by Savannah Brouwer
The weekend of September 19-21, 20 adults and 24 children from the Southeast gathered at Smoky Mountain Christian Camp to rest in the presence of God and learn from one another’s company.
Participants arrived on Friday, settled into cabins or set up tents, and then gathered for a meal to commence the time together. While the children climbed on the playground, the adults sat in a circle and introduced themselves, their interest in intentional community, and their hopes for the weekend.
After getting covered in campfire smoke and elbow deep into s’mores, the kiddos were tucked into bed. The adults continued around the dying campfires talking about theology, community, and just getting to know one another.
Saturday began with breakfast together and playtime outside for the kids. Then Alden Bass led a discussion about Christian Intentional Community in an anti-social century. After Alden introduced the topic, the group talked through different dimensions of community, such as: how does architecture enable or inhibit community, how do we balance alone time and togetherness, how do we invite people into community who feel afraid of connection, and how do we love deeply when we know some relationships may be temporary.
As the discussion came to a close, kids changed into their swimsuits and lined up to enjoy of the lake in the middle of the camp grounds. Some kayaked, some swam, and some spent hours trying to perfect jumping off the rope swing. The adults chaperoned, cheered from afar, or took a quiet moment to sit in a hammock. After dry clothes were acquired, everyone lined up for lunch and spent time around tables reflecting on what they had gained from the time together so far.
The rest of Saturday was spent learning from a time-tested intentional Christian community: the Bruderhof. The Hiwassee Bruderhof was a mere 40-minute drive from the campsite, and they graciously agreed to host the participants of the Southeast gathering. Each participating family was paired with a family from the Bruderhof who showed them around and answered questions about the way they pursue intentional Christian community. After looking around the Hiwassee campus, the whole community gathered for dinner and singing around a bonfire.
On Sunday, we ate breakfast together before a time of communal worship. This was a precious time of settling before tents needed to be broken down and cabins emptied. The gathering ended with a final meal together, choruses of “see you later” and “can’t wait to do this again!”
All around, the first-ever Southeast Regional NCN Gathering was a lovely success. Reflecting on the weekend, people loved the intimate size of the gathering, the conversations with friends new and old, and were left looking forward to when we can gather again.
Savannah Brouwer is a student at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the second NCN regional gathering she attended this year.