Locals Lend a Hand in Camp Mozumdar Revival

High atop the San Bernardino Mountains in South­ern California, Camp Mozumdar, marked by its gold-spired temple, is a unique and awe-inspiring place. The “Temple of Christ” and the “pillars of God,” the outdoor amphitheater, originally were built in the 1920s by Prince A.K. Mozumdar, one of the first Indian spiritual teachers in the United States. The temple, which stands as a reminder of Prince Mozumdar’s teachings, including unity and harmony among all religions, still draws curious visitors and lately has undergone a sort of renaissance.

Camp Mozumdar is located in California and is in close proximity to Las Vegas.

 

A group of volunteers regularly help out at Camp Mozumdar.

 

The Women’s Club and senior citizens of Crestline are passionate about volunteering in the local area.

The Unification Church acquired the property some years after Prince Mozumdar’s death in 1953. It was the site of several Divine Principle workshops and retreats in the late 1970s where many members joined and had life-changing spiritual experiences. Some of the property has fallen into disrepair within the past few decades, due in part to wildfires that destroyed many of the wooden buildings but left the temple virtually untouched.

This past winter, Rev. Juan Morales, a Unificationist who has been living there, started handing out True Father’s autobiography to all of the ministers and neighbors in the surrounding cities and residential areas. The neighbors in turn have responded with extreme goodwill and generosity. Marquis Van de Mark, a Unificationist who remembers attending workshops at the camp in 1979, returned some 35 years later to witness the revival for himself.

“What I experienced at Camp Mozumdar in five days was nothing short of a miracle. So many local people who were dropping by the camp, showing interest in Father’s teachings and wanting to help us restore the temple and the grounds. These are local people willing to donate their time and money to help us restore the temple and the pillars of God,” he said.

Several groups and individuals have come to volunteer their time with repairs and to help raise money to restore the temple and the amphitheater to their former glory. The Crestline Women’s Club and Senior Citizens of Crestline have worked with local residents to raise money, and they often come to visit and tour the temple. A nearby resident donated his time and the use of his Bobcat tractor to help with work on the grounds. A local electrician has been donating his time to restore all of the electrical wiring throughout the camp. Marquis commented, “He wants to wire for a professional capacity to handle a kitchen and excellent sound system.”

“It’s important for everyone to know that this is not our project,” Marquis said, “but is being done completely by the residents and volunteers who live in the area around the camp. I have never seen anything like this in my past 35 years of association with our church. A modern-day miracle.”

The restoration of the grounds even recently spurred the president of the Chamber of Commerce to get involved. On July 10, she brought her board of directors to visit, and they are planning to promote the entire area using their e-mail lists and the local press.

Those who are familiar with the camp note its unique location, close to Las Vegas, and see the potential for it to once again be a place for education and spiritual enlightenment.  Residents and local Unificationists look forward to its continued revival and to preserving the legacy of this historic place for generations to come.