News & Updates

This year, The Lights of Christmas is celebrating its 20th year! There will be lots of celebration and plenty of fun. While the event doesn’t open till December 1st, the crew that hangs all those lights is already hard at work. It takes about three months to get the Christmas lights in place! An event like this doesn’t just happen by itself. It takes lots of planning and a lot of help to make it all come together! During October ...

I listened as he unpacked events in his life that were not fair. I wanted to take care of it for him, but this was his life, not mine. I was here to walk with him through a disappointment brought on him by others. After taking some time to think and pray about it, we went to my favorite place of perspective, the campfire, and I spoke words of blessing and encouragement into his life. We reminded each other that ...

Responding to Vision matters. I will never forget the first meeting with Andrew and Michele. It was a simple vision that would require collaboration and commitment. I had clear conviction and desire from God to see a family camp for foster and adoptive families. Michele and Andrew have been living out a commitment to the health of foster and adoptive families through the Refresh Conference, Harvest Hands Alliance, The Permanence Project, Overlake Christian Church, and being adoptive parents themselves. We ...

From left to right: Charles Kirkpatrick, Stanley Watkins, Forest Bush Sr., S.E. FosketIn the mid 1950’s, a group of people launched an incredible vision to build Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center. The leaders of the Washington Conference of the Free Methodist denomination came together to sell two small camps that were going to be overtaken by the construction of I-5. The vision they pursued was multiple times the scope of what was being given up. Two small properties for ...

Here is the latest news on the Camp’s current projects: Work continues on the refurbishment project in Cedar Lodge Chapel. New windows and exterior doors have been installed, and the interior walls have been refinished. The last two family restrooms are now finished. Work still in progress includes the new audio/visual systems, new chairs, a snack counter, and possibly lighting and ceiling paint. This is the final project of the Embracing the Vision Campaign that provided funding for the new ...

Saturday, August 27, 2016 The seventeenth annual Kids 2 Camp Benefit Auction is just a few weeks away! This fun and important event raises funds for the Kids 2 Camp Scholarship Fund, helping make it possible for kids to go to camp. Last year, the auction raised more than $111,000! This year, you will find some incredible items in the auctions, including lots of great gift items, some real “finds,” and even some nice get-away experiences. There’s something for everyone ...

Volunteerism has been an important part of Warm Beach Camp since its inception. In the early years, there was only one paid staff couple. The kitchen, program and hospitality staff were comprised solely of volunteers. Many of the original buildings were constructed using mostly volunteer labor. As WBC has grown, so has its volunteer family. There has been a slow but steady increase in participation from 30,150 hours in 2008 to 50,916 hours in 2015. Today’s volunteers participate in nearly ...

August 27, 2016 Warm Beach Camp helped more than 1,600 campers attend camp last year who would otherwise have been left out. This is possible only because of the generous financial help from many people. This year, the Camp is offering a new way to come alongside and help raise funds for Kids 2 Camp. It is the Kids 2 Camp Benefit Run scheduled for August 27 at WBC. The Benefit Run Schedule: 7:00 am - Packet pick-up7:30 am - ...

A young couple got out of their car, just arriving for camp, and walked up the sidewalk to Cedar Lodge. He turned to her and said, “I feel like I am coming home.” There is a desire in all of us to feel like we are coming home. The descriptions of “home” may vary from person to person. Unconditional love, acceptance, certain types of food, relationships, traditions, a place and space that feeds the soul, are all parts that make ...

Sometimes people get hit so hard in life that their heart and emotions simply close up and become hard, defensive and protective of self at almost any cost. If you are in this situation, or helping someone in this situation, there are two things to know: Just one meaningful connection: It only takes one meaningful connection between a person with a closed heart and someone or something else to begin to open up the heart again. ONLY ONE. The connection ...

Much of the work of ministry at Warm Beach Camp consists of preparing the way for others to experience rest, renewal, and re-connection. With good preparation, guests are able to fully enter into the purposes for which they come. Scripture exhorts us to bear one another’s burdens and thus live out the love taught by Jesus. We do this for each group that comes on the grounds as we prepare clean facilities, good food, and fun activities. Recently, the Lakeland ...

As a parent, we never know when the meaningful moment is going to come with our kids. These moments we treasure, where all of the sudden we are in the middle of something special, memorable, humorous or tender. The beautiful part is that we are in it together, with our kids. We can’t plan them, or create them on demand. What we can do is spend time together. One thing is true, these moments are only experienced when we are ...

One of the great wins Warm Beach Camp has given to me as a Dad are the Dad & Me Weekends. These weekends are all about a great time with my sons and daughters with all of the fun and ease of great camp experiences... On Friday after a good dinner, enjoy a night swim. Meet the challenge of the human whirlpool. If you have some energy left, take each other on in mini golf under the stars. Or, enjoy ...

Lisa shares more about her life in New Zealand and her heart’s desire to impact lives through a horsemanship experience. Q:  What were some of your influences growing up? A: My parent’s worked at camps while I was growing up. Having so many fun activities, like horses, right in your backyard is so cool. We moved around a lot so I got to experience a number of different camps. It is interesting to see how different camps operate and how ...

My wife Bev and I were walking down one of the beautiful trails at Warm Beach Camp praying our way through the people and ministry we love so much. Something became clear in our time of prayer: No matter what occurs in our life, the response of God is to bring good to all of it. It’s easy to say, but think of all the pieces of hurt and misunderstanding we can hold on to. Think of all the injustice ...

The Partners in Ministry Annual Appreciation Event There is just a little time left to make your reservations to attend the Partners in Ministry Dinner. Please give us the opportunity to say thank you, to share what we’ve done with your investments of time and money, and to take a look at where God is leading us. Be our guests on Saturday, May 7, at 6 pm in the Camp’s Program Center Auditorium for a delicious supper, and special music by ...

The refurbishment of Cedar Lodge Chapel has finally begun. New larger windows have been installed in the CL Chapel wall that faces the Program Center, and new siding is going on the exterior. Work will continue around the exterior walls until all three sides have been completed. Inside, the interior walls will be refinished and a new snack bar area and audio/visual systems are being installed. A movable platform will replace the fixed one, providing more flexibility in the configuration ...

In 1973, a strapping young Military welder met a “cute little sailor” who was a secretary in the Security Department at the Whidbey Island Naval base. Danny and Nellie Buckland got married in the chapel on the base, and the rest is history. The couple recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary. Upon retiring both Danny and Nellie agreed that they would prefer to serve the Lord over spending their time doing as they pleased. The couple agreed that they would ...

Here is the latest news on the Camp’s current projects: Volunteers are busy with the painting project at the Stables. They are working on the Stables office/snack shop and vaulting barrel gym. When they finish these two buildings, all of the buildings at the Stables and Bayview will have a fresh look. Thank you, volunteers! The repair work on the end-wall in the Cedar Lodge Dining Room is finished! The new windows are larger, and the exterior doors and new ...

About a week ago while walking to work, I saw a young lady who was obviously lost. She was standing at one of the Camp crossroads frantically looking at the signs and was obviously debating where in the world she was supposed to go. I approached her and asked if I could help her with anything. She turned around and the first thing out of her mouth was, “Arrow?!?” I suddenly became a bit panicked as I couldn’t place who ...