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Cleveland Bible Camp
In 1947 a young minister, the
Reverend Oren Graff, moved to the Cleveland, Stuart, and Atkinson area
to serve the three Presbyterian Churches. This involved a large
area and seemed to be enough for one man to do. The Cleveland
Church is located 14 miles north of Stuart and the Atkinson Church was
located 9 miles east of Stuart. He served his three congregations
through the war years with all his strength and intelligence that God
had given him, but he still felt a yearning to do something more for the
young people who were so sparse in his congregation. He saw many
of them go to the army camps with fear and uncertainty and he longed to
assure all of them of God's love so they could be unafraid and calm.
But how could he tell them if they did not come to the churches to
preach? As he pondered and
prayed, his Lord showed him a new way to reach young people with his
Bible teaching. He was with his family on a picnic. The site
for their picnic was on the banks of Beaver Creek, right about where the
camp is now. He had climbed the hill to the east of the camp and
as he stood on the crest of the ridge and looked toward the creek, he
saw it curve into a half-moon around a lovely little playground of a
meadow. Just a few feet from where he stood a spring bubbled out
of the hill and trickled its way to the larger stream below.
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For more memories visit the Camp Gallery
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For more memories; the Camp Song
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Suddenly Rev. Graff became excited,
in his mind's eye he saw boys and girls playing and laughing together in
that lovely half-moon meadow, or splashing joyously in the stream so
cool and clear. Then he envisioned them coming from their play to
group themselves around a teacher, himself, and he could teach them the
lessons of God's love. He saw them walking quietly with their
bibles which were marked at the lesson just told and finding a place to
sit quietly where they could meditate and pray.
He talked over his plan with his wife and a few of
the elders, and then called the sessions of his churches together and
told them of his plan. Of course the first thing that came to
their minds was where will we ever get the money. His God given
answer was "It will be a work of faith".
The Charles Mulford Family owned the land where the
camp is located and after the first few years of the camp, the Mulfords
deeded the ten acres to the camp. The camp site is locate one and
one-half miles west of the Cleveland Church.
The first camping season
was held in 1949. There were no buildings at the site the first
few years, so the girls slept in the Cleveland Church sanctuary on
donated or loaned cots and mattresses. The boys slept in an old
house on the Mulford farmstead on ticks filled with new mown hay.
The kids gathered in the church basement for early morning worship and
breakfast, then hiked to the camping area for lessons on God's creation
and the Bible. If the weather was damp and cold the kids hiked
back to the church for their meals, otherwise it was prepared and served
at the campsite. They spent most of the afternoon in play.
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