What I Enjoy About Doing Workshops for Mountain Top: Grundy Co. Art Teacher, Jana Barrett

I am always happy to do workshops for Mountain Top. It allows me to participate in one of the most important ministries in our area and spend time with children I teach art to during the school year. I enjoy having them come to my studio in the mornings. I then go onsite in the afternoon. It is a very fulfilling time. I also have a special affinity for Mountain Top. In 2009, volunteers from all over the United States worked in the winter weather to get my uncompleted studio dried in and donated tons of art supplies to my school program, which was a God send considering a very meager art budget. By opening the studio I have also been able to offer extended art lessons to my students who really love art. Because of their generous gift of time and materials, I have been able to teach art to homeschool groups, hold greatly reduced art workshops by professional artists and have a place where artists and learners can come together. While I am not a 501 c3 (yet), I have been able to serve people who would not be able to go out of town for quality art experiences. Mountain Top is has been a blessing to all of us in Grundy County and I am honored to be part of their program.

Ohhhhh we're halfway there!

Over the past few weeks we have had 175 come through camp between 11 different college and high school groups. In that time we have seen unbelievable progress on projects in and out of camp.  Here are some pictures of what has been going on in the past 3 weeks!

2014 Summer Staff

2014 Youth Summer Ministry Summer Staff List

DIRECTORS

Kristin Griswold - DeKalb, IL

Shellee Merryman - South Lyon, MI

Stacy Purcell - Terrace Park, OH

Melissa Weidel - Port Matilda, PA

FIELD MANAGERS

Blake Austin - Smyrna, TN

Jacob Frensley - Gallatin, TN

Ben Nichols - Saline, MI

Charlie Smith - Thibodaux, LA

PROGRAM MANAGERS

Robyn Alderson - Schaumburg, IL

Emma Couch - Dayton, OH

Tyler Pearson - Mt. Zion, IL

Mylie Winger - Winchester, IN

DAY CAMP MANAGER

Monica Welcker - Dublin, OH

DAY CAMP MINISTRY COORDINATORS

Amanda Hyssong - Franklin, TN

Erika Roberts - Dublin, OH

SERVICE PROJECT MINISTRY COORDINATORS

Daniel August - Lewisburg, TN

Samuel Batson - Lilburn, GA

Kimberly Bowman - Plain City, OH

Norma Calicott - Wilmore, KY

Hank Cohen - Lawrenceville, GA

Tim Cook - Whippany, NJ

Andrea Decker - Dublin, OH

Mallory Dorton - Livonia, MI

Dan Eby - Saline, MI

Chris Guerrant - Dunwoody, GA

Abby Jenks - Ann Arbor, MI

Cody Jorstad - Snellville, GA

Alex Lister - Loganville, GA

Chad Pasinger - Whites Creek, TN

Austin Salinas - Snellville, GA

Jon Saxton - Terrace Park, OH

Caitlin Stephenson - Atwater, OH

Lauren Taylor - Snellville, GA

Allison Waters-Kutsch - Dubuque, IA

2014 ADULTS IN MINISTRY SUMMER STAFF

DIRECTOR

Brooke Freeman - Snellville, GA

MHR FIELD MANAGER

Ben Aastuen - Northfield, MN

PROGRAM MANAGER

 Rachael Osborn - Winchester, IN

SUMMER PLUS, KALEIDOSCOPE, QUEST MANAGER

Alli Heisner - Cedar Park, TX

SUMMER PLUS, KALEIDOSCOPE, QUEST ASSISTANT MANAGER

 Andy Wegg - Winchester, IN

Just Go - A Reflection by Curtis Clarke on his MTOP experience

“You just have to go and experience it for yourself” Those were the words my pastor told me about Mountain T.O.P. Similar advice was reinforced by other members of my church who had spent a week on the mountain; “I can’t explain it to you, just go”.

It was 2008 and my wife and I had been working with the youth at our church since the previous fall. I had been on a mission trip in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina a few years earlier and was excited about “getting blisters for Jesus” again. We had done all the fundraising and training needed for the trip and as I said goodbye to my family and friends for a week, I had no idea what I was doing or how my life would be forever changed by my time on the mountain.

