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Redwood
Glen Newsletters
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The latest
news and events at Redwood Glen
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July 2007
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WELCOME
OUR VISION:
"To
Reflect Christ through Serving Others"
A WORD FROM OUR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Whenever
I smell a cottonwood tree my mind is
transported back over 30 years to 1976 when I was on summer staff at
Cascade
Meadows Baptist Camp near Leavenworth, WA.
So
many memories are released when my nose
remembers the cottonwood trees that lined Nason Creek that flowed
through the
camp.
Memories of life lessons learned, milestones
in my faith, and a solid foundation in Christian camping
called me out of a 17-year career with Albertsons to the ministry of
camping.
As Executive Director of Redwood Glen, my life is now devoted to
providing a place where the next generations of children and youth can
come
and have a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ, which I had at camp each
summer.
Running a camp these days
however is a real
challenge.
Dealing with water in and
water out, county regulations, workers compensation claims, safety
issues,
and various other issues can take the fun out of running a camp.
The joy comes in seeing
lives changed and
hearing the stories of camp like the one from this year's Junior High
Camp
where a 12-year boy felt the call into full-time Christian ministry and
is
going back to his church to begin serving in various ministries.
In the first two weeks of
camp this year
we've witnessed over 30 children indicating they accepted Jesus Christ
as their Savior
and Lord, and some wanting to be baptized.
We
celebrate these life-changing decisions and praise God for how these
new
followers of Christ will transform their families, schools, churches,
and neighborhoods.
This is why I work in
Christian Camping.
Jay E.
Nordgaard,
Executive
Director
(650)
879-0320 Ext. 12
exec@redwoodglen.com
We invite you to read our
top article on the right for more on Redwood Glen's summer camps.
If you have a Redwood Glen
testimony about how camping has transformed your life,
please contact Larry Jay at the camp office or at news@redwoodglen.com.
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Hello Friend of Redwood Glen
WELCOME
to the monthly
on-line newsletter of Redwood Glen, your local Bay Area Christian Camp
and Conference
Center.
Summer is in full swing with our program camps, summer staff, open
house, and all the excitement that make a week at camp something to
remember. With the busyness and blessings of these next few
months, we appreciate your ongoing support and covet your
prayers. If
you would like to
subscribe and receive this monthly newsletter via email, please
register your
address via the link on our homepage (www.redwoodglen.com) |
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A SUMMER CAMP UPDATE on Fun, Faith,
Fellowship and Families
As the
calendar turns from June to July, Summer Program Director Sara Clark and Assistant Jamie Baits have a week to catch
their breath before the second wave of Redwood Glen camps (YMAD and
Adventure Camp) begins. It has been a busy but blessed summer
with FUN, FAITH, FELLOWSHIP, and FAMILIES = all the "good stuff" that
makes camp - camp! Below are some photos and reflections of the
summer thus far.
Jr. High Camp
(above) was full of FUN
and laughter with "Runway 101 with Sara"
where the campers got wet and sandy, got their counselors wet and
sandy, and then spent time creek stomping. Discovery Camp (below) was a week of nurturing the FAITH of 2nd through 5th
graders. According to Sara, 40% of the campers made first
decisions to follow Christ, with 3 making commitments to be
baptized. Praise God!
At CMAD (Children's Music And
Drama Camp), unity and FELLOWSHIP were
built as the campers worked together to present the musical "We Are
United" at our Open House on June 30th. Another testimony to the
unity of CMAD came at Pescedero Creek (below). 
According
to Sara, when the kids left for the creek they headed out "en masse,"
looking out for themselves. But at the creek, something
happened. The kids needed to work together to help one another
get across, and teams emerged. The campers returned to camp
changed and renewed with energy and a unity which was amazing to see.
For Me & Mom/Dad Camp (right), the 24
hour retreat is all about FAMILIES
- biological but also those blended through marriage. For Sara,
the ministry of "MEMD" was seen this year in the relationship of a
mother who brought her stepdaughter to camp. The closeness they
exhibited was beautiful as the pair worked together on crafts, hiked,
and learned together about God's love.
Check our websitefor more pictures from our summer camps. If you have a story you'd like to share
about your experience at a Redwood Glen camp this summer, email
us.
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THEN AND NOW - 40 YEARS LATER
A summer to remember for Redwood Glen summer staff
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In 2008, Redwood Glen will celebrate 50 years of ministry. In
preparation, we are asking friends and supporters to share with us
their pictures and stories. Last month, Lanny Giorgi emailed us pictures
from his time on summer staff in 1967. A few days later, we
officially welcomed our 2007 summer staff to Redwood Glen - (left to
right) Jamie Baits, Sara Clark, Holly Koopman, Elena Kolikova, Olga Serzhantova (behind), Olga Chumakova (in front), Matt Stephens, Matt Mitchell, and Svitlana Grygoryeva.
