News & Updates

Chapter Four:The Tough Years: To Stay the Course--Daring Faith, Struggle, and Strategy! By 1962, seven years had passed since the historic decision in 1955 to launch into the unknown territory of creating a new Christian camping center. Seven tough, stretching years! There were times of great jubilation ... like when the "Warm Beach property" became available and when the members of the parent Free Methodist Conference swung behind the venture. There were also periods of faith-testing ... like the oftentimes ...

Chapter Three:Construction Years - Facility Development & Program Deadlines! The years 1955 to 1958 were the years of search, site selection, and shaping of the new Camp/Conference Center by the Free Methodist Conference. There was a powerful surge of energy and enthusiasm generated. If the activity of those years seemed frenetic and intense, the construction period - 1958-1962 - became even more so. Reading through the records of dozens of meetings almost takes one's breath away! There were several reasons: ...

Chapter Two: A New Camp is Born - Challenges, Struggles and Victories! On January 11, 1956 the Relocation Committee of the Free Methodist Conference, under the chairmanship of Rev. Forest Bush, made the decision to purchase the "Warm Beach Property" as the site for a new Christian Camp Center. This process took just 167 days after the Relocation Committee was created. But it is one thing to make a major decision and quite another to do the strategic planning and ...

Before the turn of the century, Free Methodists were already strong believers in camping. Their early camp meetings were usually ten days or longer, centering on revival meetings held in large tent "tabernacles." For over 50 years, Free Methodists in the Pacific Northwest enjoyed a variety of rustic campgrounds operated by the Washington Conference, located in sites such as Burlington and Tacoma, as well as Sunnyside and other central Washington locations. A dream was born to have a modern Christian ...

by Joanie Yonker, Executive Assistant "Keeping the Path Clear to the Cross" is happening in more and more exciting and unusual ways at Warm Beach Camp. When people think of Warm Beach Camp, what do they think of? Yes, camp, of course! Day Camp is one of the staples of Warm Beach Camp's summer programs. It's been around for years and is still a very viable way for reaching children, grades K-6. "Day Camp is one of the most front ...

Come Away As I travel around the Pacific Northwest, I see people fragmented by the various responsibilities in their lives. They need to get away. There seems to be no "margin" in their lives at all. They move from thing to thing and activity to activity with no rest or relaxation to call their own. Even technology invades our lives, and our response to it piles more on rather than creating space for rest. Our world demands more, more, more, ...

You've driven by it lots of times and probably never even noticed it. The little cottage that sits near the Camp's front entrance, next to The Pines Lodge, has been the Nurse's Cabin, housing our volunteer nurses. The last few years, it has been showing its age. To provide a safe and comfortable place for our nurses to stay, some much-needed major remodeling work has been done. The bathroom floor has been repaired. In fact, the bathroom has been enlarged ...

by Sarah Karstetter, Marketing Associate When I look back over the years, some of my most precious memories have been the times when my family has been able to get away together. The stress of school, work, soccer practices, and running errands can take its toll on a family. Every once in awhile, families need to get away from the chaos and stress of everyday life and give themselves a chance to recharge and reunite. Is your family in need ...

by Eugene Barnes, Guest Services Director One morning in February, as I taught a class on "How to Drive a Team of Draft Horses," I realized that we had three separate professional training programs going on here at Warm Beach Camp, all at the same time. I was involved with a Certified Horsemanship Association Regional Conference where close to 100 professional riding instructors were participating in four days of professional horsemanship training. Participants came from all over the Northwest, including ...

The August Extravaganza is coming on Saturday, August 23, 2008 It is fast-paced, exciting, and fun for the entire family - so big it takes place under a big-top tent! There's only one word to describe it: extravaganza! It is Warm Beach Camp's August Extravaganza. The ninth annual August Extravaganza is a fundraising event for the Camp, helping to raise needed funds for camp scholarships and the Camp's operations. Last year, hundreds of people came ready to buy and have ...

by Jessica Beach, Volunteer Coordinator Phil and Darlene Brooks don't believe in the concept of retirement, as is evidenced by their lives. While they do not work for pay here at the Camp, they definitely work. Phil and Darlene have grown with Warm Beach Camp since its inception over 50 years ago. In their so-called retirement years, they have chosen Warm Beach as their home base when they are not out on the road serving through their ministry, Families 101. ...

