the camp hammer blog

Hey Friends and Family!  Hope all is well on this cold and rainy February morning.  Even though we would love to see the sunshine, the rain is always a welcome guest here in the woods for a few reasons:

1. It helps replenish out water supply!

2. It will help fill the pond a few months from now!

3. It keeps everything nice and green!

So, although the sunshine gives us hopes of summer, the rain is a friend of the redwoods!

Three By Spring

Camp is busy, busy, busy these days!  Our maintenance team is working hard building and creating drainage for all the rain that has come through.  Let me be the first to say that our maintenance crew here at Camp Hammer are all-stars.  They are two of the most servant minded people around!  God has truly blessed Camp Hammer with our maintenance team!  I would also like to give a shout out at this time to the Twin Lakes Men’s Ministry who have devoted countless hours, and continue to in hopes of making Camp Hammer a better place!  Thanks guys, you too, are incredible examples of what it is to serve!

Ok, so what are these guys doing at Camp you might ask?  Well, they are helping Camp Hammer move forward with a campaign we like to call “Three By Spring.”  This 3BS campaign consists of three very specific needs that Camp Hammer has: Re-roofing buildings, Replacing/expanding the Apostle Lodge Deck, and scholarshipping students to attend Camp this summer.  The TLC Men’s Ministry is helping by donating the time and skills needed to complete these tasks, but there is still much more to be done!  We have begun to move forward on some of these projects, but we are still in need of funding and prayer!  In the month of March we are focusing primarily on the Apostle Lodge Deck!  This is a very exciting project because it will allow Apostle students to have more space of their own for meeting, hanging out, and storing personal things.  If you would like to partner with Camp Hammer and lift this project up in prayer, pray that God would continue to provide the funding and resources to complete this project before the end of March!  If you feel led to give financially, check out the “give” section of our website for specific instruction, or call our front office at (831.338.3200 x10).  We are incredibly excited for all of the amazing things God is doing here at Camp in this season!

Recruiting Recap.

Mossi, Noobie, and I (Liger), just returned from our Southern California recruiting tour.  We met a lot of incredible young men and women looking to serve at Camp this summer!  After all of the people we have met, it is clear that we are going to have another incredible staff devoted to serving the students who attend Camp Hammer in the Summer of 2010!

Well, I think we have given you enough to chew on for this week, so as you go through the next few days, please remember to lift Camp up in prayer!  Keep checking back to the blog for news and updates on the 3BS Campaign, and also other cool things to come!  Peace.

Camp Hammer Staff.

Liger.

Tags: camp, camp hammer, February, friends, give, hammer, hope, pond, rain, spring, Summer, three by spring, time, TLC, Twin Lakes Church
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Hey Friends and Family,

I hope all is well on this beautiful winter day.  Camp is busy preparing for the months to come, and we are getting so excited for another incredible summer in 2010!  I mentioned a few months ago that the Camp website will be launching a campaign called “Camp Hammer Love Stories,” in the new year, and the new year has definitely arrived.  We are still finalizing the details, but the campaign should be up on our website starting February 1st.  What is this campaign all about?  Well, let me tell you.  Camp Hammer is the home of millions of memories for thousands of men and women.  We want to share those with you!  From current and former Camp staff and campers, to parents and retreat attendees, we want to hear about your experience.  Over the past few months we have been compiling some stories from “lovers” of Camp Hammer.  Starting February 1st, we will be posting these stories on our website for you to read.  Depending on how many we recieve, we will be posting them either weekly or bi-weekly for your reading pleasure.  Now, that’s not all.  We would love it if you would send us YOUR Camp Hammer Love Story.  Tell people your favorite memory of Camp Hammer, or tell of a life-changing experience you had in the Redwoods tucked up in the Santa Cruz mountains.  There is no limit to how much you can write, and you don’t have to write a lot if you don’t want to!  We just want to know, and to tell others about your story.  You can send your stories to andrew@camphammer.com.  We will edit them, and make sure they are appropriate!  Seriously, take a moment and write down your Camp Hammer Love Story, and be sure to watch out for the campaign to begin in February.

