GoodNews Letter Archive:
GoodNews Letter! November 2006
When the members of the Othello United Methodist Church made the difficult decision to no longer be a worshipping community, they were very intentional in their desire to continue their ministry in other forms. With Othello UMC member Dale Wyman taking the lead role in negotiating the sale of the church and the parsonage, the Conference benefited by having a local person with a long-time knowledge of the community coordinate the many details needed in this process. Their Administrative Board worked with Craig Parrish from the Conference Office so about half of the proceeds from these sales would go to the Conference for congregational development and the other half would go to Lazy F. They also gave substantial gifts to their local Habitat for Humanity and to Jim Moore for his ministry.
At the Manastash Mingle on Sunday, October 1st, Dale Wyman and other members of the Othello United Methodist Church presented Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center a check for $136,000. This is a wonderful tribute to the ministry that occurs here and an affirmation of the hard work from the hundreds of dedicated volunteers and staff. Dale also mentioned that Lazy F would receive an additional $20,000 in the next several months when the sale of the parsonage is completed.
This gift is truly a blessing! The initial gift of $136,000 has been used to pay off most of the outstanding balance of $144,000 on the Skyline mortgage. With the help of your gift and many others this past year with the Friends of Lazy F, we anticipate that our Skyline debt will be fully paid off by the end of the year!
After a very long interview process, Paul Bland has finally accepted a full-time position at Lazy F as our Program and Facilities Coordinator. The interview started in July of 1996 when Paul was a volunteer small group leader for Junior Camp at Lazy F. The following year Paul called the office to see how he could volunteer for the whole summer. Dave Burfeind, the frugal, budget-minded Camp Director, instead talked Paul into a summer- long, paid position. Since that time, Paul has been in a variety of volunteer and paid roles at Lazy F including Program Resource Leader, Cleaner, Kitchen Assistant, Dean, Challenge Course Coordinator, Small Group Leader, Maintenance Person, and Rafting Guide. In many of these positions Paul lived on site, including a two-year period from 1997 - 1999 when he called three different buildings “home”. Since this time, Paul continued to work now and then at Lazy F, commuting from 3 hours away and spending the night in any building that was open, including the office, Tack Shack, White Glen (his favorite) and each of the 5 log cabins. Currently, Paul is living in Tack Shack Fridays through Tuesdays and going home to Oakville every Wednesday and Thursday.
Paul brings a wealth of knowledge from other camps, challenge courses, United Methodist Churches and events, and schools. Most recently he coordinated a before and after school program at one of the Tumwater elementary schools. Paul also worked for two years at Camp Thunderbird, a boy-scout camp near Olympia. His roles as Assistant Ranger included tasks involving maintenance, hosting guest groups, custodial, and high adventure programs. Paul has also been very involved in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, serving as the Youth Director at the Toppenish Church, and regularly attending events such as Convo and the Seattle/Tacoma District Youth Retreats at Fort Flagler.
Paul’s current role as the Program and Facilities Coordinator is actually a combination of three part-time positions that were already in existence. These positions included the Program Coordinator, Maintenance Person, and Challenge Course Coordinator. After summer vacancies by Stella Moll and Pat Nevins (they both got married, to each other!) there was an opportunity for a different staffing arrangement. Paul was the only person with the skills and determination to fulfill all three of the roles.
When asked about goals for his new position, Paul mentioned that he wants to “have a smoothly running program where things are really looking good.” With a ten-year interview process and countless opportunities for practical experience under his belt, Paul definitely has the skills and attitude needed to coordinate a well-rounded program operating in well-kept buildings and grounds. After all this time, it is great to have him in a full-time role at Lazy F!
In early October, about 85 friends of Lazy F gathered on a gorgeous fall day to celebrate the generous gifts of the many volunteers and donors. In the past year, almost 500 different people provided financial donations, volunteered at summer camps or other programs, served on committees, or worked to improve the facilities and grounds.
The day included three major events: the acceptance of a check for $136,000 from the Othello United Methodist Church, honoring the contributions from Carl and Lorene Walker, and celebrating donors and volunteers.
Carl and Lorene Walker have been a driving force at Lazy F for about 50 years. They have been instrumental in many of the physical improvements here. Carl was the engineer responsible for designing and installing the fishing pond that hundreds of people enjoy each year. With the help of Bill Boyd, Carl designed Ridgeview and created a facility that fits the needs of family and adult groups. Carl also found the railroad car that is used for the support of the main bridge that goes across the Manastash Creek. Finally, Carl and Lorene were instrumental in planting many of the trees that surround the pond and make it an ideal location to be surrounded by God’s creation.
Besides their role in the physical improvements, Carl and Lorene were the creators of the Lazy F endowment. This endowment is currently valued at just under $37,000, with the interest being used for different improvements including the down payments for the purchase of a new tractor and a new truck. Carl and Lorene regularly organized tours all over the world and donated the proceeds of these adventures to establish endowments at Lazy F and the McCurdy School for Boys in New Mexico.
At the Manastash Mingle we also honored the 500 people who donated financially or gave of their time to help improve Lazy F’s programs and facilities within the last year. One group called the “Friends of Lazy F” involves 52 families and several churches. This group responded to a request in the spring by contributing almost $9,000 to fulfill the monthly loan obligation for Skyline. About 225 people contributed greatly by giving their time and talents in areas such as working on maintenance projects on our regularly scheduled Tool Time Tuesdays, volunteering as a small group leader in one of our eighteen summer camps, or serving as a member of our Site Advisory Team setting the direction for Lazy F’s future. A framed list of all the people who have given to Lazy F during 2006 was revealed and is currently displayed in the dining hall.
