I was looking through a set of digital pictures in my mobile phone and I came across a number of photos of what was known as the Saltcoats Boys Camp. This was an annual event for me every Glasgow Fair. A double-decker A1 bus took us to a school usually in the east of Scotland to make it more of an adventure. Classrooms were turned into dormitories and we slept on canvas beds with sleeping bags. We ate our meals in the dining room but there were no cooks hired. The cooking was done by the camp leaders themselves and this was a major task for them so much of the day was taken up with preparing the meals and cleaning away afterwards. I enjoyed the food - but that is perhaps not surprising because I have always loved food.
Football matches were held in the school playing fields and once a week we had an outing to somewhere special. I remember one trip to St Abbs Head near Eyemouth. Supervision was fairly lax and even though I started attending these camps when I was only ten years old, I remember going from Musselburgh by train to Waverley Station in Edinburgh unaccompanied by any adults. I never questioned this at the time. Every morning and evening there was a service in the assembly hall - or maybe it was just another classroom. Robert Stevely, who was the camp leader often took these services but there were other preachers such as Alex Jackson, also from Saltcoats.
As I looked at the group photo which must have been taken on a Sunday because we are all wearing 'collars and ties.' We must have been to the local gospel hall where we listened to the evening service.
As I looked at these pictures, a memory came flooding back into my old brain. I am not sure what age I was but I guess I was in my late teens or early twenties at the time. I had been given responsibility for running the tuck shop and I took these duties very seriously. I remember going to the cash and carry to purchase chocolate, sweets and drinks to sell in the tuck shop. However, half way through the week I realised there was a problem. I was counting the takings every day and adding them up and I realised that we were running at a serious loss. I remember getting Gordon Jackson to check my figures and he agreed that there was a problem. Instead of a profit, we were making a loss of about £20 which was big money in the late 60s or early 70s. I decided to go to Robert Stevely and with some trepidation I informed him of the situation. He took it very calmly and made it clear that he was not expecting that the tuck shop would make a profit and that he would find the cash from somewhere. By the way, I remember that we were being charged a pittance for the privilege of being transported 50 or 60 miles and being fed four meals per day as well as an outing. The figure of £3 per person per week is stuck in my head - that may be totally inaccurate. What I can say definitely is that the camp was heavily subsidised in order to make it affordable to those who were not well off financially. It had been started to provide a holiday for poor boys from the Saltcoats area and an opportunity for evangelism.
But to get back to my story. The next year, I attended the planning meeting for the summer camp and Robert Stevely went through a long agenda. One of the last items was the tuck shop. When it was mentioned, I looked down at my shoes to see if they were muddy. I was distinctly uncomfortable. I had never any inclination that anyone was suggesting that I had been dishonest - merely incompetent. I had not supervised it properly and the stock had disappeared at an alarming rate. This was not just petty theft - full boxes of sweets and lemonade had been purloined. In addition, money had been taken out of the kitty by young lads who were eager to lend a hand.
I have never forgotten that meeting. Robert Stevely requested a volunteer to run the tuck shop. There was a silence. Then he looked straight at me and he said, "What about you doing it again this year, Robert?" He then added that he was sure I had learned valuable lessons from the previous year. And so, I took charge of the tuck shop once again and everything ran smoothly. There was no deficit and I handed over a profit at the end of the week. I don't think I deserved a second chance. But that story has resonated with me all my life. I developed a reputation for giving many young people a second and sometimes a third chance when they got into trouble. Some of my colleagues were very critical of my attitude to these young people. It is how God treats us in grace. Peter, the impulsive and erratic disciple denied Jesus three times while Jesus was being tried by the Jewish religious leaders prior to his crucifixion. But this was not the end for Peter - he became a leading apostle serving the Lord faithfully as recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. And there was John Mark who deserted Paul and Barnabus on their missionary journey and returned to Jerusalem leaving these two men without his assistance. Although Paul was reluctant to take him on the next missionary journey and this led to a fall-out between Paul and Barnabus, it is clear that John Mark was restored to service and Paul recognised his contribution to the work. Here is how Paul refers to John Mark
Colossians 4:10
[10] Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),
2 Timothy 4:11
[11] Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
We should have the same attitude towards other Christians who have messed up and wandered off the track. We should be less like the judgemental Pharisees and more like the Son of God who went to great lengths to restore Peter to the faith.
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