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Redwood
Glen Newsletters
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The latest
news and events at Redwood Glen
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November
2007
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WELCOME
OUR VISION:
"To
Reflect Christ through Serving Others"
A WORD FROM OUR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The
word "shepherd" means many things
to many people -- "shepherds watching
over their flocks by night", "The
Lord is my shepherd"
from the Psalms.
Here
at Redwood Glen we have Shepherd
Lodge. This was an original building when the property was
purchased in
1958. Over the last 49+ years it has seen its fair share of
remodeling
and reshaping, most recently with a new shingle roof and gutters
installed in
early September
In the past several years
Shepherd Lodge has
hosted the offices for San Joaquin County Outdoor Education ("Science
Camp") along with private rooms for the teachers and dorm rooms for
students. On weekends many rental groups use Shepherd Lodge as
their
meeting and sleeping space for up to 30 with its private campfire area
in the
back. During the summer season we convert the office space to
sleeping
areas for an additional 30 beds.
Why call it "Shepherd"
Lodge? As Executive Director I have heard many stories
about American Baptist missionary Dr.
Charles Shepherd and his ministry within
the Chinese community at the Chung Mei Home
for Boys. The first monies used to purchase the Redwood Glen
property in
1958 came from the sale of the Chung Mei home in 1954. This would
allow
the ongoing ministry to the Chinese community through summer camps and
retreats.
Camp staff member, Larry Jay, a third generation
Chinese American, made his decision for Christ during
San Francisco First Chinese Baptist Church's Youth Camp here at Redwood
Glen in 1977. Larry is one of many examples of young men and
women, not just
those of Chinese decent, who has been impacted by the
presence of Jesus Christ at camp.
Larry is putting together
a display that
chronicles the history of the Chung Mei home, Dr. Shepherd's ministry,
and
the beginnings of the camp through Shepherd Lodge. It's exciting
to
see the foundations of our ministry. What a testimony to the
"cloud of
witnesses" that surround our ministry now as we look ahead to our 50th
anniversary and the next 50 years.
I hope all of you will
plans to join us for one
of two celebrations this summer for our
50th anniversary on Saturday,
June 28
and Saturday, July 12.
Besides getting to enjoy the musical drama
presentation from the Music and Drama Camps, you will be blessed to be
a part of
this historic milestone in our ministry.
If you are available to help plan or serve at our anniversary
celebrations, please email us.
Jay E.
Nordgaard,
Executive
Director
(650)
879-0320 Ext. 12
exec@redwoodglen.com
THANKS TO YOU
WE
DID IT !
Because of the generosity of so many, we raised the needed $14,890.00
to cover the cost of all the mattresses for our cabins and lodges.
THANK YOU!
What a wonderful testimony this Thanksgiving season of the partnership
we share with you!
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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.
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we at Redwood Glen are very
thankful for YOU, our friends and family. We appreciate your
partnership through the years, and this past year especially. It
is because of your generosity and support that we will celebrate 50
years of ministry in 2008.
As we look back on the history of the camp in this edition of
Reflections, we are thankful for the vision and faith of our founders,
whose legacy we continue today.
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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Remembering
50 years of ministry: A LEGACY CONTINUED...
 "For a city
girl, it was pretty rustic," recalls Emelene
Jay (formerly Chan) of her first experience at Redwood
Glen. During the 1960's, First Chinese Baptist Church of San
Francisco regularly used the newly dedicated Administration Lodge for
choir retreats and prayer retreats.
"We would always start dinner late on Friday night because everyone
would head up to camp after work," recalls Emelene. While the
women slept in the bedrooms upstairs, the men were in the one room
downstairs, where it was "dark and dirty." That description was
enough to keep those city girls upstairs. The group cooked their
own meals in the lodge kitchen, ate meals on the porch, and met in the
main meeting room.
