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Pilgrim Firs and N-Sid-Sen gear up for summer

Pilgrim Firs adds a raised bed to its garden space, top. Work campers put in foundation for retaining wall at labyrinth at Pilgrim Firs, middle. Jim Grunewald of St. Paul’s UCC and Bob Jenkins of Kirkland UCC make an old table look like a new one, bottom. Photos courtesy of Pilgrim Firs

Mark Boyd, managing director of Pilgrim Firs Camp and Conference Center at Port Orchard, returned from sabbatical to find a crazy, busy schedule and a new website.

Eleven came to a Work Camp from March 24 to 26 to prepare Pilgrim Firs for the summer when the You & Me and Kids Camps will be held there from July 6 to 9.

You & Me Camp is for those entering grades one to four with an adult and Kids Camp is for grades two to four.

All the other children’s, youth and family camps will be held at N-Sid-Sen on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The Women’s Retreat at N-Sid-Sen is May 16 to 18.

Intermediate Camp for grades five to six and Junior High Camp for grades seven to nine are held July 13 to 19. Camp experiences will include canoeing, paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, hiking, team building, crafts, campfires, worship, “wacky games and star gazing.”

Sharing N-Sid-Sen the week of July 20 to 26 with the Senior High Camp for grades 10 to 12 will be You & Me Camp July 20 to 23 and Kids Camp July 23 to 26. Senior high camp will have extra time at the waterfront with activities listed above, along with worship, crafts and interaction with the younger campers.

Family Camps, which are July 27 to Aug. 2 and Camp Together is Aug. 2 to 8. They include all ages and family configurations, with waterfront time, morning watch, campfires, porch time and more.

The UCC Northwest Regional Women’s Retreat is Nov. 7 to 9 at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson with registration at nrwr.org.

Our Whole Lives facilitators trainings will be held Nov. 21 to 23 at Pilgrim Firs, offering comprehensive sexuality education.

Mark said his three-month sabbatical was personal and included working on poetry, giving him time for renewal to return to camp.

“The camps are vital for times like these. People need a place to step away,” he said, saddened that Canadians who often participate in the Northwest Stone Sculptors and with the Guitar Camp would not be coming this year.

At the camp during mid-March was a silent Sufi retreat. When arriving, he said campers expressed their need to step away and breathe.

“Pilgrim Firs is a sacred space for our folks, with more churches signing up to come with other churches to come for retreats this spring,” he said.

The new website was created by Zach Norenberg, assistant director at Pilgrim Firs, Ben Crosby, a retired UCC minister who lives in Wallace and attended N-Sid-Sen as a child and Shirley Asmussen, a member of Fauntleroy UCC who serves on the Outdoor Ministry Committee.

Mark directed clergy and congregation members to use the “Helpful Suggestions to Promote YOUR Camps” at n-sid-sen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Promote-Your-Camp-2025.01.18.pdf.

The flier encourages planning a Camp Sunday in April, inviting congregation members personally to camp, sharing personal testimonies of camp, use camp music, invite guests from Pilgrim Firs, N-Sid-Sen or Outdoor Ministries Committee, post the camp schedule around the building, invite low-income neighbors, have a special offering and more.

There is a new two-minute promotional video for the PNC-UCC camps at n-sid-sen.org/summer-camp. It shares stories of people developing relationships in a sacred space that changes lives.

For information on promoting the camps visit n-sid-sen.org or pilgrim-firs.org.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church News Copyright © April 2025

 

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