Region’s summer camps designed in many models

N-Sid-Sen donates used mattresses to Family Promise of Spokane

Volunteers load mattresses on truck for Family Promise.

The Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ recently bought new mattresses for beds at both N-Sid-Sen on the east shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene and at Pilgrim Firs near Port Orchard.  Over the last year, the conference raised $75,000 for the mattresses.

Recently, N-Sid-Sen gave 70 used mattresses to Family Promise of Spokane and seeks another recipient, said Mark Boyd, managing director at N-Sid-Sen.

The two camps in the past have both offered traditional, summer-time, one-week, age-group camps with volunteer directors and counselors.  That is the approach again this year on both sites, except that the senior high campers who come to Pilgrim Firs will be transported to N-Sid-Sen.  In 2018, both the senior high camp in July and junior high camp in August will be at N-Sid-Sen.  Kids and intermediate camps will continue to be offered at both sites.

The camps will transition to a model with Pilgrim Firs as a site for youth mission camps.  Because summer breaks in Western Washington vary, it has been hard to set dates for traditional camps.

So Wade Zick, managing director of Pilgrim Firs, is contacting Kitsap County agencies addressing housing, the environment and other justice issues to secure projects for 2018.  Congregations will bring youth and adults to do mission projects with Pilgrim Firs as the base camp.  After doing community service for part of the day, participants will return to Pilgrim Firs for afternoon and evening activities and reflection.

Both camps are encouraging congregations to come for multi-age retreats, aware that when children and youth form significant relationships with older people in a church, they tend to stay connected to the church.  Connections happen when they are together to pray, play and just be together on retreats, said Mark.

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

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