For Emelene and other members of First Chinese Baptist, there is a
historical connection between Redwood Glen and the church in San
Francisco Chinatown. The Administration Lodge was eventually
renamed to honor Dr. Charles R.
Shepherd. A former missionary to China, Dr. Shepherd
attended worship and served on leadership at First Chinese Baptist,
while ministering as Superintendent of Chung Mei Home for Boys from
1923-1954.
Chung Mei Home (Chung Mei means "Chinese American") was a work of the
American Baptist Home Missions Society and San Francisco Bay Cities
Baptist Union, which cared for Chinese American boys from
single-parent, or "broken homes." For over 30 years, Dr. Shepherd
(or "Captain" as he was called) created a refuge for children who had
no other place to go. The home, located in El Cerrito, could hold
up to 77 boys, and created an extended family which still gathers today
for reunions.
In 1954, due to changing times, Chung Mei Home was closed and
sold. Stipulation on the sale, however, stated that American
Baptists use the profits to continue the legacy of Chung Mei's ministry
by "assisting Christian Chinese young people to complete their
education, and also to aid other worthwhile projects for the benefit of
Chinese youth, provided they be Christian in purpose and program, and
dedicated to the extension of the Kindgom of God."
In 1958, the board of the San Francisco Bay Cities Baptist Union
envisioned how the purchase of property in Loma Mar would fulfill Chung
Mei purposes and approved the use of one-third of the profits from the
Chung Mei sale (about $50,000) for the purchase for the land which
would become Redwood Glen.
Working with Architect Wayne Osaki
and contractor Gerald Anderson,
volunteers from area churches remodeled the one building on the
property as a lodge for spiritual retreats. The old farm house
was once the home of Arthur Bloomquist,
who operated a saw mill down the
hill from the house, and also Dr.
Ernest Hoffman and his family, to whom
Hoffman Creek is named.
 To recognize Dr.
Shepherd's 30 year ministry with young people and to continue his
legacy through camping, the first building at Redwood Glen was
eventually named in his honor.
(Dr. Shepherd is pictured left)
At the 30th anniversary of Redwood Glen in 1988, Dr. Roger Tom spoke of the influence
of Dr. Shepherd in his life. A former member of Chung Mei house
and active member at First Chinese before his passing, Roger shared,
"Through Christian nurture, Charles Shepherd had a profound influence
on a whole generation of Chinese American young men. It is very
appropriate that on the 30th anniversary of Redwood Glen that we
remember and celebrate the life of Charles R. Shepherd. He was
keenly interested in the Christian nurture of young people. And
we have shared his interest here at Redwood Glen...."
The
program of the 30th anniversary states, "Shepherd Lodge marks an
important part of American Baptist mission history. The
influence of Dr. Shepherd and those who enabled the ministry of Chung
Mei is continued in the all-year service of Redwood Glen. This
camp
serves persons of all ages, races, and nationalities."
From the earliest years of the camp, First Chinese Baptist Church has
used Redwood Glen and Shepherd Lodge to nurture the faith of young
people. Their annual summer youth camp which was first held at
Redwood Glen in 1976 is our longest running "guest group" camp. Click here to see the video from
Youth Camp 2007, "Rock It".
Through First Chinese (youth camp
staff pictured below) and the many other churches that use
Redwood Glen for youth retreats, the legacy of Dr. Shepherd continues
today.
EDITORS NOTE:
As Redwood Glen celebrates 50 years of ministry in 2008, we will be
highlighting other aspects of the camp's history and buildings,
answering questions like, Who is "Smith Hall" names after?
Why is it called "Brookside" when there's no brook near by? Who
is "Douglas L. Siden"?
Why the "Lee Regier
Chapel"?
If you have pictures, stories, or insights of the camp's history, we
need to hear from you. Please help us continue the legacy of
other founders of Redwood Glen. Email us at news@redwoodglen.com.
Thanks.
