Massanetta Story: A Permanent Set of Keys

Melva is the Development Communications Coordinator for The Common Place in Philadelphia, PA.

Melva has held a lot of keys at Massanetta.  Keys to a Richardson room as a chaperone, keys to a classroom as a workshop leader, even keys to pretty much the whole site as a Program Intern.  She now jokes,or at least half jokes, with Clayton (Massanetta’s Executive Director) about wanting a permanent set of Massanetta keys, so she can unlock anything she wants when she’s here. The thing is, Melva has a permanent set of Massanetta keys - they just don’t open actual doors. 

“Massanetta  unlocked my creativity,” Melva remembered. “I was coming out of COVID and a bit of a rocky time personally.” Through conversations with Colleen (Massanetta’s’ Program Director), she accepted the opportunity to serve as a Program Intern for a summer.  “That summer provided me a place and environment that really spoke to my soul.  It was not only a place of learning and working, but also a place to rest and re-center.”  Melva hadn’t been as creative as she would have liked in the months leading up to her summer at Massanetta.  As a workshop leader, she was able to unlock a creative side that had been stored away for a season.  She also found her creativity flowing through composing new poems for the first time in a while.

The “Massanetta Magic” also unlocked new connections.  God’s putting together the right people at the right time here is one of the keys to making Massanetta so special for her.  “It feels like coming home and seeing family,” she explained, “being in that circle of people, all from different places with different experiences, and somehow we’re able to commiserate, celebrate, and encourage one another.  There’s an intimacy at Massanetta that’s special, and different from any other place I’ve been.”

Melva’s set of Massanetta keys also reopen rooms of faith.  Getting to be around so many people practicing “doing what we said we are called to do as Christians - it’s lifegiving for me and has helped me see the faith of the church.”  It’s a good reminder, because Melva’s path in living out her Christian calling has not always been an easy one, sometimes especially inside the church.  “I feel like maybe I could or even should be a little jaded about the church sometimes.”  However, the witness to Jesus she constantly experiences at Massanetta, validates her own call that often looks different than others.  Living into her call means unlocking being fully herself - physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Melva’s permanent set of keys might not be visible on a ring, but what they’ve unlocked in her over the years is easily visible to all.  It’s a place where she can remember, “Love is an action word.  Love is that which I’m doing for myself and others.”  And Massanetta has been key to that loving action.

The generosity of the Massanetta community provides keys that unlock so many things in our campers, conferees, guests, and leaders.  Thank you for making sure each Massanetta guest is offered a permanent set of keys to be fully who God calls them to be.

PS - Melva shared a poem she wrote during her summer as a Program Intern.  We hope you enjoy reading a little bit of how Massanetta helped unlock her creativity.

Summer Nights (Aug 16)

It feels good to walk the property at night

To hear the stillness as night creatures move about

Soft gentle breezes blow through empty breezeways

You can hear the hum of the lights

A few air conditioners cut on and off

I stand near banisters

I look up towards the darkening sky

I inhale and exhale the scents of summer

Slow paced 

Gliding

Eyes darting as I look ahead

Thinking

All the words I want to express come flooding in at once

I mumble a few words from my head

I pause and stare

Nothing moves in the growing shadows

Faint glimpse of the water rippling

It’s mirror blending in with the approaching night

It is quiet at Massanetta

A shift from hectic summer fun

Towards fall and winter hibernation

A few folks will venture back

But the shift in energy is complete

A stroll back to my room

Maybe I’ll go the other way this time

Enjoying the last of my summer nights