During the course of the week, I soon discovered that time on the mountain is more than just a mission trip; it’s more than just swinging a hammer or running a saw. It’s an immersion in a culture and it’s the building of a community. My first week at Mountain T.O.P. taught me that each and every one of us has a gift and talent that can and needs to be used in the service of others. It restored my hope that there is a generation that is willing to sacrifice and commit to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It also brought about a stirring in my spirit that led me to answer God’s call on my life and go into pastoral ministry full time, and for that I am forever thankful.

The joy I have now as a pastor is being able to introduce others to this ministry and to be able to see the change in them after a week on the mountain, both spiritually and emotionally. I often tell people, “time on the mountain doesn’t change you; it reveals who you really are”. When someone asks me what a week in camp is like, then only thing I can tell them is; “You just have to experience it for yourself”.

In His grip,

Rev. Curtis Clarke

Pastor, Armada UMC & West Berlin UMC

Donate to help MTOP today by clicking here

NYWC

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville.  Along with seeing some regular Mountain T.O.P. attendees, I had the chance to meet some former Summer Staffers from the late 80s/early 90s, some that had gone as youth for 8 or 9 years, and a few that claimed that had been to every site Mountain T.O.P. had ever run a camp out of.  It was cool to hear about all the different experiences from so many different stages in Mountain T.O.P.'s history.  People asked about their favorite cabin, or staffer, or how much they loved the food.

But one person that visited my table had a unique connection to the Mountain T.O.P. family.  As she timidly approached the table she smiled and asked if this was the Mountain T.O.P. in Tennessee that did home repair.  I could feel my eyes bug out as I practically shouted "IT IS!" at her.  She walked up and began to tell me how she knew about Mountain T.O.P.  She told me about her grandmother that lived in South Pittsburg and how we had come many summers to work with her at her house.  She smiled as she talked about how much her grandmother enjoyed the groups that had come to her house.  She then looked at our different programs to see how she could get her youth group involved.

Although this conversation was short it really started my Thanksgiving week off on the right foot.  It reminded me of how big the Mountain T.O.P. family is.  It is not just the people we work with this year.  It is not just the campers that came through our gates in 2013, but it is the 38 years of people working to bring God's Kingdom to Earth. I see the numbers after each program of how many people participated and how many families we worked with and it amazes me.  But to add all the work that was done the 37 years leading up to this one is truly incredible.

This girl that came up to me at the conference has been a part of this family longer than I have, and has seen the beauty of the experiences on the worksites from a perspective I have never experienced. How incredible is it that the experience she had with a group on a worksite years ago affected her, then her experience and story affected me and my view of Mountain T.O.P.  It is an amazing cycle of hope and compassion.  And it is that hope and compassion that I am thankful for.

My experience...

For many of our campers, a week serving alongside the people of our community can be a life-changing experience. Going home after that week of service, community building, and having the opportunity to get to know families, can be a difficult transition.  I know it has always been difficult for me.  My first year as a camper I was 14 years old and painfully awkward.  I went because one of the ladies at my church said that when her son went to Mountain T.O.P. he made a lot of friends, and I was all about that.  I was all about service and making a difference but what I really wanted was to take BFF pictures with a bunch of new friends.  So, I went.

Yep there I am, airbrush shirt and all

My first trip was at Baker Mountain.  Over the course of that week I grew tremendously in my faith, as well as developed a new view of myself.  Not only was I awkward, but I was a child of God.  I realized that I was important in God's eyes.   That week when I used a power saw for the first time, and I saw the end product of our work, I couldn't believe what I was capable of.  Doors seemed to be opening right before my eyes. 

Mrs. Jones, the lady we worked with for our two day project was 95 years old.  She moved slowly in and out of her house.  Her steps were too step for her to walk down and since she lived alone she spent most of her time sitting on the front porch sewing.  We were there to build her a ramp so she could get out of her house.  During those 2 days she sat on the porch and sewed 110 pieces of fabric together to create a pin cushion.  Every so often we would stop and help her rethread her needle and she would continue her work.  At the end of the 2 days we bought it from her and it still sits on top of my bookshelf in my bedroom.   For a long time that blue and red pin cushion has reminded me of the importance of caring for my neighbors.  Mrs. Jones sat out in the 100 degree weather just to be with us. Just to talk to us.  Just to thank us and to love us.  

My 14 year old self was completely overwhelmed by that kind of love and kindness.  From that moment on I just wanted to be at Mountain T.O.P, or talk about Mountain T.O.P, or look at pictures from Mountain T.O.P, because the mountain symbolized restoration in my life, which I think is true for many of our participants.  I wanted to forever give back what I had received that summer. 