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 50th
ANNIVERSARY -
TRIVIA QUESTION
As we prepare to celebrate 50 years of ministry at Redwood Glen, we are
beginning a monthly trivia contest. Answer correctly and you
could be
the first to win a Redwood Glen 50th anniversary momento.
Our
October question:
Which building was
dedicated in 1960 as "the Administration Lodge"?
The answer: SHEPHERD LODGE,
dedicated to Dr. Charles R. Shepherd, Superintendent of Chung Mei Home,
a ministry of American Baptist Home Mission Society and the San
Francisco Bay Cities Baptist Union. (See story above on Dr.
Shepherd's legacy.)
Congratulations
to our triple winners who will
each receive a magnet with our new 50th Anniversary logo when they are
available. (Our 3 winners all emailed
the correct answer within minutes of each other!).
Our October trivia winners:
- Ray
Miller of First Baptist Alameda and former Redwood Glen Camp
Manager. Like First Chinse Baptist (featured above), Alameda
First Baptist also brought groups to the "Administration Lodge" in 1960
and 1961.
- Susi Reaves of Santa Clara First Baptist and
former Redwood Glen board member.
- Sharon
Rice of San Carlos First Baptist and long-time Youth MAD Camp
supporter.
Our November
question:
Many years
before Siden Conference Center was built, the area was used as a
farm. What type of farm was it?
Send guesses to news@redwoodglen.com.
The correct answer and winner will be featured in next month's
e-newsletter.
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STAFF
SPOTLIGHT: Marty Chase
 Though
she is teased as "being as old as the redwoods", Marty Chase is the Redwood Glen
staff member with the most years, tenure, and wisdom.
She has been at Redwood Glen so long, she can't remember when she first
started. "Let's just say it was many moons ago," Marty
quips.
Marty first began as a kitchen "fill-in"
when Lela Crockett was Camp
Manager in the 1980's. She officially joined the staff under Ray Miller in 1987 when a dishwasher
made $3.75 an hour. "You definitely don't work at camp for the
money," she says.
What keeps Marty working at the camp is the people: the kitchen staff
she works with, the kids who come for outdoor school, and the weekend
groups that come year after year and ask her, "You're still
here?!" "The people keep me going," Marty
says. "We're here for them."
Originally from La Puente in Southern California, Marty and her husband
Bill have lived in Loma Mar for 24 years. They make their home at
Camp Loma Mar, the Oakland Y camp (next to Redwood Glen), where Bill works as the head cook.
"We've been together for 50
years," Marty says, "since I was 15 and a half years old."
Married in 1962, Bill and Marty have 2 grown children, Billy and Melissa, who live in Willits.
A third son, Kenny died in a
car accident along Pescadero Road 10 years ago.
The area holds a lot of history for Marty. As the "senior" member
of the Redwood Glen kitchen, she has seen camp managers and food
service staff come and go, and through all the changes, she continues
to "coach the kids" along.
When not working, Marty and Bill enjoy camping, heading to Reno, and
simply getting out to do things. "That's why we bought a 31 foot
trailer," she says.
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
ABI NATIONAL CONFERENCE -- Monday to Friday, January 14-18,
2008
Redwood Glen is the host site for the
2008 gathering of the American Baptist Institute of Camp and Conference
Ministries. Join other camping professionals for a week of
top-notch training, encouragement, and accountability.
For more information: Click here for a downloadable
brochure / Click here to register on-line.
PASTORS CONFERENCE -- Monday to Wednesday, February 25-27,
2008
Make plans now to attend our second
annual Pastors Conference as we consider our EQ (emotional
intelligence) as leaders. Church staff teams are encouraged to
come and learn together. Big discounts are available if you
register this fall.
Click here for a downloadable
brochure.
2008 SUMMER CAMPS -- Check our website for dates.
Registration begins early 2008.
OPEN HOUSE and 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS -- Saturday,
June 28th & July 12th
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| For more information about our events
or facilities, email us at info@redwoodglen.com |
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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