Search PNC News for stories of people and churches in our UCC Conference:

 

N-Sid Sen directors tell how camp is part of their lives

Mark Boyd, managing director at N-Sid-Sen, spoke at Annual Meeting about participants owning the camp.

Mark Boyd speaks at Annual Meeting about camp “ownership.”

N-Sid-Sen has been building interest in the summer camps with Facebook postings by 2019 camp directors.

Leda Zakarison, who is co-directing Junior High Aqua Camp at N-Sid-Sen, first attended camp there as a toddler with her mother, Kristine Zakarison, of Community Congregational UCC in Pullman, who was counseling.

Since then she attended camp as a camper, counselor-in-training, counselor and summer staff.

“At camp, I have experienced what it means to be in real community—to discover our values together, to challenge one another to grow and learn together, and to live out our values in the ways we treat one another and ourselves,” said Leda.

Along the way, she has met some of her best friends, learned campfire songs, and become passionate about doing crafts. 

“This summer, I’m excited to be part of the community that we’ll build together. We will explore and grow through laughter, crafts, shared meals, singing, conversation, maybe a few tears, and of course lots of time playing in the sun. 

After graduating from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Leda moved to Seattle to participate in the year-long UCC Justice Leadership Program, working at Earth Ministry, a nonprofit that empowers faith communities to advocate for environmental justice.

Now a member at Prospect UCC in Seattle, she works as a nanny.

Bruce Wilson, who will be directing Emerging Adult Camp at N-Sid-Sen July 19-21, first went to camp, Camp Uskichitto, a Methodist Camp in Leblanc, La., when he was in the seventh grade.  

“It was a magical place,”  he said. “Camp has always been a place of experiencing God in community. It is where I have met friends who talk about the messages of Jesus and reflect on the impact it could have in the world,” said Bruce who is an ordained minister in the PNC, a board certified chaplain, mental health therapist and aspiring spiritual director in Tacoma.

“I am still excited about people coming together to form community, for a weekend or a week, to live intentionally and draw closer to themselves and their faith,” said Bruce. 

Mark Boyd, managing director at N-Sid-Sen, reinforces that community happens at N-Sid-Sen, whose name means “Point of Inspiration.”

“The Point of Inspiration is gathering of community for community within community,” he said.  “It’s time to come together as church to know more than in coffee hour, to discuss how to deal with the rest of the world.”

Speaking at Annual Meeting to delegates of PNC churches, he made the point that “we do not have ‘outside groups,’ but have partners.”

That understanding changes how “we see what the site is and has brought an increase ownership among the partners,” Mark said.  “That includes inviting partners to give, reminding them as PNC users that it’s your camp.”

Some of those groups include Unitarian Universalist senior high youth, two Montessori schools, a week-long SUFI group and, the largest, a Lady of the Lake Dance group has been coming for years.

He said UCC groups are reserving for retreats, too.

Capital improvements for 2019 include building shelters for overnight use on the east side of the highway and an improved well in cove.

Mark told of developing a management plan for the property’s timber, creeks, wetlands, waterfront and sacred spaces.

“We need to log the landscape to manage it” he said, telling of taking out diseased trees.  “Areas where we took out timber, we are planting larch and white pine.

For information, call 208-689-3489, email mark@n-sid-sen.org or visit n-sid-sen.org.

Youth camps at N-Sid-Sen focus on ‘Peace Works’

Campers for 2019 youth and family summer camps at N-Sid-Sen will focus reflections around the theme, “Peace Works - Empowering the Next Generation of Peacemakers.”

Kaila Russell of the Outdoor Ministries Committee said campers will consider peace as a prayer and as life’s work. They will look at stories of peace and justice in Scripture.

The Intermediate Camp is July 7 to 13 led by Stephen Hadden and Kaila. Junior High Aqua Camp, the same week, is led by Leah Atkinson Bilinski and Leda Zakarison.

Eric Anderson directs the Kids Camp, July 14 to 17, overlapping a few days with Senior High Camp, July 14 to 20. Cory Mclay and Anna Colwell lead Senior High Camp.

Other camp directors are Bruce Wilson for the Emerging Adult Camp, July 19 to 21; Amy Johnson and Ryan Lambert for Family Camp 1, which will be July 28 to Aug. 3, and Janet Malley for Family Camp 2 (Camp Together), which will be Aug. 4 to 10.

Register at https://www.ultracamp.com/info/sessionDetail.aspx.

 

 

Pacific NW UCC News - Copyright © Summer 2019

 

Share this article on your favorite social media