Remembering the 2024 Miracle Tent Revival on the Mountain
Hosting the Laurel Mountain Ministries annual Pennsylvania Miracle Tent Revival on the Mountain is hard work. It more than renting a tent and watching six big men muscle it to the sky. It’s not simply turning on a few microphones and joining with a band in worship. The billboards, radio spots, website, and emails are not one of the revival miracles. (O.K. Getting each step completed on time and paid for is miraculous.)
The reality is that the Laurel Mountain Ministry Board of Directors, the three ministries involved, and dozens of volunteers who labor before, during, and after the revival spend hundreds of hours preparing, ministering, and cleaning up the Mountain. Most of those hours go unseen by the crowds who attend. More telling than the hours expended is that all the hours are unpaid. The time given is to serve people who are hurting, to build God’s Kingdom, and to bless all who visit the Mountain
Preparing for the Revival
Preparation for the 2024 tent revival began in August of 2023. The tent was reserved. A significant deposit paid to guarantee the dates. The participating ministries committed. Meetings held where a budget was established and approved. And then the Laurel Mountain Ministries board members were each assigned long lists of tasks. Those tasks needed to be completed while ministries other than the tent revival still moved forward.
Planning and implementation meeting were numerous with each meeting very different. Walk in late to one meeting and you would find the three ministry leaders laying hands on each other and praying for one another. Sit in on another meeting and you might be overtaken with contagious laughter. At yet another, a knife and fork might be handed to you and a sumptuous spread would be waiting for your dinner. The tent revival team knows how to hold meetings.
The Baptismal Pool
The baptismal pool was a constant topic of conversation. During the tent revival people are baptized daily. The water is pumped from the campus’ main well directly into the baptismal pool and it’s cold. In July and August the days and evening are hot enough to warm the water in a couple of days. During the tent revival in June, the water temperature may never get truly comfortable. Last year we used electric tub water warmers to raise the temperature of the water. It worked, a bit. This year after much experimentation we found a solar system that worked so well that some days the water temperature was up to 80 degrees.
Another much discussed subject related to the baptismal pool was how to keep it clean. The pool is filled in late May and remain full until mid July. Keeping it clean is a major undertaking. This year, we installed a small swimming pool filtering system. It worked well. Rather than spending a few hour per day keeping the water clean, prep time was reduced to less than a half hour. The tubes affected the immediate aesthetic, but they can be quickly removed when needed.
Rain
When it rains, it pours.
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