Justin Harris, on summer staff in '00-'03, and Holly (Sweet) Harris, on summer staff in '03, welcomed a baby girl, Bethany Morgan, on December 11, 2007. Justin is now an Electricians Mate in the U.S. Navy, and Holly works as a Bridal Consultant at David's Bridal. Justin is stationed at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida. We received word of the home-going of Gary Collett. Gary was instrumental in helping Warm Beach Camp start a horse program in the early ...

The sky was deep blue, and the manicured lawns a luscious shade of green. The golfers were gathering, prepared for a beautiful day of golf on one of Washington State's best courses, the Plateau Club in Sammamish. This was the setting for Warm Beach Camp's first annual Kids 2 Camp Golf Tournament last year, an event that raised funds for camp scholarships to bring kids for a week of summer camp. Following a quick lunch, the golfers headed onto the ...

Drew Smith, who works in the Camp's Recreation Department, and wife, Alex, are new parents of their first child, a baby boy, Isaiah, born on February 25, 2008. Congratulations to Drew and Alex. Noted speaker and author, Tony Campolo, is coming to WBC on February 13-15, 2009. Sponsored by Warm Beach Camp and REACH Ministries, this Potter's Wheel Retreat features the ministry of Dr. Campolo, honorary chair of REACH Ministries, who is internationally renowned for his passionate heart for the ...

by Nikki Rossiter, Staff Writer Six years ago, Patrick Wageman would have had a hard time picturing himself as a barn manager at a Christian camp in Washington State. At the time, he was working as an irrigation specialist for an art institute in California. "It was hard to be a Christian and work there," Patrick said of his work environment. He was a single father with three kids when he met his future wife, Karin. She had four children ...

The people listed below volunteered their time and talent to help out at Warm Beach Camp during the months of January, February, and March. They served as maintenance help, construction workers, office and mailroom helpers, grounds maintenance help, camp nurses, wrangling staff, program staff, or provided another important function. All told, nearly 1,300 hours of volunteer labor were given to the Camp during this three-month period. Our volunteers are an incredible resource that helps keep this ministry strong and growing. ...

by Scott Rossiter, Assistant Director of Guest Servicesand Sarah Karstetter, Marketing Associate How time flies! Our 2008 Women's Weekends have come and gone, and we are already accepting church group early bird reservations for 2009! Over 600 women, from 35 different churches attended our Women's Weekends this past month. Churches came from cities around the Northwest, including those from I-5/405 corridor cities of Arlington, Stanwood, Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville, Bothell, Mukilteo, Edmonds, Seattle, Burien, Renton, Auburn, Tacoma, and Olympia. They also ...

Are things piling up around you? Is the garage overflowing; are you afraid to open that hall closet; or worst yet, are you paying every month for storage space? WBC can help! Here is a list of some things we could really use at the Camp right now. Please take a moment to look it over and see if you have any of these items, lying around unused, and taking up space, that you could donate. It will be a ...

Give a Memorial Gift MEMORIAL FOR/Given by VERA IVERSON BOWERMAN Rev. and Mrs. Art LiddleMr. and Mrs. Larry Prigg HAROLD DOWD Connie Kaestner BILL FLIEDER Mr. and Mrs. Raymon Samuelson ESTHER FRIES Jane Fries BERNARD (BUD) HANSEN Mrs. Solveig Arnold ELIZABETH KANEHEN Mr. and Mrs. David Kanehen SARAH HELENE KROEGER Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Grigsby KURT MCMULLEN Rebecca Stripp MYRTLE SPURLING-BISTLINE Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hogg FLORENCE LEASOR GREEN WINEBURGER   Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bawks IN HONOR OF/Given By BOB ...

When someone close to you goes home to be with the Lord, you want to give something that is fitting, meaningful, sincere. Through the thoughtfulness and concern expressed with a Living Memorial gift, Warm Beach Camp can continue to touch lives for Jesus Christ. When your Living Memorial gift is received, a tasteful and beautiful card is promptly sent to the family of the person honored telling them their loved one has been honored in this way. The amount of ...