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Redwood
Glen Newsletters
Go back to archives here.
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The
latest news and events at Redwood Glen
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May
2008
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WELCOME
OUR VISION:
"To
Reflect Christ through Serving Others"
A WORD FROM OUR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
When I flipped the
calendar to May my heart
skipped a beat in both excitement and anxiety as I realized that the
beginning
of our summer program camps is just next month.
My excitement centers
around the wonderful response
to our special $50 50th anniversary camp fee.
As of May 5th, Youth Music
and Drama, Junior
High, and Junior Adventure Camps are FULL! Discovery
Camp only has 6 spots left for girls
and Children's Music and Drama camp only has 12 spots for boys and 8
spots for
girls. Me and Mom/Dad weekend camp in
August has several spots still available.
Currently we have 482
campers registered for
this summer with 23 on our waitlist. When we fill
CMAD and Discovery camps we will
exceed our goal of 500
campers!
Over
500 children and youth will have the opportunity to experience Jesus
Christ in a way that is unique
and special at camp. Many will make first-time
decisions for Christ, with some committing themselves to full-time
Christian ministry. Others will rededicate their
lives to
following Christ. Indeed, lives will be changed.
I am so encouraged by
individuals,
families, and churches who have stepped up to help us meet our goal to
provide
the $200 scholarships for each of the 500+ campers who will come this
summer. The Redwood Glen board took a
giant step of faith to provide camp at only $50 and I am so glad to see
how God
is providing for our need.
As I travel to churches
all over the Bay Area I
hear story after story of how Redwood Glen has changed lives over the
past 50
years. I hope each of you are planning on
joining us on June 28 for our big celebration to hear some of these
stories
shared.
Without
"you," there is no "us." You are our past, our
present, and our future. Our past is memorable, our
present is
exciting, and our future is limitless with your partnership in ministry.
Jay
E. Nordgaard,
Executive
Director
(650)
879-0320 Ext. 12
exec@redwoodglen.com
CAN
YOU HELP?
We're in
need of
a RV Travel
Trailer
Redwood
Glen is looking for a
RV travel trailer or 5th wheel for additional staff housing.
It must be self-contained, at least 25' to no longer than 40',
with at
least 1 tip-out, and in good condition. Ideally the owner would
be able
to generously donate the trailer and receive a tax-deductible
receipt. However we do have a small budget to purchase if needed.
Please contact Executive Director Jay Nordgaard at exec@redwoodglen.com.
We would like to place
this trailer on grounds the first week of June at the latest.
Looking for a week at camp this
summer?
WE
HAVE OPENINGS
The camping needs of groups shift and change. We still have dates
available:
July 20-25,
JUST OPENED July
25-27,
NEW August
3-8,
August 10-15,
August 17-22,
and August 24-27
If your church or youth organization is interested in any of the
above dates, email us at info@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 weeks away and with that, our SUMMER CAMPS and BIG 50th ANNIVERSARY! Are you ready? In
preparation, we look back this month at the blessing of the Horse Camps
at Redwood Glen. We highlight preparations of our facilities for
the summer, and feature the events of our 50th anniversary
celebrations.
If you are a Redwood Glen "fan," you do not want to miss this summer's ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMS on June 28th and July 12th, with our Celebration
Dinner on June 28th at 5:00 pm. Dinner reservations are confirmed
with your payment of $50 per person, with proceeds going towards the
50th fund for Camp Scholarships. Volunteer help is still needed,
including table hosts for 10 tables. More information is below.
If you would like to help in the
preparations, email us at 50th@redwoodglen.com.
As we look back on all that God has done over the last 50 years, we are
filled with praise. As we anticipate all that God will do in the
next 50, we hope to share it with the faithful support and prayers of
people like you! We hope that you will make plans to join us in
the redwoods this summer.
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:
YEE-HAW! HOWDY, KEMOSABI.
For many of us, images of summer camp at Redwood Glen include sleeping
bags, campfires, marshmallows, and of course, mosquitoes.
Horses, corrals, tee-pees, and feathers, however, tend to not be in the
picture. While these may not be the first thing that comes to
mind when it comes to camp, these were the cues a
generation ago that
camp had come, as Redwood Glen was transformed into
a ranch house and an Indian Point became an Indian village. For
over 15 years from the late 1970s until 1993, Horse Camps dominated the landscape
of Loma Mar.
 "There's no way
to measure the stress of pulling 15 horses and all their equipment down
Highway 1. To this day, around the same time of year, my daughter
and I have dreams about it," says Barbara
Regier, widow of the late Lee
Regier (pictured right),
the visionary, founder, and leader of the three camps - Western Camp
for youth, Maverick Camp for older elementary, and Pony
Camp for younger elementary.
With a nod to "cowpoke ways," Western Camp and Maverick Camp taught
basics of horse riding up at "the ranch" (aka main camp) to youth and
older elementary students respectively, while down at Indian Point,
Pony Camp honored the way of Native Americans, with younger elementary
age students living in tents and tee-pees.
