Feast of Tabernacles, 2024

Location

We will once again be hosting the Feast of Tabernacles at a Indian Springs Family Resort campground in Steelville, Missouri.

Indian Springs is reasonably priced, Christian-owned, family friendly and ministry focused. The owners are giving us exclusive access to the entire gated campground. They are also giving us a significant discount on all pricing.

Steelville is about 75 miles southwest of St. Louis and is easy to find.

Time

This year, the holy days are on the 19th and 26th of September. Plan to arrive by 9/17 or the early part of 9/19 to ensure you have enough time to set up camp. Many will likely choose too stay extra days through the Sabbath on 9/28 due to it’s close proximity to the final holy day on the 26th.

We normally have quite a number of first time feast-goers so if you are new to keeping this feast or new to camping in general, we provide plenty of support. We’ll have a team of people available to help you set up and there will be experienced brethren around to help you with any needs throughout the week. We welcome everyone as family.

Purpose and Special Plans

Our vision this year is servitude and having a Kingdom Vision.

Every year we want to see the beautiful Psalm of Ascents, Psalm 122 lived out among us with Shalom (peace) being within each of us, that the times of refreshing and renewal may come from the presence of Yahweh.

At the feast, we always desire to foster an environment of life that comes from love. The love of our Father displayed in beauty, adventure, praise and worship in small groups and large, games, laughs and smiles, quiet fireside conversation long into the night, heartfelt sharing, praying, hearing the word, teaching, confessing our sins to a brother and asking for prayer, accountability, loving, being loved and serving.

The Scriptures call these “love feasts” and that’s what we want from His feast. The campground layout is ideally suited for this very thing because we are all camping in one general area.

In a desire to remember and better understand the “wilderness experience” of ancient Israel (Lev. 23:43), we will again be building a full-sized replica of Yahweh’s tabernacle in the wilderness.

The replica is for the purposes of teaching and memorializing Yahweh’s ways (see Joshua 22:28), not for literal sacrifice or offering. A tour of the tabernacle will be given, with an explanation of the meaning of how each element has a significant meaning in our own personal walk with Yahweh.

Located in the center of camp, the actual length and width of the tabernacle matches what is described in Scripture. Only the height will be lower (9ft compared to 15ft). The “holy of holies” section will be a special area for personal prayer and the Torah will be read there 24/7 through a professional recording.

At the place where the altar would normally be, we will have a community campfire where we will have gatherings to give praise offerings and testimonies in the evenings. The campfire can also be used by anyone to gather & even cook their food while being in fellowship with others during the day.

The tabernacle will be built before the feast begins. Come early (16th-17th) if you want to assist in the building effort.

If you have some differences of opinion on the exact feast dates, we still invite you to join us. Seeking the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Psalm 122), loving one another, respecting each other’s walk with Yahweh is emphasized and encouraged, even if some of us may differ in areas of understanding. We know that we all are a work in progress and we are called to humility, “considering one another better than ourselves” as is written in Philippians 2:3.

We also desire to be a light on a hill that cannot be hidden. Sharing Messiah’s love and life while being challenged and changed, the feast is a place to get our spiritual batteries recharged so that we can face the modern culture with boldness, strength and conviction.

Campground Information

The camping facility is at the Indian Springs Campground in Steelville, Missouri. The gated campground and our campsites are right along the Meramec River. You will register through us, but reserve your accommodations through them.

Accommodations and Amenities include:

Meetings and Meals

There will be a scheduled meeting daily with Torah readings and live music in the big tents. Six larger meetings will be held with musical praise to Yahweh and topical scripture studies.   

Young children will be provided with things to do with their hands during the study portions of the meetings, typically related to the topic of the study.  

Biblically clean meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are available for a reasonable cost ($23 for breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the campground restaurant. Meals will not be available on Sabbath or High Days so they can be observed properly.

You can fix your meals over a campfire or portable propane stove for cooking. We will be providing information on how to make meals at a tent site if that’s what you plan to use for accommodations.

Feast Activities

Some of the planned activities are: 

– Baptism Service – For any seeking to be baptized in Yahushua’s name, there will be a service during the first and last day of the feast. The river is on camp!

– Men’s Meetings – Men will get together for two meetings where we share testimonies, learn from one another on how to be better husbands and fathers, and how to overcome the challenges we have at work and at home. Always a great time of fellowship and developing relationships.

– Daughters of the Light – Similar to the men’s meetings, ladies will come together twice during the feast and learn from one another on how to be better wives and mothers, share testimonies. Again, this is a great time of fellowship and developing relationships with other ladies.

