We are unpacked from Submerge. I have loved going to Panama City Beach, FL in the past, but I have to admit I loved getting home before dark last night too. After unpacking at the church, returning the moving van, and getting supper, I got to unwind at home with one hand on Amanda’s belly feeling Obadiah kick and the other hand rubbing aloe vera on OG.
Ah, the dream life.
Submerge was great. God did a lot among us in those days. I have too much to process. And I have too many ideas about Submerge 09 that we talked about on the way home on Friday. But I thought I would give you a few more highlights from the week:
- The radiology convention met above us the last two days. Since we were in an abandoned shuffleboard court with walls that didn’t completely touch the ground, we began to inhale a lot of second hand smoke from the radiologists. Will Hubbard came up to me and said, “Does anyone find that weird that the radiologists are smoking? That’s sort of ironic, isn’t it?” Yes, Will. It is very ironic.
- The Polar Bear Club was reinstated this year. Many fellas jumped in the ocean a few times. It was freezing but adding the wind made it especially cold. Welcome back, polar bears.
One day, after Phillip talked about the need for mentoring and keeping one another accountable, I had a Submerger approach me and say, “Hey T, can you help me with that accounting stuff?” Why, yes I can.- Rachel Haddon (one of our high school workstudies) made a fantastic end of the week video with the aid of Dave Wright. I will post it later this week and we will show it at North Side in the morning. Way to go, Rachel!
- Strong Bad segments were sort of a hit with people with weird humor like me.
- Trunk Monkey commercials were a bigger hit.
- Deacon Fred is always a hit. But should a new character come next year…
- I really liked the talent show. Because there was some serious talent, and it gave Preston, Cory, and myself to be ridiculous with microphones.
- We probably will do more organized rec next year, but not too much. I like being flexible. I don’t want Spring Break camp turn into something you are exhausted by the time you get home. I like a lot of freetime, but I think we could do some more rec stuff now that we know the place. I just don’t like having tons of tournaments at camp. Something bad always happens when Christians get competitive. But I think if it would have been warmer, we wouldn’t have needed more to do.
I love leading worship at the camp, but I am wondering if next year would it be better to get a professional band to come and lead. I really do love it, but I wonder could the other elements of camp improve if I didn’t have to worry about soundcheck every morning and night? Could I spend more quality time with students? And there are plenty of groups who do this all the time. David Crowder Band is probably too expensive, but I wonder who we could get? Any suggestions?- We are going to put the extra hoodies and CDs from Submerge in the North Side bookstore. So if you didn’t get a chance to get yours, make sure to pick it up at the store sometime next week.
- We already are penciled in for a better room next year. The plan is as of right now, to go back to Springmaid due to location, price, and just better all around facilities. Oh, and did I mention, we were able to trim about $80 from last year?! That’s unheard of!
Make sure to go to submergecamp.com for plenty of photos from this year and to hear updates on next year.- Join our Submerge Facebook group page.
- Regardless of what we do bandwise next year, I must say that the guys that played were fantastic. Woody, Micah, Cory, and Jamie are worship leaders! They are fantastic players who are flexible but have worship as their heart and not merely a good sound. They were a pleasure. In the words of Jamie, “Imagine how we could sound if we actually would have time to have practiced?”
- And if I think of anything else, I will post away. If you came to Submerge, I would love to hear your comments below!
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
