CAMPFIRE WORSHIP SERVICE
Amanda Cook, Tina Squire, Ken Fuller

A Gift from the Past ~

We recently received a letter from Anita Shoemaker who, with her husband, was on Ring Lake staff in 1973. In going through memorabilia, Anita found letters and poetry she had written during that summer. In her letter she speaks of their “love for a special, special place called Ring Lake Ranch.” Her poem is a tribute to Maggie Kahin.

MAGGIE
Woman:
Dark hair streaked with silver,
Mingled accents gleaned from
Places and experiences unbounded.
Mother:
Lovably round with years
Of concern for two bright children
Of the New Age, the New World.
Minister:
Stern mouth framing
Wise words. Sparkling eyes
Searching the hearts of all she meets.
Rancher:
A tanned and weathered face.
Strong hands from days of toil,
Days of sweat and sorrow.
Poet:
Of words, on paper
Of motion, on horseback
Of ideals by which to live.
Mixture:
Of all this and more
Someone to know, love
Cherish and remember.
A Person...for all ways and all times.

~ Anita Shoemaker, 1973

DANGEROUS GROUND IN A HOLY PLACE

Ken Fuller

Ring Lake Ranch is a dangerous place. Rattlesnakes, mud slides, horses, ticks, rolling rocks underfoot or dangerous lake currents aside, the Ranch is itself dangerous in its holiness. Thirteen years ago, I believed in a holy people, a holy book, and holidays, but I did not believe in holy places. Since then the Muir Woods, the Washington National Cathedral and Ring Lake Ranch have convinced me that there are holy places and that such places are dangerous.

A holy place is where God's touch is readily available. No. It is a place where God may touch us at any moment with great moment. Here the wilderness, the closeness of the skies, the storm's surprise, the massed mountains and the recklessness of water draw us away from our false securities to adventure. Here the simple task of dishwashing calls us to servant leadership. Here a group gathered for five or twelve days finds itself vulnerable, free and transformed. Seminar and Square Dance and soft walks by starlight are occasions of grace.

Here the There can be seen in holy light. The habits and habitudes that shield us are left behind. Beware of God's touch. Here the wilderness of one's heart may be exposed. Now the desert of one's soul is laid bare. We may pray in the morning. We may ask for God's blessings at mealtime. But be assured God does not wait for our invitation here.

Beware of God's touch. You may be killed and return to the world like Maggie's dead trees to be a home for singing birds. This is dangerous ground and holy.

 

A Ring Lake Reflection

"If a mountain was sacred, it was not because of its impressive height.., but because Yahweh consented to be met there."

Beldon Lane in The Solace of Fierce Landscapes, pp 45-6

How many times in the Scriptures does God draw people into encounters on mountains! Lane says that "Each visible (and ordinary) mountain nonetheless remains a door to the invisible." Perhaps we're not always conscious of the gifts our mountain trips have brought us--but even looking upon or remembering the Arrows and Circles and Middle Mountains in our experience can bring us in touch with the God who waits to be met there and everywhere.