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Redwood
Glen Newsletters
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The
latest news and events at Redwood Glen
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April 2009
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WELCOME
OUR MISSION:
"To
Reflect Christ through Serving Others"
A WORD FROM OUR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Every
spring in the planter in front of my house
there are two Easter lily plants that bloom with brilliant white
flowers
proclaiming new life. They begin to poke
out of the ground during winter and then shoot up and bloom right
around Easter
time.
These flowers are annual
reminders to me of the
new beginnings and new life offered through Jesus Christ. Out
of what appears to be barren ground comes
forth life that explodes in spectacular brilliance.
About
15 years ago, the San Joaquin Outdoor
Education science camp program expanded from Camp Jones Gulch to also
include
Redwood Glen as one of two sites. This
has given us 24-31 weeks of science camp during the school year and
provided
funding for a larger year-round staff.
Over
these years the numbers have been up and
down, but recently the projected numbers for the 2009-2010 school years
showed
the need for only one site and the decision was made to consolidate the
program
back to Jones Gulch.
So
now we face, like so many other ministries
and businesses, the need to restructure staff to meet the needs of our
weekend
groups and week-long camps during the summer.
Our weekend retreat and
week-long summer camp
groups will still have our year-round staff to greet them, serve
wonderful and
delicious food, and maintain our various buildings to the level of
quality they
have come to expect here.
As has always been the case, we need people like
you to volunteer and become an extension of our year-round ministry
team so we can serve our groups at an even higher level.
The need for a special place like Redwood Glen
has not diminished at all and especially during these tough economic
times
people need a place to come away from the distractions of life to be
able to
experience renewal, refreshment, and reflection of what a great and
loving God
we have. Out of the barren ground of
difficult economic times God brings to bloom new life.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers for our
ministry here. I hope to see many of you
at our annual Work Day on Saturday, May 30 from
8:30am-4:30pm.
Come help us prepare Redwood Glen for the summer
camp season when many children and youth will experience "new life" in
Christ. Truly together we can make a difference in
the lives of many individuals and impact our cities, our nation, and
our world
for Christ.
Jay
E. Nordgaard,
Executive
Director
(650)
879-0320 Ext. 12
exec@redwoodglen.com
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OUR
MINISTRY LINKS
Join us for an
"INDESCRIBABLE"
week this summer at Redwood Glen
(Click the above link for more
information or to
register for
one of our summer camps.)
Children's MAD
Camp
June 22-27
Discovery Camp
June 14-19
Jr. Adventure
Camp
July 6-11
Jr. High Camp
July 13-17
Me and Mom/Dad
August 15-16
Sr. High Camp (NEW)
July 13-17
Youth MAD Camp
July 6-11
HEARD THE NEWS?
We're launching a NEW Sr.
High Camp this summer.
See article to the right. Register today and bring a friend!
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Hello Friend of Redwood Glen
WELCOME to the monthly online-newsletter of Redwood Glen, your local
Bay Area Christian Camp and Conference Center.
 As the weather
warms and new growth is coloring the trees and the forest, spring has
sprung and for us in camping, plans are underway as the countdown to
summer has begun.
Founded as a ministry to serve local area churches, Redwood Glen is
committed to our mission of reflecting Christ through serving
others. For over 50 years, we have worked with pastors and church
leaders to build God's people in their faith, and this summer, we
celebrate our 50th summer of camps for children and youth.
Reaching today's youth may be a challenge, but camping has a long
history of forging strong faith commitments and spiritually nurturing
new life and new growth in the lives of young people. As you
strive to reach out to your community, consider partnering with Redwood
Glen and sending your young people to a week of camp. It can make
a world of difference.
This month we feature a new camp designed for high schoolers. We
encourage you to check it out along with the many other week-long camps
we have for children and youth. Click here for more information.
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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REACHING
TODAY'S YOUTH: Redwood Glen's NEW
Sr. High Camp
"No Child Left Inside" is the vision
for Redwood Glen as we continue our legacy as a Christian camping
ministry.
Though we celebrated 50 years in 2008, we commemorate our 50th year of
camping this summer in 2009. While the property in Loma Mar was
purchased in 1958 by the San Francisco Bay Cities American Baptist
Union (ABU), it took a year for the grounds to be readied for
groups.
 Having
outgrown rented camp
facilities, the Camp Committee of the Union
prayerfully sought a property which would meet the growing needs of
their
growing camping ministry.
From second issue of
Redwood Glen's first newsletter, we discover the camp's purpose and
ministry
intentions: "Sensing a
responsibility for boys and girls and young people who would never be
able to
come under the influence of a Christian camp because of the lack of
room and
time, the Camp Committee
dared to dream a dream. The dream took on the proportions of
faith - and
God has rewarded their faith today with the beautiful campsite of
redwoods in San Mateo
county."
The original vision of the camp - a 1959 rendering of "No Child Left Inside."
 The first camp at Redwood
Glen that first summer of 1959 was a new Senior High Fellowship
Builders Camp, which was different from the annual ABU Senior High
Christian Life Conference which would continue in rented facilities at
the Oakland Y camp until 1963.
