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More than 500 attend 2016 camps at Pilgrim Firs and N-Sid-Sen

By Kyna Grace Schilling of the Outdoor Ministries Task Force

More than 500 people came to Pilgrim Firs on Lake Flora near Port Orchard, Wash., and N-Sid-Sen on Lake Coeur d’Alene north of Harrison, Idaho, this summer.

Teens build benches and bridge, new counselors offer leadership. Photo courtesy of Max Aquino

With the theme “Fearless Faith: Courage In Community” summer campers shared Bible stories and stories from their own lives about standing up for injustice, forgiving others and welcoming strangers.

Campers shared the joy of community, rest, relaxation and, above all, fun!

In a recent New York Times article about summer camp, author Dominique Browning writes “the most profound vacations are the ones in which we reinvent ourselves.”

Did you reinvent yourself at camp this summer? We want to hear about it.

Campers with summer camp memories, stories and insights to share may connect with Pilgrim Firs and N-Sid-Sen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They can also stay connected @N_Sid_Sen and @PilgrimFirs.

Teens build benches and bridge, new counselors offer leadership

Tony Kliment, who co-directed Senior High Aqua Camp at N-Sid-Sen with Sheila Thiema, said campers at N-Sid-Sen did a service project, building two benches beside trails and a bridge over a drainage area on the trail to Inspiration Point.

They used planks from trees cut in February and March and made the benches by digging holes for posts and attaching the planks. They also helped spread wood chips from the trees on the trails.

About 32 campers came, and five counselors were former campers.

Tony, formerly at Westminster UCC in Spokane and now in Seattle, and Sheila of Veradale UCC were glad to see the young people coming back as counselors, so there can eventually be a “changing of the guard” in camp leadership.

He said the Young Adult retreat led by Max Aquino and Jennifer Towner at Pilgrim Firs also helps build momentum for future leadership.

For information, call 206-963-8983.

Clergy retreat set Nov. 14-16

Every year, there are two clergy retreats. A non-programmed, reflective one at N-Sid-Sen after Easter and a programmed one at Pilgrim Firs.

This year’s Nov. 14 to 16 Pilgrim Firs retreat will focus on the message behind the “Be The Church” identity campaign and will include discussion of how churches can measure their activities.

Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, head of the national UCC Center for Analytics, Research and Data, will be the presenter, helping numbers come alive.

Between workshop sessions will be time for rest, conversations, hikes in the woods or canoeing on Lake Flora.