 "Most
of the kids were city kids," reports Brad
Bettencourt, former director of Pony Camp (pictured left in the Indian headdress in
1988). For the campers at Pony Camp especially,
this was often their first exposure to horses, along with being their
first time away from home, sleeping in a tent, and as Brad adds, "using
a portapotty."
While the campers at "the ranch" were housed in cabins, all camps
taught young people how to ride, groom, and feed a horse. The
baseball field was transformed into an arena for shows, with the
archery range used as a corral for Pony Camp.
All the horses were transported from ContraCosta County, and came from
the Regier family, their friends and neighbors. Typically, 12-15
horses were brought to Redwood Glen, but in 1993, the final year of the
horse camps, 32 were brought on site.
Members of Trinity Baptist Church
in Concord, where Lee was pastoring at the time, provided much of the
leadership, with the entire family rallying together through the year
to support the camps. Wranglers from the Regier family ranch were
brought up to care for the horses, and built the corral used for the
camps.
"It was amazing how the camp was transformed into a ranch," says Tammie Veach, who served as youth
pastor for Lee at Trinity, which is now Chestnut Ave Community Church.
"The camps were Lee's baby. He was a visionary. He didn't
do anything that wasn't big."
Lee, who was from the mid-West and studied theater in college before
pastoring, also wrote the dramas for the camps. "Wrote" is
probably not the correct term however, as,
according to Tammie,
there were no scripts.
Lee would provide a rough sketch, and direct the entire production with
campers and horses, all from his head.
Down at Pony Camp, Brad recalls that the most exciting and inspiring
times were campfires when Lee would ride down to Indian Point on a
horse and tell a story about its life, and then relate it to the Bible
lesson for the day.
"Healing for kids was big for Lee," Tammie remembers, "especially kids
with an abusive past. Lee believed that a horse has the power to
heal. Camp was a place to find healing and provide an initial
introduction to Christ."
Tammie is amazed as she recalls the transformation that took place as
campers learned to trust a horse, trust others, and eventually trust
Christ. Recently, she met two women on two separate occasions who
were involved with the horse camps at Redwood Glen and shared how their
lives were changed.
Unfortunately, Lee died from a sudden heart attack in 1991.
Barbara and daughter Debbie continued
the horse camps for two more seasons. In his memory, the Chapel in the Woods was dedicated to
Lee, and the spruce tree near the flagpole was planted in his honor in
1993, the last year of the horse camps.
Though the horses may be gone, the memories live on, and life
transformation continues each summer through camping at Redwood
Glen. With all our 2008 camps near capacity for our 50th
anniversary, we look forward to many more stories of changed lives and
memories that will be created this summer which we pray will last a
lifetime.
If you have a
story from a Redwood Glen camp and would like us to feature it
in our historical room at our 50th anniversary celebrations, please
contact us at
news@redwoodglen.com by May 31.
For each picture and
story we receive, we will create a display similar
to the one featuring a 1971 memory
from Jill Altman (Click here to view.)
We hope that you will make plans to join us for our 50th anniversary celebrations on June 28th and July 12th. More information is
below.
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 50th
ANNIVERSARY -
TRIVIA QUESTION
As we celebrate 50 years of ministry at Redwood Glen this year through
2008, we have created a monthly trivia contest to test your knowledge
of the camp's history. Answer correctly and you could win a
Redwood Glen 50th anniversary momento.
Our
April question:
We
have two outdoor chapels: Sanctuary at Indian Point and the Chapel in
the Woods at main camp. To whom is the Chapel in the Woods
dedicated?
The answer: REV. LEE REGIER,
former pastor at Trinity Baptist in Concord (now, Chestnut Ave
Community Church), and visionary leader of the Western Camps at Redwood
Glen. (See article above
for more information.)
Lee passed in 1991 from a sudden heartattack. His wife, Barbara,
and daughter, Debbie Deruyte,
and her husband, currently make their homes in Oregon.
Congratulations to this month's triple
trivia winners:
- Suzi
Cassone of Martinez First Baptist Church
- Karen
Duran of Shell Ridge Community Church
- Denise
Miller, daughter of former Camp Managers, Ray & Romona
Miller, who was pictured last month in our article on Camp Boosters.
Our May
question:
Who created Sanctuary, the outdoor chapel at Indian Point, and has been
the visionary leader of Indian Point and Junior Adventure Camp since
the late 1960's?
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: Michael Donnelly
 Redwood
Glen's 50th anniversary this summer is a homecoming, as members of our
camp family gather in Loma Mar. Camping creates a sense of
family, but for staff member, Michael
Donnelly, Redwood Glen is literally, a "family."
Following in the footsteps of his cousin Alice, then his cousin Alex, then his brother John, and his other brother Carl and his wife Christina, with their kids Ariella and Isaac, Michael continues the
Donnelly family legacy of serving on staff at Redwood Glen.
Michael, who will celebrate his 3rd anniversary at camp this summer,
originally began as part of summer staff, but came on board full-time
about 2 years ago, serving first in the kitchen as a dishwasher, then
finding his place on the maintenance crew.
