News & Updates

See & read about what is going on in the Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center community

Outsmarting The Giants

Pictured, Rachel Tilgner, WB Horsemanship Program Assistant, Barn Manager, Instructor, Pony Club member

Our role as educators and mentors is to bring someone younger up to our level as quickly as possible and then catapult them into the future. With support, they will accomplish more with the balance of their lifetime than could be accomplished with the balance of ours. Whether we’re talking about how to ride and train horses or discipling people about the intrinsic qualities of Christ, the principles are the same.

Continuing education and keeping a growth mindset are important qualities I believe God has asked us to maintain. May 2022, Warm Beach Horsemanship hosted a Pony Club riding clinic for the membership. Fourteen riders spent the day learning how to communicate with and ride their horses. Also tucked into the details were nuggets of affirmation, “You matter; you make a difference; you are a leader…” Clinician, Kara Hagerman, continually encouraged and empowered people to assess a situation, create a plan of action, test the action with implementation, and then review whether the plan worked. This is the crux of the learning process.

As a metaphor, horses represent something big – let’s say a giant with a mind of it’s own! Directing the horse to do specific tasks presents a problem to solve. We often say, “don’t try to overpower something that’s bigger than you, outsmart it! Use your mind. Remember what has worked in the past and review what you have in hand or at your disposal.” Utilizing these resources, the riders navigate difficult exercises, validate their decision-making process, and hear affirming words from mentors.

As followers of Christ, we often face giants with minds of their own – temptation, difficult situations beyond our immediate control, etc. Sometimes these seem insurmountable problems. Yet, Christ is amid all of it. Remember where He’s been faithful. Look at what we have available as a resource. What have we learned about ourselves in His eyes (not the eyes of the world)? We are overcomers, capable, strong, intelligent, and able to do more than we thought. The Lord will empower and teach us through our circumstances if we are willing to learn.

– Ginger Reitz, Assistant Horsemanship Director
Warm Beach Horsemanship

Quietly Faithful: Remembering Gary Kocher

Throughout Warm Beach Camp’s history, certain individuals have come along who perfectly encapsulate what it is to be a servant of Christ. Gary Kocher was one of those people. He dedicated his life to humbly glorifying God, serving others, and diligently carrying out the work that was entrusted to him. Let us now revisit the impact that Gary has had on Warm Beach Camp (WBC). Gary Kocher was a volunteer youth leader in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Free ...

A Different Place for Different Needs

If you walk around the Warm Beach Camp (WBC) grounds during a specific week in the spring, there’s a good chance you’ll hear beautiful music pouring out of almost every meeting room. The Northwest Big Band takes over much of the main conference center grounds and floods the space with their sweet melodies during their time at WBC. “It’s so peaceful here,” One of the group’s leaders, Kate Erb, said, “so our participants can focus on their music and their ...

Living at Peace

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 NLT God blesses us for doing the work of living at peace with ourselves and others. Peace reflects the character of God. A young woman named Skyler shared a video on the You Version Bible App on this verse. She likened the quality of peace as being one thing that shows us as being children of God. She went on to the ...