| New lodge consecrated at Camp Manidokan BY LINDA WORTHINGTON UMCONNECTION STAFF  Serenity Lodge, the first new building in more than a decade at a United Methodist campground in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, was consecrated Oct. 13 at Manidokan Outdoor Ministry Center near Knoxville. The lodge received its name from Dick Kaetzel, the camps maintenance director and general contractor  for the construction. The Rev. Bill Herche, camp director, presented a plaque to Kaetzel in recognition of his work. It hangs inside the buildings main room, along with a similar plaque that honors the dozens of volunteers who chalked up hundreds of hours working on the site. On this special day, our Master Plan becomes a reality, Herche said at the late afternoon consecration service, which drew 90 people. He was referring to the Camping Master Plan, which was accepted at annual conference in 2000 and includes a $1.3 million line item to renovate and expand Baltimore-Washington Conference camping facilities at Camp Harmison and West River United Methodist Center, as well as at Manidokan. We are fulfilling the Masters Plan, said Bishop Felton Edwin May. The camping program provides a foundation for the future of the church, the bishop added, citing the church camping experience as a laboratory for building relationships among people as they test what it means to be a people of God. Bishop May spoke of his camping experience as a young pastor in the Northern Illinois Conference to an audience that included a mini-bus load of children and adults from Elderslie-St. Andrews UMC in Baltimore. It was the most life-changing experience Ive had, he said. If I had my way, he added, I would declare that every child to be confirmed would spend a week at camp. If were to have a strong annual conference, its absolutely necessary for our 210,000 United Methodists to be possessed of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Camps are the best vehicle for that. Construction of Serenity Lodge, which opened last April, began in May 2001. The cost to complete the project was $382,000, Herche said. The facility has eight bedrooms, each with three to five beds and its own bathroom. Two of the rooms are handicapped accessible. According ot the 2002 Journal, in 2001, 3,792 persons used the camps facilities, which includes tents and cabins. Not far from the new building is another lodge under construction. Also part of the Master Plan, it is expected to be completed sometime in 2003. All buildings on the campground can be used year-round and currently include sleeping space for 116 people. The new building will allow the camp to feed more than 100 people, Herche said. More than 20 local United Methodist churches have provided volunteers or financial contributions to aid in the construction of Serenity Lodge. According to Herche, More help is needed, through volunteer labor and financial contributions. Some ways others have helped include: - Timothy Jarman from First UMC in Brunswick, and Ross Linthicum from Christ-Ballenger Creek UMC earned their Eagle Scout awards from projects they completed. Jarman built volley ball courts over the septic tanks and Linthicum made the steps connecting the parking lot to the trail.
- Emmanuel UMC in Beltsville furnished one of the handicapped accessible rooms.
- Posters on the wall of Serenity Lodge remind churches to contribute deck furniture, trees and shrubs to green the space dug up by the construction process.
For more information contact Herche at (301) 834-7244 or
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