News & Updates

By Doug Jonson, Tacoma Youth for Christ On July 29, Tacoma Youth for Christ and New Song City Central Church in Tacoma joined together again to go to Warm Beach Camp for our second annual Tacoma Urban Outreach Camp for high schoolers. This time, we also teamed up with Tacoma Rescue Mission and Peace Lutheran Church, also in Hilltop. We brought 53 kids from Tacoma. A majority of our kids come from the Hilltop and Eastside areas of Tacoma, and ...

By Patrick Patterson, Director of Administration Warm Beach Camp's ministry relies heavily upon volunteers who give days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, to "keeping the path clear to the cross." Our summer camps particularly rely upon a strong corps of volunteer nurses, camp pastors, and counselors. Typically each week, there are up to two nurses and one camp pastor assisting with Day Camp, Horse Camp, and W-Bar-B Ranch Camps. Additionally, dozens of volunteer counselors support the ministry throughout the summer. ...

At Warm Beach Camp, our goal is to provide events and experiences that "keep the path clear to the cross," and to help each person that steps foot on the grounds come away feeling encouraged and stronger in their faith. The Potter's Wheel Retreat series is specifically designed for spiritual formation. These retreats are intended to provide relaxed, reflective times to enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings, time of personal prayer, rest, renewal, meaningful worship, and powerful teaching. As ...

By Nelson Nelson, Development Director Little did Darrell Weiland realize that his 14 years of working with AWANA, an international, non-denominational para-church organization, would lead him to join the Development team at Warm Beach Camp this past June. As an AWANA Missionary (1992-2000), and then Regional Ministries Director (2000-2006) for an eight-state area, Darrell's passion for Christian Camping grew while directing seven AWANA youth camps serving 2,000 teens annually. "There is no more effective way of reaching children for Jesus ...

By Darrell Weiland, Warm Beach Camp Foundation Director "FORE!" I yelled! My shot went left and into the woods, "OB" - out of bounds. Fortunately, we were playing best ball and I was confident that Phil could put it long and in the fairway - which he did! That's one of the benefits of playing in a tournament like the one we will be holding on Monday, September 22, 2008. This will be the second annual Kids 2 Camp Benefit ...

By Jessica Beach, Volunteer Coordinator Imagine with me for a moment, your church secretary on a typical Thursday morning. She is going about her regular tasks - filing and typing up the bulletin - when the phone rings. "Hello. Oh, hi Stacy. How are you? How is the leg healing? ... Oh, I know the best part of hurting yourself is all the food they bring. Have you gotten one of Rachel's pies yet? ... They..." The secretary stops mid-sentence ...

The following individuals and businesses together helped covered the costs of the Camp's two Embracing the Vision (ETV) banquets held last May in Bellevue and Everett. These dinners enabled us to share the story of what God is doing through WBC with the nearly 800 people who attended. As a result, many people were introduced to WBC for the first time, and more than $400,000 was raised for the ETV campaign. We are so thankful for each person who attended ...

By Matthew Lambert, Guest Services Associate Each year, Warm Beach Camp serves many different guest groups, providing facilities and services to support conference and retreat programs run by other non-profit organizations. Occasionally, a group comes to WBC with a unique approach to their time here. One such group who came recently, the Arthritis Foundation Families, held a retreat for kids and teens with rheumatic diseases, and their families, called "KAT-FISH" Camp. The theme of their camp was "Escape to Paradise." ...

By Keith Yarter, The Lights of Christmas Director Christmastime for some reason seems to make year-end accelerate into the "race" gear that takes our breath away. Our November and December calendars are filled with shopping, parties, school plays, musicals shows and a myriad of other social and family functions. You had better not forget that special present for Aunt Mable. For me, Christmastime is never very far away from my thoughts, even in the middle of summer! So, how does ...