40 years later, the ministry continues as Redwood Glen provides young
people the opportunity to use their gifts to serve God (while earning
some money for the school year!) This month for our Staff Sportlight, we will be
introducing you to our American summer staff. Next month, we will
feature our International summer staff.
Though we are featuring Jamie Baits as
part of our "American" summer staff, she comes to Redwood Glen from San
Jose, Costa Rica where her parents, Gary
and Mylinda
serve with American Baptist
International Ministries. As she prepares to finish her senior
year in high school in the fall, Jamie
chose to serve at camp this summer
"because I felt God calling me to venture out and serve others while
preparing for college and the independence that will come along with
it."
This summer, Jamie is serving
as assistant to Summer Program Director Sara Clark, who we featured in our
Reflections e-newsletter in May. The summer has been busy,
but full of blessings. (See our update above.) Now that Sara has graduated from Fresno
Pacific University, when she completes her time at Redwood Glen, she
looks forward to preparing for seminary and serving as a Children's
Pastor in the fall.
Returning to Redwood Glen, Holly
Koopman has served off and on as camp staff since 2004.
Her mom Linda is our
Housekeeping Supervisor. Holly,
who is now a student at Biola University, decided to come home for the
summer and to serve at Redwood Glen. She says, "The summer staff
here this year has been a lot of fun - working with everyone, working
with the program camps, and getting to know the kids that come."
Holly serves as one of our lifeguards, works with housekeeping, and was
nurse for CMAD Camp.
Another lifeguard this summer is Matt
Stephens, who returns for a second summer on staff. For
Matt, being among the redwoods is "like being in the presence of God
himself." God has definitely gifted Matt for camping
ministry. Along with lifeguarding, he is a skilled member of our
maintenance crew this summer, and served as a counselor in charge of
drama and drums at CMAD. A senior at the University of Pacific,
he will be applying to pharmacy school in the fall.
Matt Mitchell rounds
out our lifeguarding staff and also serves as this summer's
"gopher." Matt served on summer staff in 2006, but was
injured. He chose to to come back this year to "bring closure to
last year's event (me breaking my leg) and feeling God's presence up
here." In the fall, he will be returning to his studies at CSU
Stanislaus, working with children's and youth ministries, but also
"working a part-time job to pay for school."
Matt Mitchell sums
up the feeling of Jamie, Sara, Holly, and "the other Matt" when he says, "I have really
enjoyed the summer staff hired this year and the unity that has
occurred between all of us." God has blessed us with a wonderful
crew, and next month, we will introduce you to our International summer
staff from Russia - Elena, Olga S, and Olga C, and from the Ukraine - Svitlana.
While we can identify who's who in our 2007 Summer Staff picture, Lanny (top row on the right) wasn't
able to identify everyone in the 1967 Summer Staff
picture. We need your help to
identify the two people wearing glasses in the top picture.
Next month, we will feature the who's who from the summer of
1967. We would love to receive more pictures and to hear more
stories about your Redwood Glen experience. Please email us at news@redwoodglen.com.
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 Looking
for an excuse to visit Redwood Glen?
One last chance to join us
at an
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, July 14 -- 10:30 am -
3:00 pm
Featuring YMAD musical
presentation,
a
$5 lunch, swimming
(12:30-3:00 pm),
tours
of the camp including the remodeled MacArthur, and new Redwood Glen souvenirs for
sale at the camp store
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UPCOMING
2007 EVENTS
PASTORS SABBATH weeks
July 8-14 A
time of rest & vacation for pastors & their families
REFLECTIONS 2007
Summer Camps at Redwood Glen - Click
on the name of the camp for more information
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ACTIVE ADULT CONFERENCE NOTE OUR NEW DATES!
August 27-31 For adults 55 and
over
For more information about
our events or facilities, email us at info@redwood.com
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Redwood
Glen REFLECTIONS
This
monthly e-newsletter is being developed as a communication tool for the
supporters, friends, and guests of Redwood
Glen in Loma Mar, CA. We welcome your comments and suggestions. To ensure that you continue to receive our
e-newsletter, add info@redwoodglen.com
to your address book today. Redwood
Glen is located in the scenic coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains,
between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz.
We are conveniently located one hour from both San Francisco and San Jose
airports.
For more
information, www.redwoodglen.com.
 
Redwood
Glen, a Bay Area Christian Camp and Conference Center,
is an
accedited member of the American
Camp Association
and a member of the Christian Camp and Conference Association.
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If you have
a Redwood Glen story or an idea for this email newsletter, contact...
Larry
Jay
(650) 879-0320 Ext. 11
news@redwoodglen.com
If you would
like to
subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, please register your email via
the link
on our homepage (www.redwoodglen.com).
THANK YOU! (Our e-newsletter is supported by Constant
Contact.) |
Redwood Glen | 100 Wright Dr. | Loma Mar | CA | 94021 |
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