Steve and Mel Montgomery’s wonderful hospitality began the moment we pulled in the driveway of their lovely 65-acre farm and only grew over the three days of ^camping is not optional. A beautifully restored, three-story white house stands guard at the top of the hill over acres of pastures and woods. As an educational space overseen by the Montgomery family, along with a board of directors and a group of core partners, Lamppost Farm is a place of teaching and conversation around faith as an everyday way of life — a perfect dovetail for a co-sponsored event with *culture is not optional.
Highlights of the weekend included:
- Talking and relaxing around the campfire.
- Learning how to slaughter and process grass-fed Lamppost Farm chickens and having good discussions about life, death, meat and normative behavior.
- Watching Drew Montgomery’s baseball team win their Friday night game.
- Playing corn hole with minimal scoring and maximum coach-talk cliches.
- Reuniting with old friends and meeting some new ones.
- Cooking and eating fantastic meals with meat and produce raised (and even butchered) right at the farm.
- Playing with farm pets, including Misty and her new kitten.
- Sharing the joys and struggles of running small, start-up non-profit organizations and wrestling with issues like health insurance and retirement savings in the context of a life of faith and risk-taking.
For a visual account, check out our photos of the event. We hope for the best as the Montgomery’s and their partners continue to cultivate the mission of the farm and look forward to our next visit. Our time there really whet our appetites for this summer’s second ^camping event at Maple Tree Meadows in Three Rivers — registration is open now!
Last modified: March 4, 2020
