On April 8, 2024, 100 people stood on the campgrounds of Timber Ridge Camp in Spencer, Indiana with their eyes raised to the heavens. Eight seconds into 3:04 p.m., they began the 30-second countdown, till they all cried “glasses off!” and gazed at the total eclipse.
This is the first eclipse since 2017, and many anticipated the 2024 astrological event with programs, parties, and events. However, Hongjae Kim, an internal medicine hospitalist at AdventHealth Hendersonville and a member of the Fairview Adventist Church in North Carolina, noticed no Christian programs to celebrate the eclipse. “In 2017 many programs at the time in some places were just sun worship and felt hedonistic.” Kim said, “Who was going to praise God? God meticulously made the sun stronger than the moon and gave us a chance to fully appreciate the sun. Seeing the sun behind a total eclipse, 300 million people would be watching and God is the one who needs to be honored so we can appreciate the sun’s beauty.”
As a result, he organized the first eclipse program in 2017 to answer the need and was eager to replicate the event for the 2024 Great American Eclipse Christian Family Camp. For eight months, Kim and a collection of volunteers created an unofficial ministry to help plan and promote the event. The goal was threefold: Honor God, Educate Youth, and Community Outreach. With the help of students from Indiana University, like PhD student Nicholas Obeng Agyekum, and church members, planning centered on his meditation of Psalm 19 which influenced Psalm 19:1 to be printed on the side of the eclipse glasses ordered. The eclipse glasses were a part of packets put together for the attendees, including special edition eclipse copies of “The Great Controversy” with special cover art and the title “When Light and Darkness Collide”.
The event was held overnight, with a Sunday evening lecture by Jim Burr from HeavensDeclare Inc. Originally, the organizers hoped to use a telescope for a night sky watch but it was canceled due to rain. It was due to this that those hosting the event feared the unfortunate weather would prevent a clear view of the eclipse with the forecast showing signs of rain and cloud coverage. Kim and the other volunteers prayed the weather would hold out, allowing the attendees to have the full experience. By God’s grace, the day was clear, and the kids and adults alike could enjoy classes on the solar system, with craft corners, temperature stations to chart the coolness that occurred during the eclipse, and a shadow play station. Jim Burr taught participants about telescopes and how best to photograph the eclipse.
By the time the eclipse occurred, the 85 registered attendees who’d stayed overnight were joined by 15 more from across the US who drove in to take part in the program. Many of the families were non-Adventist but were greatly blessed, leaving with the eclipse edition of “The Great Controversy” and happy memories of the event. Kim hoped to honor God, educate youth, and have community outreach, and by that standard, the event was a success. By the end of the program, attendees left with a deeper appreciation of their God and the celestial event that celebrated its creator.
Nicole Brown-Dominguez is a freelance writer.
