Camp News


Hallelujah! Glory to the Lord! At the climax of the program, and taking the cue from the Camp Pastor, the congregation made a gigantic heart formation at the chapel. Photographers scrambled to capture the moment. We were overwhelmed. I climbed up the stairs to the audio visual control room at the mezzanine to try a few bird’s eye shots. My imagination went wild. I thought I saw tiny hearts floating and dancing in the air to the rhythms of the praise songs. As we reflected upon the sermons delivered by the ministers and the messages shared by the speakers, we could feel love in the air. It was Valentine’s Day in September! Our spiritual leaders and camp committee members have invested tremendous amount of energy to make this happen and it paid off handsomely. Needless to say, it was very well planned. If you were one of the many happy campers at Silver Spur Christian Conference Center over the Labor Day weekend, you have not only witnessed history in the making; you were also part of the history. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back! UBCF has carried “the torch of family camp” for twenty seven years. This year the Lord has granted us a new chapter. It was the very first time we had a combined family camp with the following churches and fellowships members’ wholehearted participation.

First Burmese Baptist Church, San Francisco

Burmese Christian Community Church of Silicon Valley, San Jose

Emmanuel Myanmar Church, San Francisco

Myanmar Christian Fellowship, Fremont

East Bay Myanmar Christian Fellowship, Concord

Burmese Christian Family Fellowship, Bay Area

United Burmese Christian Fellowship

We received spiritual guidance at the morning devotions and evening camp fire. The sharing and the testimonies given by individuals were emotional and powerful. It was quite a revival. The musicians were consistently upbeat. The lead singers were wonderful. The theme song was very well composed. The impromptu contestants out-performed Lauren Caitlin Upton, the reigning Miss South Carolina Teen USA, who was asked during the national competition why so many people can't find the USA on a map. Not to pick on her but she gave a flubbed response. American Idols take note; stars were born at the camp talent show. There was a good turnout for morning stretches and hiking. To say everyone had fun at outdoor games would be an understatement. We had creative board game and indoor activity in place for those who chose to stay in the shade. The Audio/Visual team took their responsibility seriously. The food committee complemented lunches and dinners with side dishes that literally spiced up our meals. Volunteers were always on hand to clean up the tables, etc. after each meal. We thank our brother and sister who laid out and printed the attractive program booklet. We owed it to the talented artist who designed the artwork for camp T-shirt and to our friends in Los Angeles who saw that the shirts be printed and delivered on time. The T-shirt designer even went as far to describe the meaning of his work. And he wrote a poetry that inspired the inclusion of ‘Burmese Rap’ in the team competition. We had a few laughs and a few cries watching the teams’ drama. And then, it was time for evening news. I for one laughed uncontrollably at the anchors’ outstanding performance. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Why don’t I let the pictures tell the rest of the story? If you’d like to relive the memory and are interested in viewing camp photos, please point your browser to http://www.digitalphotogeek.com/BCFC.html. If you have shots that you’d like to share please forward to me and I will include them in the album for everyone to cherish. I will credit you for your contribution.