Mill Creek Canyon 
Ojai Valley 
Jr. High Summer Camp - Creekside How to Prepare
We can't wait to see you!!! Seriously, we are so excited to have you up to Creekside this summer to experience all of the great stuff we have planned for you. Not only will there be things like a brand new Zip Line, a three story Sky Trail, a massive climbing wall, our very own lake with the legendary Blob, amazing games, playing in the creek, fishing, and way more, we will have a chance to grow closer to God Himself, our Creator.
Take a second and think of your favorite movie. Got it in your head? Ok… now try to remember that one scene when something unexpected happened. You know, the plot twist that changed everything and sent the story in a new direction? In God’s story laid out in the Bible, that plot twist comes when Jesus announces the Kingdom of God. What did he mean? His fellow Jews expected a kingdom that would protect and preserve the Jewish faith. Over the centuries, others have developed different views on what Jesus meant.
This summer, during your week at Creekside, we’ll explore how the story of God’s kingdom is full of plot twists … an upside-down way of life that challenges everything. Good guys turn out to be bad guys. The least are the greatest. A shepherd boy becomes a king. Sinners receive forgiveness and blessing! Things aren’t the way we expect them to be.
Whether you have been a Christian most of your life or this is your first time learning about Him, we are excited that you are coming up to camp this summer. We are praying for you already and can’t wait to meet you when you arrive.
Nate Rice
Junior High Director
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Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can
~ John Wesley
First off, before you even step on the bus to come to camp, I would like to express my personal thanks that you made the sacrifice to spend an entire week pouring your life into students. Forest Home's youth camps are "counselor-centered" ministries, which in essence means we don’t exist without you! You are the ones in the cabins and on the Sky Trail with them, and it's our desire to assist you in any way we can. I once read that kids can endure the most miserable conditions – even thrive in the midst of them – if they have at least one adult committed to their success. We want to all we can to set you up for a great week where you can pour into the lives of your campers.
One of the best parts about being a counselor is seeing how God can transform the lives of the kids you are working with. Our hope is that after a week of camp, you can see changes in their life a result of time spent at Forest Home. Below are some of the outcomes for your week of camp:
• Campers will make decisions to follow Christ.
• Campers will become more committed to the local church.
• Church leaders will feel supported (partnered with) and cared for.
• Church groups and individuals will be inspired to continue and/or begin the work of putting their faith into action in their community.
• Campers will have learned and wrestled with Biblical Truths.
• Campers will see the need and benefit of solo time with God.
• Campers will connect their own identity with their relationship with God.
• Camper believes they can be a valuable contributing member of society.
Whether you’ve been a counselor before or are brand new, you are going to want to be as prepared as possible. Feel free to download our counselor manual and camper manual before you even come up to camp. Obviously, there will be plenty of things that you will just have to experience for yourself once you’re here but our hope is that you can feel as prepared as possible before you arrive.
Again, we are glad you are investing in the lives of these junior high kids. It's our hope that your week at Creekside would be both a meaningful and memorable one for you and your campers.
Nate Rice
Director of Junior High Ministries
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CAMPER MANUAL
COUNSELOR MANUAL
PACKING LIST
SCHEDULE
PROMO VIDEO
Junior high camp is right around the corner and we want to do everything we can to set you up for a great week here at Creekside. When I was a youth pastor, it was often the preparation for camp… the permission slips, transportation, packing, etc., that I found to be the most challenging. Once I was at camp, it was more about relationships and spending time with the group I brought up to camp. Recognizing the complexities of your job, we want to do our best to meet your needs.
Our desire this week is to help you, the church, fulfill its role as main way that your kids will learn about and experience God. At Forest home, we want campers to encounter Jesus, experience transformation and go back home ready to change their world. We are very aware that we get to be a part of what you’re already doing the other 51 weeks of the year and are grateful for that partnership.
Over the years, we have asked questions like “what type of impact does a week of camp have on the life of a camper?” or “How do we know if we are accomplishing what we set out to accomplish?” After many conversations with you, our church partners, we have developed some ministry outcomes. These outcomes are changes in behavior as a result of time spent at Forest Home. Below are some of the outcomes for this week of camp:
• Campers will make decisions to follow Christ.
• Campers will become more committed to the local church.
• Church leaders feel supported (partnered with) and cared for.
• Church groups and individuals are inspired to continue and/or begin the work of putting their faith into action in their community.
• Campers have learned and wrestled with Biblical Truths.
• Campers see the need and benefit of solo time with God.
