REDWOOD GLEN & YOU: Partnering for effective ministry

We hear it everyday in the news.  Times are tough.  Money is tight.  People are anxious.  Companies are laying off.  Churches are watching their budgets.  Ministries are struggling as everyone is trying to make ends meet.  Our mission at Redwood Glen is to reflect Christ by serving others, and now more than ever, we are here to help.  We are here to serve.

Through the centuries, the testimony of God's people speaks of the renewal that is found by leaving the chaos of life and retreating to creation to find rest and renewal.  Moses found it in the crag of a rock  (Ex 33:22).  Elijah found it on the mountain (1 Kings 19:8); Jesus in a garden (Mark 14:32).  And for the last 50 years, countless women and men, girls and boys, young and old have found it at Redwood Glen.

The simple beauty of the flora, the hidden mystery of the fauna, the quiet trickle of the creek, the enduring strength of the trees -- all tell of the wonders of God who created the natural world around us to instill us with faith, hope, and love.

While most people enjoy the splendor of Redwood Glen at a summer camp or weekend retreat, there are ways to experience the blessings of camp year round.

Here are the top 10 ways you can partner with Redwood Glen:

1. Organize an event for your ministry.  The best way to find rest among the redwoods is to be among them.  Though some may regard a retreat as a "luxury," it really must become a "budgeted necessity" for those who recognize the peace that comes when we make space for God in our lives.  If your group does not have a retreat scheduled, call us and our Guest Services staff would love to help you get started.  Redwood Glen has multiple openings available, including whole weeks in the summer for a youth or children's camp.  Scroll below for more dates and details.     

2. Volunteer.  Our summer program camps are still looking for counselors, nurses, speakers, and pastors, along with leaders for music and crafts.  If you are interested or would like more information, please email us.  If working with kids is not in your volunteerism alley, call or email us and we would love to talk with you about how you can use your talents and your time to serve the camp.  And don't forget, Redwood Glen is a great service project opportunity for a church, small group, or fellowship.

3. Make plans to join us for Work Day.  Saturday, May 30th has been set aside as our annual Redwood Glen Work Day.  More information will be featured next month, but now is a good time to mark it on your calendar and organize a group to spend the day getting down and dirty with us.

4. Sign your child up for camp.  Each summer, Redwood Glen sponsors a variety of week-long resident camps for children and youth.  Slots are still available in all of our camps, including our NEW Senior High Camp, which will be featured next month in this e-newsletter.  Click here for more information.

5. Find out more about our Pastor Sabbath week and pastor personal retreats.  Pastors work hard and serve hard.  At Redwood Glen, we recognize that and honor their ministries by offering them special sabbath opportunities.  If you are a pastor, or if you would like to give your pastor the gift of a retreat, email us for more details.  Scroll down for more information on our annual Pastor Sabbath week.

6. Surf the web and support Redwood Glen.  Just launched: Be one of the first to add this to your internet toolbar!  If you begin to use goodsearch.com as your internet search engine and select "Redwood Glen Camp and Conference Center" as your charity, Redwood Glen will get a penny for each search you make.  Though a penny sounds small, searches do add up.  Powered by Yahoo!, the GoodSearch results are just as thorough as any other site, but comes with the added satisfaction of knowing you've supported the camp as well.  GoodSearch also features GoodShop where a portion of your online purchases will support Redwood Glen rather than an advertiser.  Check it out at www.goodsearch.com and begin to use it today!   Download instructions on how to use GoodSearch to support Redwood Glen here.

7. Refer a friend.  If Redwood Glen has been a blessing to you or your group, tell a friend!  And if your friend books a first-time event with us, through our Refer A Friend program, their group will receive $250 off, and so will yours!   What you need to do is download our Refer A Friend cards, give completed cards to friends, and have them present one to us when making a reservation for a first time event.  It's that simple, and is a win-win-win for everyone!!    

8. Join our Charles R. Shepherd Legacy Circle.  Launched at our 50th anniversary, the Legacy Circle recognizes those who have included Redwood Glen in their estate plans. It is dedicated to Dr. Shepherd in remembrance of his ministry with Chung Mei Home, which provided seed money for the purchase of Redwood Glen upon its sale.  Redwood Glen wants to continue the legacy of Dr. Shepherd by ensuring that all have opportunity to come to camp, but more importantly, all  have opportunity to know the love of God found through faith in Christ.  For more information on how you can be part of the Legacy Circle, contact Executive Director, Jay Nordgaard.   

9. Make a monthly or annual financial gift to the camp.   As a non-profit Christian ministry, Redwood Glen is supported through donors and through the income of our guest groups.  While no one likes to beg for money, during these challenging economic times, Redwood Glen, like other support-based organizations, is watching the budget, cutting expenditures, and encouraging our supporters to financially support our ministry.  There is a domino effect on the camp as church members lose jobs, as churches experience lean times, as retreat numbers are reduced and events canceled. 

10. Pray for us.   The most important thing you can do for Redwood Glen during these challenging financial times is to pray.  Please add Redwood Glen to your church prayer lists.  Pray for us in your personal devotional times.  Uplift us in prayer at your fellowship events.  We know that God hears our prayers.

God is good all the time.  Thus, we are certain that through the partnership we share with you, and through our trust in the goodness of God, we will ride out this storm, knowing that the God who has brought us through the first 50 years will see us through the next.  

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not worry about your life; what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you."  (See Luke 12:22-31)