Community 'Camp Meeting' Begins at Calimesa Church

ALL >> The public is invited to a month-long series of “old fashioned camp meeting” worship and musical events at the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church beginning Aug. 6, according to the congregation’s senior pastor, Jon Ciccarrelli. The events are part of the dressed-down, casual programming adopted by the congregation every August, reprising the spirit of a summer tent meeting in the past century. Puppets, food, drama, special guest speakers and musicians are all stirred into the mix of community-oriented programming. But in a departure from total tent-meeting authenticity, Ciccarrelli admits with a smile, air-conditioning will be on for all events in the church at 391 Myrtlewood Drive, Calimesa. Guest speakers for morning worship services on the four August Saturdays are all associated with universities in the Inland Empire. Each will be developing an aspect of the series theme, “Into All the World,” during services at 8:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. in the church sanctuary. First among the speakers, on Aug. 6, is Saul Barcelo, a chaplain at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Following Aug. 13 will be Dr. Jon Paulien, dean of the Loma Linda University School of Religion. Dr. Kendra Haloviak Valentine, an associate professor in the HMS Richards Divinity School at La Sierra University, Riverside, will speak for the Aug. 20 services. The final speaker for the series, Aug. 27, is Dr. Theodore “Ted” Levterov, assistant professor in the Loma Linda University School of Religion. Musicians from the local church and special guest artists will be featured in sacred music presentations throughout the August series. From the church will come the Camp Meeting Vocal Band, keyboardists Michael Fillman and Carole Bretsch, and the Kim Family Strings. They will be joined by the visiting Connor Smith Trio, the William Chunestudy Men’s Chorus, the Shannon and Kellie Barnes vocal duo and vocalist Desmond Clark. Also the Pro Deo Singers and Orchestra, keyboard players Dona Klein and Gary Donesky, and instrumentalists Erika Jones on the accordion, Wilbert Perez on the trumpet and Dennis Blomberg on the banjo. The William Chunestudy Men’s Chorus will present a free concert at the church Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. Following the concert, a social with food, family entertainment and good fellowship will take place on the church lawn. The Pro Deo concert group will be featured during the morning worship services Aug. 20. The Calimesa congregation has also joined the Loma Linda University Church in co-sponsoring a ticketed concert appearance by gospel recording artist Guy Penrod that evening at 7:30. Reserved-seat tickets for the concert in Loma Linda are now for sale online or by telephone and will not be available at the door on performance night. Details are available by calling a free 24-hour information line at 909-795-4960. The reader who felt challenged, as a child, when asked to memorize a Bible verse may want to join others at the church at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, the camp-meeting invitation concludes. That is when gifted Calimesa church member Mary Quishenberry is scheduled to recite the entire Book of Revelation from memory.