When I got home from that trip I sat in my driveway for hours, not wanting to unpack.  I figured if Mrs. Jones was living without air conditioning, I could too (that didn't last long).  How could I be at home and still be involved at Mountain T.O.P?  

I'm sorry to say that this post does not reveal how a person is able to be in two places at once. But through my involvement in Summer Staff and now full-time staff I have learned ways to stay involved throughout the year.  Things that our community can do to help continue these opportunities for restoration.  

You can provide resources to the ministry, so that we are able to provide resources to our community. As Ed said in his letter sent out earlier this year, every dollar given is worth 4x that.  For every dollar given you are contributing to the restoration of homes, families, campers, children, churches, and the community.  You are providing resources that would not be available.  You are showing love and compassion, and providing hope.  You are providing the opportunity for 14 year olds like me to realize that they are capable of amazing things.  

$10 will make a difference.  $25 will make a difference.  $100, $500, $1000, any amount makes a difference for Mountain T.O.P. and our community. It is a way to participate in the various ministries throughout the year even when you are not up here on the Mountain.  

Give a gift at Razoo and your gift will immediately help Mountain T.O.P.

ReFrame Conference

This week the MTOP we had the opportunity to go on a staff field trip to Johnson City, TN for the 3rd Annual ReFrame Conference.  As I'm sure most of you know, all of full-time staff lives in our quiet and trafficless Grundy county, with our L&L Mart and Walker's Video and Grill.  So, as you can probably imagine, we were bouncing around like a bunch of giggling school girls Tuesday as we headed for the big city. Johnson City, population 64, 528(Yes, I am aware most big cities have a couple hundred thousand people). Grundy County population 13, 650.  Where were we going to stay? What were we going to eat? And what was I going to wear if we weren't wearing MTOP polos?

The next day we had sessions the second half of the day.  We learned all about telling MTOP's story and how to use different online tools to spread information to our community.  Although it may not sound like it would be all that exciting,  it was thrilling to see new technology that is available to us and to brainstorm different ways we could use them to share our story, and our mission.  I'm pretty sure I took more notes than I ever did in any of my college classes (don't tell my parents).  It was fun to hear the different things other groups were using and doing, and to think of the possibilities for MTOP. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming at times, hearing all this new information and new tools to use, ways to refine things we are doing, and new ways to approach our community. I tried to just soak it in and  not to forget any of it, which had me writing like my life depended on it.  We could hardly wait to start discussing all the different ideas when we finished up the session, and it was just the first session.

Wednesday, the rest of the groups arrived to join us in the next 7 sessions over the course of two days. These sessions covered a range of topics from technology, to food options, to roundtable discussions, to volunteer management and training.  Each hour there were different options offered so everyone could find something that was related to their job.

Before all of those sessions got started the nearly 100 adults that are used to facilitating community growth, walked around the conference room playing ice breakers, yes ice breakers.  Although I generally get nervous during ice breakers, this time I laughed and shared about embarrassing songs on my itunes account with total strangers that seemed to feel like long time friends instantly.

From there, the rest of the week seemed to fly by.  I truly cherish the time that our staff had to grow and learn together this week.  In Thursday's worship, those in attendance shared about ways we have seen God at work in our Ministries.  Thomas shared about how much of a blessing it has been that our staff has grown so close, so quickly, with so many new people.   All the laughs that were shared every single time we came together as a group was evidence of the that. It truly is a blessing and a gift and I am so glad that we had this opportunity to continue strengthening our team this week.

It is difficult for me to explain how this weekend fed me spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally, but it did.  I felt and saw how God is present throughout the United States, in rural and urban communities.  I met people whose life goals are to bring hope and meet needs to the least of these.  To fellowship with their communities and to grow alongside their communities.  It showed that the call to bring God's Kingdom to Earth is happening everywhere, and people are answering the call.     It was wonderful to talk with others that had been to MTOP or had a similar model to our programs.  Then when I had the opportunity to share about MTOP, it was a reminder of how this ministry has been such a gift in my life.

I am so excited to see what all will come out of this conference in the coming months, and to see the ReFrame Association and Conference to continue to grow and offer opportunities for fellowship in years to come.

To learn more about ReFrame click here!  If you want to get more information about what is going on at Mountain T.O.P. send an email to olivia@mountain-top.org to get on our e-newsletter mailing list.