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JULY
2008
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Mission
Center Conference: Special
 Thank you to all who came from
nearby and far away to support and sustain our four priesthood calls
at the Special Conference of the Greater Pacific NW Mission Center,
Saturday, June 14, at Samish Island Campgrounds. The theme of the
conference, “Let Love Be Genuine” from Romans 12:9, was manifest by
the many loving testimonies offered, the strong sense of community
and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Special thanks to members in
Oregon who could not be there, but sent letters of support in
advance to be read to the conference. The priesthood calls for all
four candidates were sustained joyously by standing vote: John P.
Mills Jr, Salem Congregation, to the office of High Priest; Barbara
Hawksford, Crystal Springs Congregation, to the office of
Evangelist; Francine Inslee, Crystal Springs Congregation, to the
office of Evangelist; Clint Jacks, Redmond Congregation (OR), to the
office of Evangelist. Francine Inslee was ordained to Evangelist
June 18 at the Samish Adult Reunion. Barbara will be ordained in
July at the Samish Family Reunion, and Clint and John will be
ordained at the Evangelist-sponsored gathering in Portland in late
September. -- Kathy Sharp, GPNW MC President Click to view a slide show of the Conference. Cottage Grove Fights For a Cure  In our June NewsBrief, we included
an article inviting your participation and support for Cottage
Grove congregation's participation in the Relay for
Life event to raise money for cancer research. Here's an
excerpt of the inspiring update on that event. Look for the full
article and more pictures in our next Chinook, due out in late
August."From noon on Friday, June 20 to noon on Saturday, June 21, Community of Christ family and friends circled the track at Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Some walked, some jogged, but all had smiles for the 24-hour relay that brought light to cancer awareness and raised funds to fight this disease. The Community of Christ team joined 17 other teams to REMEMBER those we have lost to cancer, CELEBRATE those that have beat it, and FIGHT BACK against this disease that touches so many of us. A 'Carnival for Cures,' the theme for our campsite, brought much joy as children played games for prizes and freshly-made cotton candy drew in young and old alike. The proceeds from the carnival were added to all of the generous donations that were received from our many family members and church friends to raise a team total of $2462.58 - which blew our goal of $1000 out of the water!" -- Melissa Fery GPNW Camping Program Needs You! Our camping season
is underway, and we have several camps and reunions that
are still in need of your help! Please consider stepping
forward to make sure our kids get to go to camp and our
reunions run smoothly. Please feel free to volunteer at any
campground in the mission center, no matter where you live! To
volunteer, please contact the director of the camp listed, or
the mission Center Youth Camping Chair, Christie Ostendorp,
at 503-516-2664 or at costendorp@cofchrist-gpnw.org. Following are the camping
events still in need of your help:
Campground Association Meetings Did you know that
church members are automatically members of their campground
association? The Greater Pacific Northwest Mission Center
Campground Associations of Lewis River, Samish Island and Remote are
hosting their annual meetings soon in conjunction with Family
Reunions. You are a member of one of these three associations;
please mark the date and time and make plans to
attend!
Pastors and Communications Coordinators-If you haven't already, please print out this bulletin insert announcing the meeting to include this Sunday, and be sure to make an announcement. Thank you! Camps and Reunions Revive! Have you seen the Youth Camp and Reunion flyers but hesitated to attend? These events are truly inspiring, uplifting and life-changing. Following are updates on GPNW Events just completed: Samish's Camp Genesis and Adult Reunion. Don't miss out; sign up now for any of the remaining GPNW 2008 Camping Events! Camp Genesis  "On the weekend of June 6-8, 18
vivacious campers and 13 dedicated staff gathered at Samish Island
Campgrounds for Camp Genesis. Through the theme classes and worship,
we explored what it meant to be "Grounded in Christ." The
highlights of the weekend include a nature walk, Cravy Kickball,
cooking class, family-style dinner, campfires, making new friends,
and lots and lots of laughter! We look forward to next year and
seeing what kind of blessings God has in store for us at Camp
Genesis 2009!" -- Sean Langdon, Director Adult Reunion
"Fifty-five attended the 9th annual Adult Reunion on June 14-20. They came from BC, Alberta, Texas, Missouri, and GPNW MC. We were abundantly blessed by the ministries of Danny and Penelope Belrose, Jack Hedal and Francine Inslee. The reunion focused on D&C 163. The classes, prayer services and worship services were spirit-filled and very uplifting. We enjoyed beautiful music that touched our souls. The campers loved the multiplex cabins and appreciated the other improvement projects being done, and contributed approximately $10,000 to the Samish Development Fund after meeting the reunion expenses. We were well blessed with good food, fellowship and the Spirit." -- Glen Fishel, Director Keeping Up the Campgrounds In addition to volunteering, all of our campgrounds need funds to keep them maintained, updated, and in good order for all of these great camping programs to succeed and flourish. One fundraising method that Samish Island has used is fundraising "Matching Challenges." Following is an update from their Campground Development Program on progress they've made and future plans: Samish Challenges
"The Samish Campground in the last
12 months has completed two more cabin 4-plexes (we now have 16
bedrooms with 8 shared bathrooms), 2 dorm cabins (they can hold up
to 20 youth each), remodeled the Green Restrooms, and upgraded the
shelving in the dining hall kitchen pantry & walk-in cooler
& rebuilt the cooler door. We need more funds to start
other projects in the Phase One Development Plan. So we have
two new fundraising challenges for the 2008 camping
season: $14,000 challenge for the Phase One Plan, and $13,000
challenge for the electrical & water upgrades to the RV Park
- $1 will be matched for every $1 you give to these challenges!
