September 6th

Presbyterian Music Camp, or PMC for short, is a wonderful place filled with laughter, friendship and, of course, music. The talent level is, on average, pretty high, but nobody cares if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Worship is creative and meaningful, but nobody cares that short pants and T-shirts are the order of the day. The workshops are interesting and cover a wide variety of musical interests, but nobody cares if you choose just to hang around to read or catch up on your napping.
The only thing people really care about, (other than not eating with your elbows on the table) is one another. Sure, we all have an interest in music as our central theme, but our interest in one another’s well-being is at least equally important. In fact, during our closing worship, which invites folks to share their experience over the week at music camp, what is spoken of most often is not the music, but the love and support PMC offers.
It is truly a remarkable environment. A diverse crowd of people of all ages, musical abilities, family backgrounds and employment come together to form a loose but cohesive group. We bond together so that no one is missed or overlooked at our gatherings. We take care of each other so that no one is ever left feeling lost or alone. We encourage each other so that the novice and the expert can build each other up, all of these things making for a week that many see as the highlight of their year.
This amazing event is possible for one reason, and on reason alone: Jesus Christ. As a Presbyterian event it is centered not on music alone, but on making music for God. It is, however, not just meant for Presbyterians; it is a Christian camp, welcoming anyone of faith with an interest in music, and it is this very Christianity that makes the week the wonderful, remarkable experience that it is.
Coming away from camp and getting back into my normal routine, I can’t help but think about what it would be like if that PMC experience could somehow be a more permanent event. Yet with Christianity as only a background note in the lives of most folks, the sharing and caring of the past week is not that easy to achieve, because it’s simply not the order of the day.
Some folks, in fact, are wont to say that there is no God, let alone anyone like Jesus Christ. They even argue that there is no need for a god, since logic and reason will offer us all the guidance that we need. Logic and reason, however, would seem to dictate otherwise. When in a purely Christian environment, a bunch of very different people came together to form a place of joy, comfort and mutual support. That was Presbyterian Music Camp. When outside of that Christian environment I find myself in a dog-eat-dog world ruled by cash and self-interest. It seems to me that logic and reason alone just don’t cut it. We humans need God in our lives if we are to be truly happy and fulfilled. Of course, a little bit of music doesn’t hurt either. At least that’s the way I see it.