Currently working on our picnic area renovation to be completed by our
50th anniversary, Michael enjoys the many new skills he is
learning. Living at camp, he appreciates spending time with
his brother's family. He especially enjoys wrestling with his
nephew Isaac, who just turned 4. When not working and watching
Isaac, Michael enjoys music and cars.
Though it is hard being far from his extended family in Sanger,
where he was raised, Redwood Glen has become family. With
a teddy bear smile and a warm easy-going personality, Michael readily
extends himself in friendship. The relationships he
nurtured with the summer staff of 2006 have become especially memorable
for him.
Though he enjoys various locations around camp, the kitchen and staff
hallway are by far his favorite
places. Not only does he always find something to eat,
there is always someone with whom to chat, joke, and laugh.
According to his sister-in-law and camp cook Christina, the best thing
about Michael is that "he goes out of his way to make people smile,"
making the kitchen that much more warm and "the" place to be.
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Painting and preparing for the biggest bash in 50 years...
Thanks to Joe Wood (above left) and Wyman Chin (right), pictured with
Executive Director Jay Nordgaard
(center),
Smith Hall and Shepherd Lodge received a fresh coat of paint during the
last week of April. Both buildings are being spruced up for the
summer and the events to remember 50 years of ministry and service at
Redwood Glen.
While
Wyman, co-owner of Creative
Paints in San Francisco and a member of the 1967 Redwood Glen summer
staff, provided the materials and half the labor, Joe and his crew
provided the other half of the labor costs and the
painters. A BIG THANKS
to both for their generous donations!
Though a professional painting crew may have finished their work,
there's still plenty more work to be done to get Redwood Glen ready for
our 50th anniversary celebrations. Are you available to help?
Our annual Work Day is
scheduled for Saturday, May 31st.
Friday night accommodations, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch
will be provided. Church groups and individuals are invited to
join the party. There
are jobs for all ages and skill levels. We want Redwood Glen
looking its best, and hope you can join us that day.
Please let us know if you plan to come, if you're bringing a group, and
if there are specific skills to offer. E-mail workday@redwoodglen.com or call (650) 879-0320 x44 by Wednesday, May 28th.
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It's
time to...
 Join us as we celebrate 50 years of
ministry at Redwood Glen
SATURDAY,
JUNE 28th
11:00
Children's Music and Drama presentation, followed by BBQ lunch (tickets
required), camp tours, historical displays, swimming, and children's
activities through the afternoon.
3:30 pm
50th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM
5:00 pm
DINNER CELEBRATION (Space is limited to the first 200
participants. For reservation information, contact 50th@redwoodglen.com
or (650) 879-0320 ext 44.)
SATURDAY, JULY 12th
11:00
Youth Music And Drama presentation, followed by BBQ lunch (tickets
required), camp tours, historical
displays, swimming, and children's activities through the afternoon.
We need HOSTS for 10
tables! Responsibilities include welcoming your table
mates, asking some trivia questions, and helping pass out program
materials. Some churches, like Antioch
Baptist, Portola Baptist,
Sunnyvale
Presbyterian, and First
Chinese Baptist, are looking to fill an entire table of 8 from
their church. Would you come and invite others to join you?
We want a full house to share in this special occasion.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
include: parking crew, set-up crews, clean-up crews, lunch and dinner
servers, program ushers, dinner table and coffee hosts, camp store
assistance, bounce house supervisor, balloon animal artist, face
painter.
If you are available or need more information, contact 50th@redwoodglen.com
or (650) 879-0320 ext 44.
In
preparing the HISTORICAL
DISPLAYS for our 50th anniversary,
we are collecting pictures and
testimonies which tell the real story
of Redwood Glen. For each picture and
story we receive, we will create a display which will be featured at
our Open
Houses this summer, June 28 and July 12. Click here to see a sample
featuring a 1971 memory
from Jill Altman. Send your jpg picture and brief
testimony to news@redwoodglen.com by May 31st to be
featured in our anniversary display.
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
ANNUAL CAMP WORK DAY -- Saturday, May 31, 2008
Youth groups, fellowship groups,
churches, and individuals of all shapes and sizes are invited to Work
Day at Redwood Glen as we officially prepare the grounds and facilities
for a summer of celebration. Groups have the option of spending
Friday night at camp, or joining us for the day. A great opportunity for a
service project or training for a summer mission.
Email us for more information or
to let us know of your interest.
2008 SUMMER CAMPS -- "Rockin' on the
Rock" - Check our website for more information.
OPEN HOUSE and 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS -- Saturday,
June 28th & July 12th
PASTORS SABBATH weeks -- June 15-20 and June 29-July 4,
2008
A time of rest and vacation for
pastors and their families. A limited number of rooms are
still available in our Siden Conference Center for $50 per room for the
entire week.
Email
us to make your reservation. |
| For more information about our events
or facilities, email us at info@redwoodglen.com |
Redwood
Glen REFLECTIONS
This
monthly e-newsletter is 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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