• Campers connect their own identity with their relationship with God.
• Camper believes they can be a valuable contributing member of society.
Ultimately, our desire for every junior high student in camp is that they either come to know Christ or continue to grow in Him this week. Program alone cannot accomplish this goal. We recognize our direct dependence on the Holy Spirit to work as He will. It is our hope that students would be able to take a short break from busy life at home and take part in a week of fun and spiritual growth.
Whether you’ve been to Creekside before or are brand new, we want you to feel as prepared as possible. If you have any general questions or need more information about, registration, arrival, etc., please contact Dan Pinkous in Program Reservations danp@foresthome.org. Or, you are welcome to contact me at nater@foresthome.org or on Facebook.
Again, we are glad you are investing in the lives of these junior high kids and counselors. It's our hope that your week at Creekside would be both a meaningful and memorable one for you and your campers.
Nate Rice
Director of Junior High Ministries
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CAMPER MANUAL
COUNSELOR MANUAL
PACKING LIST
SCHEDULE
PRE-SUMMER LETTER TO GROUP LEADERS
PRE-SUMMER LETTER TO PARENTS
PROMO VIDEO
Greetings from Forest Home!
Over the past 8 years, I have had the privilege of being the Junior High Director but this summer marks my first summer as a parent of a junior high camper. As a parent I understand how important it is that Creekside be a place of safety, personal interaction and life skill development for your child. Below, are a few things to help you prepare before bringing your child up to camp
Summer Theme – Stage 11
When you think of your favorite movie, you will most likely remember that one scene when something unexpected happened. You know, the plot twist that changed everything and sent the story in a new direction? In God’s story laid out in the Bible, that plot twist comes when Jesus announces the kingdom of God. What did He mean? His fellow Jews expected a kingdom that would protect and preserve the Jewish faith. Over the centuries, others have developed different views on what Jesus meant.
This summer at Creekside, your child will explore how the story of God’s kingdom is full of plot twists… a seemingly upside-down way of life that challenges everything. Good guys turn out to be bad guys. The least are the greatest. A shepherd boy becomes a king. Sinners receive forgiveness and blessing! All of us on the Creekside staff are excited to share with your children this good news that each one of us is invited to participate in God’s kingdom and enter into a life-long relationship with Him.
At Forest home, we want campers to encounter Jesus, experience transformation and go back home ready to change their world. During their time at Creekside, they will learn about Jesus through multiple teaching times and daily Behind the Scenes (devotional time) experiences and will be able to discuss what they are hearing during regular cabin conversations with their counselors.
Over the years, we have asked questions like: “What type of impact does a week of camp have on the life of a camper?” Or “How do we know if we are accomplishing what we set out to accomplish?” After many conversations with you, counselors and youth pastors, we have developed some ministry outcomes. These outcomes are changes in behavior as a result of time spent at Forest Home. Below are some of the outcomes for this week of camp:
• Campers will make decisions to follow Christ.
• Campers will become more committed to the local church.
• Church leaders feel supported (partnered with) and cared for.
• Church groups and individuals are inspired to continue and/or begin the work of putting their faith into action in their community.
• Campers have learned and wrestled with biblical truths.
• Campers see the need and benefit of time alone with God.
• Campers connect their own identity with their relationship with God.
• Campers believe they can be valuable contributing members of society.
Ultimately, our desire for every junior high student in camp is that they either come to know Christ or continue to grow in Him this week. Program alone cannot accomplish this goal. We recognize our direct dependence on the Holy Spirit to work as He will. It is our hope that your child will be able to take a short break from busy life at home and take part in a week of fun and spiritual growth.
On your child’s first day at camp, they will receive a manual which will set them up for their time at Creekside. While it has plenty of information crammed into this small booklet, its primary purpose is to act as a guide during the campers daily time alone with God. Each morning after breakfast and a short all camp gathering, the campers will head outside for 20 minutes or so, alone with God. This can seem like an eternity for some campers, but we’ve found that they come away at the end of the week with a passion for personal time with God.
Finally, I just want to say thank you for trusting us with your child this week. Below are links to other helpful information pertaining to summer camp at Creekside. Please take a few minutes to check out that information before coming to camp. We are praying for your safe arrival and look forward to meeting you in person soon.
Nate Rice
Director of Junior High Ministries
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PRE-SUMMER LETTER TO PARENTS
PARENT LETTER (FROM WAYNE RICE)
CAMPER MANUAL
COUNSELOR MANUAL
PACKING LIST
SCHEDULE
PROMO VIDEO