The purpose of the Fellowship Builders Camp was to combine for high
schoolers the opportunity to live and work together in Christian
community, which included preparing the campsite for the upcoming weeks
of camp, similar to our current volunteer Work Day. The
Fellowship Builder Camp continued until 1963 when the large Senior High
Conference officially relocated to Redwood Glen and a second Senior
High Conference was added to accommodate the increasing numbers.
Unfortunately, interest in
Senior High camps waned during the 1970s, but innovative camp leaders
continued ministry to high schoolers through "specialized" camps like
Western Camp, which ran from the late 1970s until 1993, and Youth Music
And Drama camp (YMAD), which began in 1983 and continues with its 26th
year in 2009.
This summer, Redwood Glen is relaunching a "non-specialized" camp for
high schoolers, those who have completed 9th through 12th grades by
June 2009. In other words, "no drama or musical interest is
needed." No final performance which needs to be rehearsed.
Directed by two former Redwood Glen summer camp staff alums who also
led Senior High Camps at Sierra Pines, Redwood Glen's NEW Sr. High Camp will be held July 13-17 and promises to be a week
full of fun, fellowship, and faith formation.
"I think it's gonna be a hoot," says co-director, Darin Elquist, former YMAD staff and
now youth pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Sparks, NV. "The
kids are gonna have an opportunity to encounter Christ - a real
experience encounter. We want kids to know that it's not about
your smile and the things you say. It's about who you are.
The whole thing is going to be fantastic."
For Rodney Owens, youth pastor
at Crosswalk Community Church in Napa and the 2007 speaker at Jr. HIgh
Camp -- "I want to see kids come to Christ, to show them Christ,
and get them to a point where they can say, 'I don't know everything,
but this Jesus guy is OK and I want to make that commitment today.'"
While challenging youth to consider Christ and make a faith commitment
is an important part of camp, both Darin and Rodney recognize that it's
not the end all. "I also want to see kids leave camp with the
systems in place to keep their life going," Darin says. "That's
my main goal."
Rodney underscores that, noting how having youth pastors at camp with
their kids fosters that transition from camp to the church. It's
all about a partnership in ministry, reaching youth for Christ and
getting them on the road of faith for a lifetime. "Camp is the
building block of everything else," he says. "I think it is very
valuable and a small price that can branch out to more than just one
thing or one sport."
"Unlike football camp or a football career, Christ is forever," Darin
says. "And if you have to choose, choose the one that is eternal."
For high school students today, summer opportunities may abound, but it
is not too late to register for a Christian camp, whether Redwood
Glen's NEW Senior High Camp or our widely popular Music And Drama Camp
for senior and junior high youth. Registration also continues for
our children and junior high camps. Click here for more information.
For this first year, Darin says, "Whether there's 12 kids or 50 kids,
it's going to be great." Come, Rodney adds, "you'll get to do
something that you'll remember for a lifetime."
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Planning
an event this summer? Redwood Glen has open dates.
Because the
camping needs of groups shift and change, the following 2009 dates have
opened up. Contact us for more information at info@redwoodglen.com.
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Friday-Sunday, July 17-19
- Sunday-Friday, July 19-24
- Friday-Sunday, July 24-26
- Sunday-Friday, August 2-7
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Sunday-Friday, August 9-14
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Sunday-Friday, August 23-28
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Friday-Sunday, August 28-30
And
remember, through our REFERRAL PROGRAM, you can save $250 off your next Redwood Glen event if you
refer a group and they book a first time event with us. They also
will save $250 their event. For more details, contact us at (650)
879-0320.
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PARTNERING WITH
PASTORS: Pastor's Sabbath Week
Through Metamorphosis, Redwood Glen's
ministry to church leaders, we are excited to again offer a special
week of rest and renewal for pastors and their families.
Reservations are being taken for our 2009 Pastor's Sabbath
- June 14-19.
This is an opportunity for pastors to bring their spouse and children
to experience a low-cost getaway, among the majestic redwoods, near the
beautiful California coast. Enjoy accommodations in our Siden
Conference Center with motel-style rooms for only $50 for the
week. Meals are available for a donation.
Call or email us for more information or to reserve a room at (650)
879-0320 or info@redwoodglen.com. (If you need a break before summer,
contact us about a personal retreat. Spouses are welcome, too!)
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UPCOMING EVENTS
WORK
DAY Saturday, May 30th 8:30-4:30 pm
A wonderful
service project opportunity for a youth group, a church, your family,
or simply yourself as we prepare the buildings and grounds for the
summer camp rush. Overnight accommodations are available.
Please email
or call us (650) 879-0320 to let us know you are coming.
SUMMER
OPEN HOUSES
Saturday,
June 27th and July 11th begins 10:30 am
Make plans to join us for our two annual
open house events which feature a barbecue lunch (tickets available for
purchase), activities for children, swimming in the pool, tours of the
facilities, and musical performances by Children's Music And Drama camp
(6/27) and Youth Music And Drama camp (7/11). For more
information and to pre-order your luncheon tickets, email or call
us (650)879-0320.
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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. 14
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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