I’ve been going to camp since third grade and the memories I’ve made are some of my favorites. I’ve always had a great camp experience and a lot of that was because of my counselors and the people in leadership roles. I remember my counselors always making sure I felt included and welcomed during camp. They made sure I stayed safe and had fun.
For over 100 years we have been engaged in the work of nurturing Christian faith and discipleship in some of this region’s most beautiful outdoor spaces.
While providing good food, comfortable beds, and friendly smiles to our guests are all important, we belief that true Christian hospitality means much more.
Our world is longing for places and times apart, but they are often difficult to find at home amidst the bustle of daily living, so it is a true gift to offer holy ground. At Suttle Lake Camp we see ourselves as "a place a part to be together."
The 7 Foundations of Camp and Retreat Ministries Executive Director Todd Bartlett Introduces this important communications theme for 2018 In the coming year it is our plan with this weekly e-newsletter to share with you about the Seven Foundations of...
I have shared some reflections about important elements to our experiences at our camps and retreat center. The current list begins with the physical elements of: land, water, sky and fire.
In 2017 at Suttle Lake there were six young adults who served the full season, including an international staff member from Sahagun, Mexico. Their joy in being in ministry, singing and praying together, appreciating God’s beauty in creation, as well as playing games and laughing together enriched the camp and fostered their own growth.
Last September, I agreed to serve as the interim Executive Director for Camp and Retreat Ministries in Oregon-Idaho, until a national search could be conducted to hire the next Executive Director, which turned out to be me!
The 7 Foundations of United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries (nationally, UMCRM) began with a prayerful discernment centered on two specific questions:
What must we do well in order to be truly effective now and into the future?
What is absolutely vital for us to focus on in fulfilling the church’s mission within the unique camp and retreat setting?
You ever wonder where we got the name for our newsletter and website? The name of this camp brochure from 1952 gives us a clue! Brochures like this were a very creative way for campers to learn about and register for camp. Furthermore, with the camp stamp books that churches received in the mail, potential campers could also earn their own way to camp by purchasing stamps, which they affixed to the book.
Visit business.landsend.com/store/gocamping/ to have the Camp and Retreat Ministries logo embroidered on any number of clothing or other items that Land’s End offers. You can order one piece at a time, in the size and color you wish. There is also an option to vary the colors of embroidery threads to be better visible on the material you choose (you could even choose pink, purple and orange!). The National Camp and Retreat logo is also available. The logo fee is typically about $6.00 in addition to the price of the clothing article, but often coupon codes can be found with an online search that may eliminate this or the shipping charge.
Are you feeling nudged to work at camp as paid or volunteer staff? Opportunities always abound to be a part of a dynamic, inspired, and hardworking team.
We are in the thick of the summer camp season, and we have been blessed to hear stories of rejuvenation and exploration. One camp mother exclaimed about her daughter’s Wallowa Lake experience: Wallowa Lake Horse Campers “I have been a ...
© 2014 Camp and Retreat Ministries:
A partnership between The Oregon-Idaho Conference of The United Methodist Church
and The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