– Daily Hebrew Lessons – (9:15am) are offered in the big tent that will teach everyone how to read the written Hebrew language. Self-graded quizzes will be given and by the end of the feast, most everyone who attends the classes should be able to read biblical Hebrew. Those who attend every class and/or pass the final exam will be given a free booklet on Hebrew grammar.

– Daily Torah Readings – at the Tabernacle (10:30am), read on loudspeaker at 10:30AM for the whole camp to hear.

– Auction for Charity – Bring an item to auction off and proceeds will go toward alms and ministry.

– Teen Midrash – Teens get together at 8pm one evening and go over the Scriptures, get questions answered, and engage in group discussion.

Afternoon Activities

Note: If any of the following afternoon activities are not of interest to you, we’ll be offering open-forum bible study, Scripture Q&A, and group-oriented counseling at the same time as these activities. 

– Shofar Making Class – Order a raw shofar horn through the reservation system and we’ll have a class which teaches you how to drill and create a mouthpiece, and sand down your shofar for you to use and take home. Order your shofar early as there is a limited supply this year.

– Survival Class – Learn tips on how to build a rudimentary but effective shelter plus other tips to help you survive in case of emergency.

– Archery/Tomahawk throwing for Children & Teens – Children and Teens learn the spiritual lessons behind “hitting the mark,” and how to effectively/safely use a bow & arrow. Tomahawk throwing will be for teens. This event is a part of our Survival class.

– Hebraic/Davidic Dancing – Psalm 149:3 and 150:4 tell us to praise Him with the dance. Learn dance steps and movements that express various ways of communicating honor and praise to Yahweh in modesty and holiness.

– Fun & Fellowship Day – Volleyball, cart racing, tug of war, senior/toddler activities and more.

– Tassel Making Party – Everyone in attendance will learn how to make tassels (tsit tsiyot), using Numbers 15:38-40 and Deuteronomy 22:12 as a guideline. Tassel-making materials are provided.

– Float Trip – We’ll take a 3-5 hour float trip on the river. The campground has canoes, large rafts and kayaks available. The float trip will end at the campground. This year, you’ll need to reserve your float trip directly through the campground.

Feast-going Fund

Contact me if you need some financial assistance in order to attend. We don’t want money to be a reason why someone is unable to feast with other believers…especially if you want to be baptized in Yahushua’s name. We have extra tents, sleeping bags and air mattresses for any who have need.

For those who can afford to help others, you can contribute a tax deductible donation toward the feast-going fund to help anyone with costs of attending. This fund is separate from the feast operating expenses of EliYah.com.

To contribute a donation to the Feast-going fund, you do so in one of two ways:

If mailing in a payment, Please make sure you mention that it’s for the Feast-going fund.

It’s helpful to have contributions done well in advance so that those who otherwise cannot afford to come will know that there are funds available and make plans. If there is any left over, we’ll save it for another feast or put it in the open treasury. 

Camp Pricing

We do not charge any fees to attend the festival, but the campground does have fees for using their camping facilities.

Primitive Campsite pricing is $7.00/person per adult/teen per night, and children 12 and under are free. There are price caps for all campsites to accommodate large families. Primitive sites are capped at $28 per family per night regardless of family size.

If you want Electric/Water access, an added flat fee of $7.00 per night per 30 amp campsite (not per person). This does not include the “per person” fee. Electric/Water sites are capped at $35.50 per night regardless of family size.

Cabins/Cottages/RVs

The cabins are located in the campground itself and are close to the conference room and camp sites (see map). Bedding/pillows and Bath linens/towels ARE PROVIDED. No need to bring your own.

YOU WILL NEED TO REGISTER WITH US TO ATTEND, BUT WE DO NOT HANDLE CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS. All campsite and lodging orders are handled through Indian Springs Resort.

To obtain our discount pricing, do not order through their web site. Order by calling 573-775-2266, You can leave a message and they will return your call. To get the discounted rates, mention that you are going to be attending the Feast of Tabernacles. You can preview the facilities by visiting their web site www.IndianSpringsFamilyResort.com

Area Climate

Average temperature for this time of the year is mid 70’s during the day and mid 50’s at night. It can get into the 80’s during the day and lower 40’s at night though so dress appropriately. Inclement weather is always possible so make sure your tent and other equipment is well prepared for wind and rain.

Sundown will occur around 7:08pm local time (CDT) on the first night. We’ve found the Mr. Heater Buddy Heaters to be excellent for keeping a tent warm at night. EThe heaters use no electricity so they are even more ideal for primitive camping. Electric heaters provide a minimal amount of heat for keeping tents warm, which have no insulation.

A good resource for what kind of things to bring can be found here.

If you have any questions about the feast, please contact us.