By Patrick Patterson, Director of Administration For the second year in a row, the Warm Beach Vaulters were the only Pacific Northwest Vaulting program participating in the team competition at the AmericanVaulting Association (AVA) National Competition. The Warm Beach Vaulters took 21 participants and three horses to Watsonville, CA, August 9-12 to compete. According to Patti Skipton, vaulting coach, California is the hub for U.S. vaulting and presents the toughest competition in the Nation. This year's competition featured nearly 80 ...

Horseback Riding and Vaulting Lessons are being offered this fall. These weekly lessons are ideal for riders to sustain the riding improvements they experience during summer camp. For more information, contact email Patti or call her at the Camp. Eyerusalem McDowell, daughter of Ed and Bev McDowell, was recently named a "Shining Star" by the Stanwood School District for the '07-'08 school year. This award is given to students who have demonstrated their abilities to work hard and overcome challenges. ...

In the spring of 2007, Warm Beach Camp was invited by Microsoft to be one of only a handful of Beta2 live production test sites for a new mid-size server product under development. This opportunity provided the Camp with leading-edge Microsoft software along with hardware from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) worth more than $50,000 in total. It also included advanced training, service, and support. When you think about camp, conferences or retreats, the last thing you probably ...

The people listed below volunteered their time and talent to help out at Warm Beach Camp during the months of April, May, and June. 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. Besides these, nearly 100 people attended the Camp's Memorial Day Working Weekend and helped get the Camp ready for the summer season. All told, nearly 3,800 hours of volunteer labor were ...

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 big help to the Camp and we'll see that you receive a valuable letter of receipt, good for income tax purposes. To donate items, please email Gary Kocher, or call him at ...

Tammy (Daniels), who worked on Summer Staff in '89 and '90, and Brian Keepers announce the arrival on June 12, 2008, of their baby girl, Abigail (Abby) Elizabeth. Proud big sister is 5-year-old Emma. Grandparents include Joanie Yonker, Executive Assistant, and husband Mike. Cami (Cook), who worked in The Lights of Christmas Dept., and managed the bookstore for several years, and husband, Eric Blue, were delighted with the arrival of their third child, Gracie Jean, born on May 20, 2008. ...

  MEMORIAL FOR/Given by IN HONOR OF/Given By BRADEN BLAKE ALLISONMr. and Mrs. Leon Spangler SHAWN RITCHEYMr. and Mrs. Donley Ritchey DORIS HEPKERMr. and Mrs. Wes Thompson ELIZABETH KANEHENMr. and Mrs. David KanehenMr. and Mrs. John Yarnell GORDON LINDGRENMr. Harry FruddMrs. Catherine JensenMr. and Mrs. James Kaneen MARGE OLIVEIRAVirginia DietzelMr. and Mrs. Dave EatonMr. and Mrs. David KilleMr. John OliveiraMr. and Mrs. Kenneth PetersonMr. and Mrs. Mark SkiptonMr. and Mrs. Larry WalshPaulyne White HAZEL SIMSHAUSERRoxanne Camp  

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 ...

The people listed below volunteered their time and talent to help out at Warm Beach Camp during the months of July, August, and September, 2008. They served as maintenance help, construction workers, office and mailroom helpers, grounds maintenance help, camp nurses, wrangling staff, program staff, or another important function. All told, more than 3,600 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 ...

Kim (Dugard) Smelser, who worked in the Registration Department from '00 to ‘03, and Brian Smelser, on Summer Staff from '89 to '94, and currently a member of the WBC Board of Directors, welcomed the arrival of their third child, Luke Joseph, born June 23rd, 2008. He was greeted by big brother, Wyatt, age 4 ½ and sister, Makenna, age 2 1/2. The Smelsers live in Stanwood, where Kim is a stay-at-home mom, and Brian works as a Forensic Scientist ...

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 big help to the Camp and we'll see that you receive a valuable letter of receipt, good for income tax purposes. To donate items, please email Gary Kocher, or call him at ...