Someone to lead activities for your children and mission projects for youth. Inspiring worship and helpful workshops. There's also fellowship with other folk for whom ministry is important, and time to watch the sun go down from the rocking chairs just outside the ice cream parlor. An embarrassingly small amount, just enough to cover the meal ticket. It is a laid-back week of opportunities for relaxation, recreation, worship and learning.
Nobody takes attendance, so taking a canoe trip or sleeping late is always an option.
And then there's the ice cream. There was a time when the Mars Hill event was the only one of its kind around. Nowadays, with other conference options and more competing activities for children, fewer folks have been celebrating Independence Day at Mars Hill. That's a shame. Beloved mountain missionary Tom Lolley has a special fondness for the event and coordinated the program for years on end.