Adults chatting, kids playing, the occasional need to intervene over a skinned knee or a disagreement.   It was like the Shule playground got transported to the woods of New Hampshire.

This was my experience a couple of weeks ago when 30 or so BWC folks of all ages gathered for a weekend of community and nature at the World Fellowship Center (WFC) in Albany, New Hampshire.   Some of us have been going for years while it was others’ first time.  My kids (Hannah, 7 and Jesse, 3) love our annual trip to World Fellowship and look forward to things like Children’s Fellowship, a most excellent rope swing, and the bunk beds in our cabin.  In addition to the crew from BWC, we also run into people we know from other parts of our life – it’s a very small-worldy, Lefty sort of place.

On Saturday, many of us congregated down at the pond.  After a quarter mile walk from Lloyd Lodge, past the campground and through the (very buggy) woods, you arrive at Whitton pond.  Surrounded by undeveloped shoreline, Whitton Pond is a precious place. At the WFC boat launch, you can see two floating docks, which make for good swimming destinations. A group of us gathered goggles and swim noodles and swam to the docks where we lounged and played games for almost an hour as other folks paddled by in kayaks and canoes.  Venture out past the docks towards “Blueberry Island” and you can see the mountains.    Venture further around the bend, towards the boulders and you can see Mt. Chocorua with its exposed granite peak. For many of us, the pond is one of the main reasons to visit WFC.  The pond and the people – that’s what I rank as highlights on my eval form every year!  Saturday afternoon, we gathered on the lawn for the traditional BWC Happy Hour, and that night we danced with Bloco Motanha Verde, a samba street band from Burlington Vermont.

Sunday was really rainy because that’s the pattern we’re in this summer, but that didn’t stop a group of kids from playing in the mud with baby goats.  Goats are great climbers and apparently they love to climb on people!  Most folks hit the road after lunch. 

Note: I came late, but I heard that Friday night was also lots of fun. Fridays at World Fellowship are “Fun Night” where guests can showcase their talents.  Max and Ira played piano, a Besere Velt sang some songs, and Sarah (a WFC staffer) twirled fire.

The BWC weekend at World Fellowship gives us the chance to connect with each other in the fresh air with more spaciousness than we get during the other seasons of the year. Consider joining us next summer!