our other counselors were a zany and fun bunch. They were also people of faith who cared about our faith development. The fun was great, but the daily Bible studies and evening vespers had the bigger impact on me. Near the end of my last week at camp, as I sat alone at the vesper site overlooking the lake, I thought, “God is here. I have been in God’s presence here. And I will be back, God willing.”
God was willing. During the summer of 1976 – 1979, I served on the resident summer staff. When I was hired as a dishwasher, I had no idea what was in store for me. Washing dishes was my excuse for being there. What really counted were the nightly prayer meetings with other staff members, the love and acceptance I received from them, and the ways I saw Christian love lived out day by day. During that first summer, my spiritual life took a dramatic turn upward. It was then that I came to realize more deeply what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I realized that I needed to commit myself more fully to learning and living His teachings.
For two summers, I monitored the sound system in Hudson Auditorium, and I heard it all. What an opportunity, as a college student, to sit on the stage (behind the side curtain) and listen to such speakers as Carlyle Marney, Erik Routley, George Docherty, Lois Stair (probably the first woman I ever heard preach), John Macquarrie, Wallace Chapell, and countless others; my faith grew intellectually as well as emotionally. It was through my Massanetta life that I became a more committed Christian and a stronger church member. I have no doubt that it was that experience that began my path toward full-time ministry.
Those days as a young staffer were great. But my Massanetta memories don’t stop there. New memories are being made all the time as I continue involvement in Massanetta. As an adult, I have regularly attended Bible Conference, and I have served Massanetta as a camp worship leader, a chaperone for youth, a board member, and on various committees. I have been deeply moved as I have stood with campers in a prayer circle and listened to young children praying from the depths of their hearts. I have heard youth in my congregation say, “I want to fail eighth grade so I can keep going to Massanetta Middle School Conference.”
Rev. Reed Hopkins years later at the same Bible Conference having fun helping new campers enjoy Massanetta Springs.
Perhaps no story tells it better than a young girl whom I taught in the 4 th -5 th grade class at Bible Conference. She was a shy child, and her grandmother told me she would probably cry all week, and that she didn’t make friends easily. I was looking out for that, but what I saw was a big smile on her face all week. The tears came on the last day, and her grandmother told me, “She doesn’t want to leave. She’s made so many friends here, and all the children were so nice to her.” This lonely child felt affirmed and loved. That is at the heart of what Massanetta is. That is an example of why I support Massanetta with money, prayers, and time. God bless Massanetta and its ministry.