Amphitheater
Facts

Interesting Facts about the Amphitheater

as told by Nolan Clark

• This amphitheater was designed by myself and my son, Cullen, a civil engineer and longtime camper and counselor here at King’s Camp.

• This amp is dug into (and uses) the shape of the natural bank of what used to be the course of the Bayou Bonne Idee.

• It took 100 yards of concrete to complete this amphitheater- that translates to around 400,000 lbs of concrete or 200 tons.

• As Jay Gillikin at Rimcor noted most of that is in its firm foundations, - the unseen, as always being the most important part (of the physical - but also the spiritual realm)

• Every word of Chapter 61 of Isaiah is written on the concrete foundations below you from top to bottom.

• The amp holds about 150 people around its capstones: a cool thing about it is the tiers were made wide enough that it can hold chairs on its beautiful grass and can essentially double the capacity if people sit on both.

• The Amp was designed and laid out intentionally

  • Proverbs 3:19 “By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.”

  • Its eastern aisle lines up with the cross and the sun’s setting point on the spring and fall equinox.

  • Its middle aisle lines up with the cross and the sun’s setting point on the winter solstice.

  • And the western aisle lines up through the center of the cross and is true North and South

  • The amp enjoys sunsets year-round with ;75% of them being over the lake.

 

• The cross is 20 ft tall. It weighs 3,500 lbs. It was created and constructed by Brice Gillikin of Rimcor and his team.

  • The inlay of cypress is one solid piece cut from a large cypress log by J&B logging of West Carrol. It is 18 inches wide and 4 inches deep – sanded, smoothed, and treated by Brice.

• The iron for which the cross was constructed was donated by the Bob Green family. The large iron beams were once a bridge over the coulee on their farm at the base of the hill where they live. I looked at them for years – noting their size and strength and wondering how this can be used. It was much harder to work with the old iron, as good things never come easy – but I’m glad that Brice and team, were patient and saw my vision. God’s cross has always been a bridge for us to reconnect with him. And now this cross’s redemptive story is fitting – and we believe God’s powerful presence will draw, inspire, and change many lives for decades to come.