August 1 – 10 has lots of programming and events! Click here to find out what is happening each day!

The annual meeting of Brandywine Summit Camp Meeting Association, Inc. will be held on Sunday, August 10, 2025 at 1:30 pm following the Ham Dinner in Biddle Memorial Dining Hall.

The agenda will be to receive annual reports, elect new trustees, vote on proposed by-law changes (sent via email on July 10, 2025), and have a time of questions and discussion from corporation members. Elections will be held for 3 new trustees, each for a 3-year term.

The following terms are expiring: Sarah McGovern (3-year term), Mare Maharty (1-year term), Alan McCarrick (3-year term).Voting may be done only by Cottagers present at the meeting who meet the following criteria (per Article IX of our By-Laws):

1) The right and power of voting for the election of Trustees and the transaction of other business of the Association shall be granted only to cottage owners whose current year’s ground rental and/or budget payments to date, assessments and other charges have been paid by August 1 of the present year, as evidenced by the books of the Association.

2) Whenever a cottage is owned jointly, only one of the owners shall have the right and power of voting. Each cottage qualifies for one vote and no cottager may have more than one vote.

3) Proxies shall not be recognized.

4) Nominations for Board members should be received by members of the Nominating

Committee no later than Saturday, August 2, 2025, to allow the nominees time to review the

Board of Trustees Roles and Responsibilities document before accepting the nomination and allowing the Board to prepare a ballot for the Annual Meeting as nominations will not be received from the floor.

Potential nominees need to meet the following qualifications (per Article VI of our By-Laws):

1) No member may be nominated, elected or appointed as Trustee who has not paid their current year’s ground rental or is up to date with an established payment schedule for the current year, assessments and other charges by August 1, or is in any way indebted to the Association.

2) Each Trustee must be a professing Christian and a member in good standing of a recognized Christian Church.

3) No more than four persons from any one local congregation can be elected to the Board of Trustees.

4) Only one owner of a cottage may serve at one time as a Trustee. A husband and wife may not serve as Trustees at the same time.

Nominating Committee Members:

● Mildred Hernandez at presbscm@gmail.com or (267) 973-2714

● George Phillips at retiredman2017@gmail.com or (610) 719-7991

● Marisela Cruz at cruzela410@gmail.com or (215) 828-0630

If you wish to nominate yourself or another person, please contact a member of the nominating committee by Saturday, August 2nd. Please be sure that anyone you nominate has confirmed their willingness to serve before submitting their name.

Written by Pastor Richard Purchase

Our 2025 program for the Camp calls for a single “Coffee
House” on August 2 at 7 p.m. In our past, Coffee Houses could
be defined as Christian mini concerts with food! History,
however reveals something else.
What is a “Coffee House?” For 500 years or so, humankind has
recognized the drinking of coffee as a way of getting to know
other people, explore ideas and share experiences. It all began
in the middle East where coffee was first grown and someone
discovered that the beverage encouraged discussion, exchange
of ideas and viewpoints about important issues in life. Coffee
Houses spread to Europe with one in Venice by 1645.
When “Jesus People” movements grew rapidly in the 60’s and
70’s They were composed of people from many different
backgrounds and cultures needing to get to know and accept
one another as followers of Jesus. The Coffee House model
was quickly adopted as a way of attracting those not
comfortable in the established churches of that day.
150 years prior, it was the Camp Meeting that provided a
different, yet somewhat similar opportunity for those who
needed “time out” from overly formal expressions of Christian
faith (the ones which established Harvard, Yale, Brown, formal
degree granting seminaries and other evidences of upper class
culture.) In the early years camp meetings eschewed pipe
organs, grandiose buildings, fancy pulpits, stained glass,
classical music, overly educated clergy and much more. The
sawdust trail held an attraction reminding people of Jesus more
than the carpeted center aisle of a big city church. Eventually
Camp Meetings made peace with the established churches and
were an important component of the second great awakening
during the late 18th – 19th centuries.

On August 2 at 7 p.m. we will attempt to recreate the historic
style of a coffee house with music, dialogue, poetry and
discussion around the theme of Jesus words, “”Peace I leave
with you….” (John 14:27) Please plan to join us!