Be sure to note on your check which challenge you are
giving to. We are also looking for more challenges of $1,000 or
more; contact Terry Smiley at 425-747-2414 for details." --
Terry Smiley, Samish Campground Fundraising
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Our August NewsBrief will come out on Thursday, July 31. We want to include news from your congregation, camp or event! Deadline for article submission will be Thursday, July 24. We are also starting to collect articles for our next printed Chinook issue. In addition to our usual features, we will have a community photo album, where we will include short notices of births, anniversaries, weddings, graduations and more. The issue is currently scheduled to appear late August/early September; the deadline has not yet been finalized, but feel free to start sending your submissions now! Submissions for all publications - monthly NewsBriefs, Weekly Updates, or quarterly printed Chinooks - should all go to Communications Coordinator, Karen Short, at kshort@cofchrist-gpnw.org (425-572-0167). Thank you! Kudos To... Bend Congregation, who have plans and city approval to develop their 29-acre property into an affordable-living community for residents of varying incomes. Key components of the site plan include affordable single family housing, affordable rental housing, a Salvation Army Ministry Complex (transitional housing for women & children, a day use facility, thrift store, chapel and administration offices), a Park/Green Space, and Community Commercial space. As they put it, community residents will benefit from the ministry programs, housing opportunities and park, while the congregation has a community in which to provide ministry for all ages and economic backgrounds, and to participate in building a community that stands for Peace. Congratulations on your visionary undertaking! Salem Congregation, who have accepted grant funds to begin a community food pantry. They will be joined by the United Apostolic Church Hispanic) that shares their building and have set a tentative target date of September 11, 2008 to open. Congratulations on this wonderful mission project! World Church online... Like to get your news via email? You can now subscribe to the e-Herald, and stop getting printed copies! Articles and images are displayed exactly as they appear in the print version. Subscribers are notified as soon as the print issue is available and can download and save articles, zoom in on photos, access up to 12 months of previous issues, view with Acrobat Reader and more! Subscribe at www.HeraldHouse.org/Herald-Magazine.htm or email them at subscriptions@HeraldHouse.org. Online Survey: Choose Your Favorite Hymns. As part of the creation of the church's next major hymnal, you can take part in an evaluation of the songs in our four existing hymnals. You can find a link to the survey at www.CofChrist.org/hymnal/. Lewis River Retreat: Looking for Volunteers A retreat for Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse will take place at the lodge on Lewis River Campgrounds in October 2008. The exact dates and details will be forthcoming. We are seeking females who might be interested in joining the team for planning and implementing the retreat. To volunteer or for more information on this event, contact Norma Murphy at 360-666-6110 or normageo@comcast.net. Calendar Visit our online calendar for details and more information on events listed. Events for July 2008: June 29-4: Lewis River Reunion June 30: Reg. deadline for Samish Family Reunion July 1: Pre-registration deadline for Remote Family Reunion July 1: Early Bird deadline for LR Camp Zarahemla July 2: Lewis River Assoc. Mtg., 1:30 pm July 3: Reg. deadline for Remote Kids Camp July 5-12: Remote Sr. High Camp July 6: Reg. Deadline for LR Jr. High Girls Camp July 6: Early Bird deadline for Samish Camp Chimacum July 6-11: Alaska Family Reunion July 6-12: Lewis River Camp Israel July 6-11: LR Jr. High Boys (Hosmer Lake) July 6-12: Samish Family Reunion July 10: Samish Assoc. Mtg, 9 am July 12-17: Remote Jr. High Camp July 13: Early Bird deadline for Samish Camp Kimtah July 13-19: Samish Camp Mungai July 15: Reg. deadline for LR Camp Zarahemla July 16-26: SPECTACULAR July 17-20: Remote Kids Camp July 19: YAPS Day of Fun July 20: Reg. deadline for Samish Camp Chimacum July 20: Early bird deadline for Samish Camp Kluane July 20-25: LR Jr. High Girls Camp July 21: Reg. fee due for Samish NW Singles Reunion July 27: Reg. deadline for Samish Camp Kimtah July 27-Aug. 2: Samish NW Singles Reunion July 27-Aug. 2: Remote Family Reunion July 27: Remote Assoc. Mtg., 5 pm July 29-Aug. 2: LR Camp Zarahemla |