the camp hammer blog

Hey Camp Family!

My apologies for how long it has been since our last post.  Summer came, and to be honest, it was’t on the forefront of my mind to update the blog.  Next year I’ll have to keep it written on my hand so I can remember!  Well, nonetheless, I thought I would write this morning and give everyone some info on what happened at Camp Hammer in the summer of 2009.  It seems odd to put into words what happened this summer, only because it seems like there is no possible way that it is already over.  I feel as though it must have been a dream becuase of how fast it came and went.

Well, I suppose I will begin at the….beginning.  The staff arrived, and it was evident from day one that it was going to be an incredible summer.  The summer staff of 2009 immediately clicked it seemed, and were all eager to learn what they would need to minister to young people over the following 8 weeks.  Orientation flew by: camp names were given, games were learned, schedules memorized, and on sunday we patiently awaited our first group of campers.  I would love to take time to describe each of the individual camps, but I fear some of them have blended into eachother in my head (this is the lesson I learned, and so next year we will blog weekly…ha!).  We had campers ranging in age from 8 to 18.  So many young people came to Camp Hammer this summer, and they had a blast to say the least.  We laughed, played, sang, cried, lived, and loved together.  With a tough economy, and plenty of financial hardship, it was absolutely incredible to see how faithful God was in bringing children to Camp Hammer.  Over 200 campers receieved scholarships.  That means that 200 children, who normally wouldn’t be able to afford a camp experience, were able to come here and enjoy what it means to be a child of God.

Along side our normal camps, our Apostle program was phenomenal this summer.  We held 3 two week sessions for high schoolers wanting to grow in their faith.  Over 80 campers took part in Apostle.  Our Apostle students take a deeper look at the Bible and who Jesus is.  This year they looked in depth into the book of Acts, learning about community and service.  As mentioned in a previous blog, Camp Hammer had an opportunity this year to partner with a non-profit organization called Invisible Children (IC).  IC came each week and worked to raise awareness for their cause.  Our Apostle program worked most directly with IC, and were able to write letters to officials, discuss and pray for the children in Uganda, and they learned tagible ways to get involved and to be a part of the solution.   It is a beautiful thing to see high schoolers step outside themselves and love one another regardless of circumstance or style.  From team building and service work to seminars and small groups, Apostle was an amazing success this summer.

Well, in a very small nutshell that is the summer of 2009.  Check out the pictures portion of our website in the next few weeks for some shots from this summer!  Thank you to all who love and support Camp Hammer.  This wouldn’t be the place it is if it weren’t for you.

Camp Hammer Staff.

Tags: 2009, camp, camp hammer, camper, hammer, invisible children, love, redwood, Summer
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It is officially JUNE!  Which to many of you means school is out, summer is beginning!  For your friends at Camp Hammer it means, CAMP IS STARTING!  We are in the final weeks of preparing Camp, and getting ready to hang out with all sorts of incredible young people this summer.  In the recent weeks we have built a Castle, a new rec shed, re-vamped the BMX course, FILLED the pond, opened the pool, and so much more.  Summer is upon us, and we are realizing why we love Camp Hammer so much.  It is truly incredible how things change when summer is near.  The weather obviously changes, but with that so do all sorts of other things.  For instance, when the weather changes, the sun hits the plant life differently, and creates an array of incredible new scents.  This is my favorite indicator that summer is near.  Walking through Camp and smelling the unbelievably fresh air of the Redwoods.  If you have spent time at Camp in the summer you know exactly what I am talking about.  Soon, the Snack Shack will be stocked, the Craft Shack will be open, the feild will be played on, the pond will be “funoed” in, the swings will be swung on, the dining hall will be eaten in, DK will be filled with music, and the forest surrounding Camp Hammer will be filled with laughter of children learning about their creator.  It is summer.  Can’t wait to see you!

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: camp, camp hammer, children, food, fun, hammer, laughter, pond, redwoods, sun, swings
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Hey Camp Family!  Coming up in just a few weeks is our full service week!  May 11th – May 16th is our “Build His Kingdom,” week.  People who want to serve are coming from all over the county to help us prepare Camp, for the amazing summer ahead.  We will be working on all sorts of great projects to help make sure this is the best summer Camp Hammer has ever seen.  If you are interested contact our front office at:

(831)338-3200 x16

Don’t miss this great opportunity to hang out with people who love camp, and want to help make a difference!  You don’t have to commit to the whole week, even just a few hours of your time would be greatly appreciated.  We hope to see you soon, and remember, if you haven’t registered yourself, or your camper for summer camp, do it now!  Spots are going quick.

camphammer.com

Tags: build, camp, camp hammer, fun, hammer, kingdom, love, Summer, summer camp, week, work
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Hey Camp Family!

I hope this post finds you well.  Summer is right around the corner, and we are checking in to make sure you are up to date on all the incredible things going on at Camp this summer.  Here are a few of the highlights to look for in 2009.

Invisible Children

Camp Hammer is partnering with an incredible organization called Invisible Children this summer.  I.C. is a non-profit based out of San Diego that is helping raise awareness of all of the injustice taking place in Uganda.  They will be coming to Camp on monday of every week all summer to share about their organization and talk about how we can all be involved in helping the children of Uganda be free from fear.  It is truly an amazing organization that has some great things to share.  Don’t miss them this summer!  You can also learn more at invisiblechildren.com!