Camp Staff

PS.  If you’re not already, become a fan of our page on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (CampHammerTime)

Tags: blog, camp, camp hammer, campaign, family, February, friends, hammer, love, love story, New Year, story
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Well Friends and Family.  It seems it is that time of year again.  The Holidays are swiftly approaching, and Camp is quiet.  Our last retreat group of the year was last weekend, and now Camp will rest for a little over a month.  The office will still be buzzing with preparations for the new year, but the grounds will take a break from guests.  The Holidays are such an interesting time of the year.  For some, they bring fond memories of family and friends, and for others there are feelings of frustration and anxiety.  Well, this Holiday season I want to challenge you!  Thanksgiving is often viewed as a time of family, friends, food, football, and Black Friday (that was some great alliteration)!  Thanksgiving is certainly all of those things, but there is so much more.  This Thanksgiving remember all of the incredible things you have been blessed with.  Even though times might be tough, or you just aren’t a fan of the holidays, remember that there is always something worth being thankful for!  As we take a breather here at Camp, know that we are so thankful for the decades of staff and guests that have spent time with us in the Redwoods.  Camp Hammer is an incredible place because of the people that have filled it for over 40 years.  Our hope is that you know just how valued you all are.  So this holiday season, remember that there is always something to be thankful for!

Love,

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: blessed, break, camp, camp hammer, family, friends, hammer, holidays, love, rest, thankful, thanksgiving
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Hey Camp Friends and Family.  I hope you are well on this Wednesday morning.  Blogging is a very interesting aspect of our website.  Up until this point, our blog has served as another way for people to stay in touch with, and continue hearing about what is going on at Camp.  But I want to ask you what you think!  A blog is something that can be interesting and fun to read, or dull and repetitive.  My question for you is, what do you want to read when you log onto a blog?  Your opinion matters!  We want people to love reading this blog, and eagerly anticipate the next one to be published.  So, if you have things that you would love to hear or read about on this blog, comment on this entry and let us know!  We want to serve our readers to the best of our ability!  Let us know what you want to read on the Camp Hammer blog!

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: blog, blogging, camp, camp hammer, family, friends, hammer, love
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Hello All.  Well I hope this blog finds you well on this beautiful September morning!  I walked down to the office this morning and it was already like 75 degrees outside.  Love it.  Makes it feel like summer will never end.  As I sit in my office (the Cave) some may call it, I have no choice but to daydream of next summer.  I know summer 2009 just ended, but I can’t help it!  I mean c’mon, my job is to create fun games and activities for kids to do at a Camp.  My mind is constantly going over different things we can do…even when I am not working.  It’s like a sickness, a good sickness if there is such a thing.  I am already thinking of new skits, possibilities for team comps (something with a mud-pit?), banquet themes, and even a new gag to use before night games.  Call me crazy, but I just love this place, and planning for summer.

Ok, so, I am going to abruptly change my train of thought, but just go with it!  This year, 09/10, we need to get the word out there about Camp Hammer!  If you have worked here, or come as a camper, or you just plain love this place and you follow us online (Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website), you gotta spread the word.  Camp Hammer is like this hidden treasure…but better (that rhymed).  We are a small camp with HUGE heart.  If you have experienced Camp you know what I am talking about.  So my mission to you: tell your friends about camp.  Show them videos on our website or you-tube.  Follow our blog, and tell your friends as well!  Join the Twitter community and follow our “tweets…” Our twitter is called “CampHammerTime.”  Become a fan of Camp Hammer on Facebook!  All of these are great ways to stay connected to camp.

Also, if you are interested in submitting a reason, or story, that explains why you love Camp Hammer, send it in!  We would love to post it on our site!  You can send in entries to info@camphammer.com and just make the subject out to “Why I love Camp Hammer.”  You can send them with your name, or we can post them anonymously!  All entries will be censored for appropriateness of course!  Alright friends, we have work to do.  Enjoy this 2nd day of September!  Much Love.

Camp Hammer Staff

Tags: 2009, 2010, blog, camp hammer, facebook, family, friends, love, mission, morning, night games, september, Summer, summer camp, team competitions, twitter, youtube
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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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