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Mark Boyd announces both camps end year profitable

During April, Pilgrim Firs offered a Giving Back Camp with 34 coming to do eco-restoration projects like cleaning out invasive species, creating wildfire barriers, clearing trails, doing yard work and starting to plant the garden.

Mark Boyd reports on outdoor ministries at Annual Meeting.

Coming up for the PNC-UCC will be Kids Camp for those entering grades two to four led by Shirley Asmussen and Tyler Torres of Fauntleroy UCC in Seattle. You and Me Camp for those entering grades one to four will be led by Kristen Miller of Fauntleroy and Lauren Stoneberg of Kirkland UCC.

Other PNC-UCC events and retreats held at N-Sid-Sen include the Women’s Retreat May 15 to 17 on the theme, “A Shelter from the Story.” It will be led by Andy CastroLang of Westminster UCC and Lara Crutsinger Perry of United Churches of Olympia.

There will be a one Giving Back (Work) Camp at N-Sid-Sen June 14 to 20 to prepare the came for the summer season and another one Oct. 4 to 10 to provide volunteers opportunities to care for the site.

After the summer camps, N-Sid-Sen will host a Pride Camp, “Rising Above with Love,” to cultivate connection among groups often isolated.

Mark reported that Pilgrim Firs dates are mostly full and there is a waiting list for new groups.

“We are saving spaces and times for Pacific Northwest Conference UCC churches,” he said.

June through October there are no open weekends or weekdays.

He is pleased with progress on summer hiring at both sites and noted that N-Sid-Sen’s cook will be a couple from Pullman.

“Hiring cooks is a challenge for must camps that are far from urban areas,” Mark said.

He said the deadline for applying for manager at N-Sid-Sen was April 15 and already there are three candidates. The candidates will be interviewed the end of April, and the goal will be to have someone in place in early summer to overlap with Randy Crowe.

“I’m working on a report to the PNC Board on the future plans for N-Sid-Sen,” Mark said.

“Finances for both N-Sid-Sen and Pilgrim Firs will the fiscal year on May 31 will end with more income than expenses,” he reported,

“Kudos to Randy and Linda Crowe for the gift of their experience, their work and their live that has made a real difference for N-Sid-Sen financially and more,” said Mark, noting that groups are coming back and new groups are coming.

Casting for Recovery, a women’s breast cancer retreat, which has been coming to Pilgrim Firs, will come to N-Sid-Sen.

Similarly, Warrior PATHH (Progressive Alternative Training for Healing Heroes), a national organization that works with people with PTSD—which they are reframing as Permission To Start Dreaming—has come 12 times to Pilgrim Firs and will come twice to N-Sid-Sen this year.

“Both of those retreats focus on healing, which is what we are called to do as the church,” Mark said.

Two new groups include Holistic Alliance, a group involved in holistic medicine, and a new group of Buddhists are scheduled for a silent week before Christmas.

“Some people come to more than one retreat. Some in Warrior PATHH and the Buddhist retreat also come to the guitar camp,” said Mark.

The camp websites have been improved and have additional information, so he encourages people interested in camps and retreats to find more information at pncucc.org and click on the camp name.

For information, visit pilgrim-firs.org.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference United Church of Christ News © April 2026

 

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