The never-setting sun offers Alaskan residents the opportunity to enjoy nearly nonstop camp meetings. Starting June 20–22, church members from the interior towns of Alaska converge annually on Harding Lake about 50 miles southeast of Fairbanks for the first camp meeting. Hal Thompson, North American Division vice president, was the featured speaker for the weekend event.
Just three weeks later, the camp grounds at Palmer were the site for the annual south-central Alaska camp meeting with more than 1,000 attendees on Sabbath. Featured speakers included Jose Rojas, Marvin Moore and Melvin Adams. "I wanted to thank you and all your staff for such a wonderful camp meeting," one member wrote. "The whole camp meeting was such a blessing to us."
A special plea to raise money for the next stage in completing the Togiak parsonage resulted in donations and pledges of $15,000 during Sabbath School.
The third camp meeting was Aug. 1–3 at Camp Lorraine on Vank Island near Wrangell, Alaska. All attendees must take the nine-mile boat ride from either Wrangell or the end of the island on which Petersburg is located. The recently donated boat, Horizon Light, provided much of the transportation. Thanks to a volunteer group of nearly 30 from North Carolina and donated money and materials, a new bath house was constructed in just 10 days. Attendees scrambled to set up toilets and sinks in time for the Friday night meeting.
The new bath house at Camp Lorraine was completed just in time for Southeast Alaska's camp meeting Aug. 1–3.
Elder Jose Rojas challenges south-central Alaska camp meeting attendees to do more than just come to camp meeting to be inspired; he challenges each to so something to Share the Light. The annual event held July 15–19 drew more than 1,000 people on Sabbath.