How do you get a $24,000 tractor for just $1,436.88? First, you sell a couple of things; then apply for and receive a grant; next, use some money from an endowment; and finally wait until the planets are aligned just right.
A brand new 4-wheel drive John Deere 3120 tractor complete with a front loader and 72 inch mower deck will greatly help to keep our grounds and roadways looking good. For over a decade, our backhoe and tractor have been doing a healthy portion of the heavy equipment work here at Lazy F, but have been getting a little old and tired, and the backhoe was in dire need of expensive repairs. Both of them were sold and netted Lazy F $12,000 toward the purchase of the tractor. Each year the United Methodist Churches in our Conference contribute to a maintenance fund for the four UM camps. This year we applied for and received a $7,500 maintenance to buy the new tractor. Finally, $2,900 from the Lazy F Endowment was withdrawn to help pay for this improvement. All these added together paid most of the $24,000 purchase price, leaving a balance of just under $1,500 that came out of the Lazy F operating budget.
This John Deere tractor has already saved time mowing and is the same unit sold to many property owners in the Cascade Mountains for snow removal. With the addition of a snow thrower attachment, we will really be ready for both winter and summer!
The summer of 2007 will feature the addition of two new outside groups of over 100 people each who will visit us for a week each.
The Asian American Summer Camp is a United Methodist group bringing about 125 high school and young adults to Lazy F for a week in the middle of the summer. This group attracts United Methodist youth of Asian descent from all over the Western United States to gather in Christian Faith. The second new group is Reach Youth Ministry, a retreat based ministry affiliated with the Catholic Church. There will be about 100 people staying at Lazy F for a week before our summer camps start. Both of these groups will wonderfully supplement the full slate of United Methodist camping programs that will be offered this summer.
Get ready for some exciting, NEW programs this summer at Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center!
Adventures in Nature, Technology, and Science (ANTS) will be held July 23 - 28 for youth in grades 8 - 12. This is a small camp that will provide hands-on opportunities to explore our natural world with experts. Four scientists (and they are great teachers) with specialties ranging from large carnivores (we're talkin' cougars) to reptiles (rattlesnakes anyone?) to endangered species (sight a spotted owl?) to geology (lava flows are all around Lazy F) will spend one day each with the campers to explore and learn about the local environment. Roger Hudson (past Director of Earth Ministry in Seattle and currently the pastor at Leavenworth United Methodist Church) will weave together the concept of sustainability on our earth throughout the week. This is going to be COOL!
SOCCER Camp! Refine your soccer skills with QUALITY coaching at a GREAT soccer facility with a CHRISTIAN focus. Michael Ferrand, the Women's soccer coach at Central Washington University, will provide personal assistance to all the campers at the CWU soccer complex. The days will be full of drills, instruction, and training; the nights will be spent at Lazy F exploring the Peace Talks theme and having fun at camp! If you are a soccer nut between 8th and 10th grade, then you need to be here July 9 - 13.
Reservations..., driving..., finding restraunts..., traveling stress..., no more! Our Family Vacation Packages are a new way for families to be together in a Christian environment and not worry about the details. We have made an affordable family package ($550.00 for a family of 4 for 5 nights and 14 meals!) where everyone will have fun. Optional activites (at additional cost) are available each day for hiking, horseback riding, challenge course, and a float trip on the Yakima River; or you can just hang out together! We are only doing this twice (July 16 - 21 and August 11 - 16), so sign up soon!
Just moms and their daughters. NOTHING can interfere with your time together because GIRL's ROCK! This new weekend experience (August 4 - 6) definitely has potential and YOU need to be involved. If camping, rock climbing with the pro's (Pro Guiding Service is great for all levels), female bonding, and great worship time are up your alley, then you need to be here.
That's the new possibilities. The favorites are still here and will continue to be incredible: tepees, horse camps, Mid High Night Owl, family camp, grand camp, Lazy Daze, and camps for first graders through high school seniors. Visit (website address) to view the Conference camping catalogue for additonal information, prices, and to register for camp!
Great Response to Fall News Letter Appeal
In our last newsletter in November, there was a request for people to continue thier involvement at Layz F. People were very generous in their response and many folks recommitted their willingness to serve the camp through volunteering and providing finanacial gifts. As a result of this appeal, the addition to the Director's Residence is fully paid off and several months of morgage payments on Skyline were taken care of! A total of the $6,260.00 was donated, a great way to end the year and begin a new one! Thank you again to all those who participated!
Spring Youth Reteats
Lazy F will be hosting a confirmation retreat March 31 - April 2, 2006 for big and small churches to connect with others from our conference while learning about the United Methodist faith, connectional system, and creative faith expression. We are pleased that Bishop Paup will be present to have a personal dialogue with our youth in attendance. Don't be a Fool, Confirmation is Cool (held on April Fool's Day, hence the name...) costs $75.00 per person. Deans for the weekend are Stella Moll, Lazy F Program Coordinator, and Chris Clayton, Ecumenical Youth Leader in Davenport, Washington. One adult is required for each 6 youth.
Dazzling Divas is a wonderful setting for 6th - 12th grade young women to connect with their sisters-in-Christ. This weekend retreat at Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center will be held May 5 - 7, 2006 and will include exciting challenges, essential life skills, and learning about phenomenal female role models and self care. Dean for the weekend is Susie Barr-Wilson of Aldersgate UMC. Cost is just $75.00 per person and one adult leader is required for each 6 youth.
Please contact Dave at Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center at (509) 962-2780 or director@lazyfcamp.org for more information or registration forms.