ANDERSON — For young Justin Sembach, visiting with his extended family at the Church of God North American Convention campsite at Anderson University gave him a chance to do what little boys do best.
His favorite parts of camping?
“Seeing new things and exploring and spying on the girls,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Sembach and his family, including four generations of kin, spent Saturday sitting outside their recreational vehicle at the campsite, visiting while they waited for the convention’s evening service to start.
Some members of the family, including Lloyd and Jo Ann Adcock, had been visiting the campsite for more than 50 years, ever since they were married.
“We meet a lot of people,” Jo Ann Adcock said. “We see people we don’t see too often. There’s always a lot of good services.”
About 90 groups of campers have trickled onto the AU campus since Thursday, said check-in attendant David Ragsdale, most of them in RVs and a few in tents. Many of the campers will stay until Thursday morning, spending their days attending prayer groups, services and instructional sessions put on by the Church of God, headquartered in Anderson.
The Adcocks’ daughter Carla Day, who has been coming to the convention for most of her 37 years, remembered a time when campers stretched out across several fields on campus. This year, they fill one campsite.
“It looks like there’s more, but I think there’s probably less,” she said. “I remember growing up there were no empty spots.”
Day remembered when there was a waiting list to get into the campsite and a line to get into evening services.
“We used to sit outside and listen to the services,” family member Jami Burke said.
The family came from the Indiana towns of Portland, Arcadia and Fishers, a tradition started by Lloyd Adcock’s father, who graduated from Anderson College in 1928 and lived to be 105.
“We went here as long as I can remember,” Day said.
Tim and Marsha Siefer have been coming to the campsite for about 20 years, most recently from Iowa, and spent Saturday visiting with family members from Fort Wayne at the campsite, enjoying the shade provided by their two RVs while the family’s children played near a baby pool.
“We love the fellowship and the fresh air,” Marsha Siefer said. “It’s a great event for us.”
Tim Siefer, an Anderson High School graduate, remembers visiting his grandmother on Fifth Street near the AU campus and watching workers build the auditorium where some of the convention’s sessions are held.
The couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Carrie Siefer, plan to make the convention a tradition for their young family as well, including daughters Brenna, 3; Taylor, 19 months; and Alyssa, 3 months.
The Siefers attend the convention’s evening services and visit places like Christian music artists Bill and Gloria Gaither’s studios in Alexandria.
“We just enjoy the fellowship out here,” Marsha Siefer said.
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June 27, 2009
Campers flock to Church of God convention
AU campgrounds provide base for attendees
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Photo gallery: AU vs Mount Saint Joseph Baseball
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