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Brian Frick is the Associate for Camp and Conferences Ministries with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He has been involved in camp and conference ministry since high school. For the past ten years, Brian has served as program director of Johnsonburg Center in New Jersey, Westminster Woods in California, and Heartland Center in Missouri.

Camp and conference ministry compliments and partners with other ministry aspects of our church to foster faith development and reflection. As our communities and our church changes, our ministries need to grow and adapt with creative and emergent programming and leadership to meet new realities.

These blogs entries, though varied, are intended to spur thought and conversation around the opportunities and challenges before us.

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March 20, 2012

Why Isn't It Working Anymore?

Thoughts on the Changing Face of Church

Saw this posted by a friend on facebook. Some interesting observations about our current "historical" model of worship and how it engages or does not engage people. It always helps to share observations, but what do we do with this? How can we be a force for renewal and welcome in our churches? In our camps and conference centers? In our communities? God is moving! God is with us! Knowing we are not alone, we can bravely face what we see, and adapt or mode of operating to continue to be relevant - Jesus is always relevant, maybe it is us standing in the way sometimes? Anyway, I digress. Follow the link and let me know what YOU think! http://holysoup.com/2012/03/07/why-church-doesnt-fit-most-people/

Tags: change, emergent, generation, religion, structure, unchurch, worship, young adult


March 15, 2012

A Jewel for the Church

“The goal is to send these younger people home, have them fired up and passionate about the scriptures and with strong prayer lives and a real sense of what they believe, so they can continue to do those kinds of things in the local setting,” says Tim McNeil.

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March 13, 2012

Worshipping Community at Westminster Woods

In the redwoods of Northern California, a Presbyterian camp and conference center known primarily as a summer camp for kids has started a new worshiping community. Sheila Denton, executive director of Westminster Woods, didn’t necessarily set out to create a new worshipping community out of camp alumni and friends, but in • spire, a monthly Taizé-style prayer service, has grown organically out of this ministry in the redwood forest.

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February 9, 2012

A Faith of Their Own

Helping Youth Have a Faith of Their Own

The fact that youth participate in church less as they get older and often are not present in church as young adults can lead church leaders to assume they lack religious interest. A new book growing out of the National Study of Youth and Religion challenges that assumption. Sociologists Lisa Pearce and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that older teens and young adults see great significance in religion though not always in institutional forms of religious life.

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January 3, 2012

Healthcare Reform Act

Be sure to read this information from the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.  There are several changes coming up that will impact your bottom line and help you provide or benefit from providing healthcare coverage.

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December 21, 2011

Eco-Stewards Program 2012

Don't miss out!  Sign up or encourage others to sign up today!

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December 5, 2011

Hire Heros - Tax Incentive Bill

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act (included in H.R. 674) was signed into law on November 21, 2011. 

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November 21, 2011

Quality Alternative to Internships

I have discovered the perfect summer job. In this job, I am part of an organization that gives me duties that are critical to its long- and short-term success. Supervisors give me responsibilities such as interacting directly with customers on a daily basis, and they fully integrate me into the professional hierarchy. To top it all off, I am learning legitimate skills that will help me develop professionally when I move into the workforce. This mystery job I speak of: camp counselor. These are only a few of the many potential benefits of being a camp counselor, and I offer them not only to praise the occupation, but also to offer a propositional alternative to the profession’s biggest competitor: internships.

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November 17, 2011

ROI

A return participant is worth its weight in gold.  It is far harder to find replacements for your program than to keep people coming.  What’s your “rewards program?”  How are you doing “friends development” as well as “funds development?”

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November 14, 2011

Do you know who you are?

Are you here for teaching/sharing peace and justice?  Evangelism?  Care of Creation?  Mission practices?  Youth leadership?  Or??

If you don’t know they don’t know.

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