Family Camp 2016
We had another great year down at Wi-ne-ma for Family Camp! Each year over Labor Day Weekend families gather together for one last outing before the school year begins. Family Camp functions as a “conference” style weekend with short morning and evening sessions for all age groups, paired with plenty of free time and planned family fun. The camp grounds are closed off to the public for the weekend, giving the camp a private and yet connected feeling as every group present is there for the same purpose.
This year nearly 500 people attended the conference, and roughly 180 of those were under the age of 18. This is the sixth year that I have been directing the elementary ages at Family Camp and each year has steadily grown larger than the last. Praise God, and may He continue to bless this camp as it reaches more and more families in His name!
Over the weekend the kids focused in on Micah 6:8 as a target they should aim for in their lives. The weekend was themed on marksmanship – who doesn’t like shooting things? Huge shout out to the volunteers who came and sacrificed their time to help make camp successful. Next year we will need even MORE hands as we have grown to the point that we are the size of a small VBS!
But we also want you to attend Family Camp! It really is a lot of fun, there are great speakers, fun activities and competitions for all ages, and it really is just a nice and fun weekend on the beautiful Oregon Coast! This year there was even a profession espresso cart on site for all your caffeinated needs!
So mark your calendars year 2017 – remember it is always over Labor Day weekend. We would love to see you there with us!
A Summer Recap – Refuge Youth Ministry
Summer!
There’s a reason students love summer so much.
This summer was jam packed full of incredible moments and the building of relationships. We laughed, we played, we felt the Holy Spirit move. Whether it was just one of our weekly events, or one of our annual camps, God moved this summer in incredible ways.
The highlight of the summer, of course, were the camps. The high schoolers went to CIY’s Move conference. There, students were challenged, through the book of Ephesians, to be kingdom workers, to be people who are living to help usher in God’s kingdom on Earth. Students were reminded that Kingdom Workers are loved, rescued, united, changed, and sent. This impacted the students in profound ways, challenging them to come home and grow the kingdom in some way. And through all this, we baptized three students into Christ, had another rededicate his life to Christ.
But the high schoolers didn’t have all of the fun. The middle schoolers went to Wi Ne Ma Christian Camp, where
we learn how to be Olympians of the faith. Each day, the students learned how to “run the race”, as Paul wrote, and how we can be training ourselves to run that race most successfully. The students grew in their faith, and had a lot of fun doing it! Not to mention: we had three more baptisms!
But, as fun and moving as this summer was, it’s time to get back into the school year. But that doesn’t mean that we’re done growing and having a great time. This year sees Aftershock, our Sunday night small groups, 
returning, but differently than the students will remember. Instead of meeting
weekly and having a lesson, we’re changing Aftershock to a once a month, fellowship and prayer format. Each month will have one meeting for guys and another for girls, and we’ll spend those Sunday nights hanging, eating food, and most importantly, praying for each other and helping keep one another accountable.
Monday Funday also returns this year, and we’ll be spending each Monday, from after school until 5pm, hanging out at the church doing something new each week. So make sure you’re keeping up with our calendar so you can see all that we’re doing!
We’ve had an amazing summer, and God did amazing things. But we know His work is never done, and we’re excited to keep doing it through this school year!
Youth Pastor,
Steve Valdez
