On October 19th - 23rd, 2022, the DEAF (Deaf Evangelistic Adventist Fellowship) church from Silver Spring, MD, hosted the DEAR camp meeting at the Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, MD. The location provided a beautiful view of autumn leaves during the meeting. The theme for the meeting. The theme for the meeting was "Preparing for Jesus: The Adventist Lifestyle," and Ralph Blanks was the main speaker.
Ralph's presentation focused on helping attendees analyze and reflect deeply on what it means to have atonement in order to prepare for Jesus' Second Coming rather than solely focusing on practices in the SDA church. Additionally, Kevin and Amanda Colgan gave a two-part presentation on country living, discussing the benefits of living in the countryside. They mentioned how during the pandemic, many people left behind their city homes for the county because of the lower cost of living and the better environment and health for families.
On Friday evening, DEAR and DYAC had the Lord's Supper, led by Elder David Trexler. The service was sincerely meaningful as attendees washed their feet, broke bread, and drank grape juice to remember Jesus' sacrifice.
The baptisms of three ladies, Susan Buzzell, Rhonda Shulfer, and Raynell Vick, were witnessed on Sabbath afternoon, bringing the attendees closer to God. The DEAR Camp Meeting ended with a heartfelt prayer for God to bless them richly.
Looking ahead, the next year's DEAR Camp Meeting is scheduled to take place at the Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, MD, from Wednesday, October 25th to Sunday, October 29th, 2023. Everyone is encouraged to mark their calendars and plan to attend this uplifting and inspiring event.