These are just a couple highlights among many.  Camp Hammer will have all of the crazy fun team-comps, night games and free time activites that you can think of, as well as incredible speakers and music, food, and relationships!  2009 is going to be an incredible summer! Don’t miss out.  Register today at:

camphammer.com

Excited to See You,

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: 2009, camp, camp hammer, food, fun, hammer, inivisble children, night games, non profit, Summer, summer 2009, team, TOMS
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Mock Rawk 2009

2701′s Mock Rawk (Hosted by Camp Hammer) was incredible!  So much energy, so many great acts, so much FUN.  It gets us really excited for summer!  The students really pulled out the stops and their acts showed it!  The event grew substantially since last year!  Almost 2 to 3 times more people showed up to watch the madness this year.  We raffled off some really great prizes too!  Four people walked away with a new Camp Hammer sweatshirt, and one lucky person won a FREE week to Camp!  It was a night for the history books.

March 28th Work Day

Also, on March 28th, several men from all over Santa Cruz County partnered with Camp Hammer and helped with some really incredible projects.  From bridges to retaining walls, people were working hard to improve Camp for all you campers that will be there this summer.  It is an incredible thing what can happen when people get together and show their passion for Camp.

Build His Kingdom

And their are still plenty of opportunities to help if you want to get involved.  During the week of May 11th – May 16th, we are having more work days, and we will be working on several different projects including building the set for this years theme, as well as the finishing touches on some of the projects that were started this past weekend.  Thanks for all your support, and if you haven’t registered yourself, or your child for Camp this summer, don’t wait any longer!  Spots are going fast, and you don’t want to miss out on the amazing things we have planned for this summer.

For more information call our offices at (831) 338-3200 or email us at info@camphammer.com!

Love,

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: build his kingdom, camp, camp hammer, fun, hammer, Mock Rawk, Mock Rock, redwoods, santa cruz, work
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The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it is lighter later.  These things, can only mean one thing, SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!  We are so excited for all the incredible things going on at Camp right now.  Everyone is kicking it into high gear preparing for the most incredible summer in Camp Hammer history!  There are several scheduled work days when people from all over the county are coming to help Camp prepare for the summer months.  We are building some incredible things and upgrading things around Camp, and for all you Campers we are building the best skit set in the history of skit sets.  Summer is just around the corner, don’t miss out on the incredible opportunity of Camp Hammer in 2009!  Register at camphammer.com today!

Tags: 2009, camp, camp hammer, campers, camping, day, hammer, skit, Summer, work
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Hey Camp Family!

If you couldn’t tell from the title of this post, Camp Hammer is hosting 2701′s (Twin Lakes High School Group) 2nd Annual Mock Rawk.  What is Mock Rawk, you may ask yourself.  Well let me tell you.  Mock Rawk is a crazy competition where groups sign up to lip sync and dance to music of their choice!  Why is Camp Hammer hosting this event you also might ask.  The answer is that anyone who knows Camp Hammer, knows that no where on earth does crazy fun competitions like us.  The event will take place on March 27th at Twin Lakes Church!  Come watch some incredible students perform some incredible acts!  Bring your friends and family, and learn what Camp Hammer is doing this summer!  It will be a great time for anyone who attends.  We hope to see you there!  Peace.

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: 2701, camp, camp hammer, competition, fun, Mock Rawk, Mock Rock
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Alright Camp Hammer Family.  2009 is here!  You know what that means.  Summer preparations have begun!  This is a great time of year up at Camp.  We are all gearing up for the spring and have started the initial steps to planning a great summer.  The Directors will be traveling around in the next 2 months to begin recruiting staff for the summer of 2009.  If you are interested in working at Camp this summer, check out our application on the website (camphammer.com).  We will be in the Northwest from Jan. 19th – 24th, and down in Southern California from Feb. 8th – 14th.

At camp we are working hard to improve the facilities and create some really great things for Summer 2009.  Josh Dunton aka “Auger,” has completely transformed the upper basketball court into a great hang out area with benches and even some stadium seating.  It’s amazing what someone can do with a little bit of wood, and some hard work!  It’s going to be the hottest spot at Camp!

Registration opens this week so whether you are a parent looking to sign your child up, or a camper ready to sign up, make sure you do it as soon as possible, so you don’t miss out!  Keep checking back on the website for some really great new additions.  Watch for a new “History” page with old pictures and some historical facts about Camp Hammer.  Also, watch for our brand new promo video which will be on the main page any day.  We are putting some finishing touches on it, and then it will be ready to view.  Lastly, the Camp Hammer blog will be updated each week from here on out, so be sure to check back!  We look forward to seeing you this summer, and we have realized that the best advertisment is word of mouth, so if you have experienced Camp Hammer, tell your friends, and share the experience with them as well!  See you in a few months.

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: 2009, Auger, blog, camp hammer, Dunton, friends, job, New Year, northwest, Summer, website, work
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Hey Friends!

With the Holidays in full swing, Camp Hammer wants you to remember the God who created the heavens and the earth, the one whom this holiday season is in honor of.  December is a great time at Camp because it is a season for the staff to take time and reflect on the amazing things God has done in the past year.  We are so thankful for God’s faithfulness in 2008.  Just a few of the amazing things that happened in 2008 are; over 100 young people made choices to follow Jesus!  Also, Camp was able to fill it’s pond for the first time in 4 years!  Obviously, those two examples are a small piece of the incredible things God did in 2008.  This month take some time and remember the amazing ways God has blessed you in the past year.  We are excited for what 2009 holds, and hope that you will choose to spend another week, or weekend with us at Camp Hammer!  We look forward to serving you, and this year tell your friends about the incredible ministry here at Camp Hammer!

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: 2008, 2009, blessed, camp, camp hammer, God, Jesus
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