Indianola Camp and Retreat Center
March 2009
Greetings Friends of Camp Indianola,
We are currently busy with Many retreat groups coming and going. Our UM and non- Um group bookings look fairly solid for our 2009 Calendar at this point. Even with the poor economy projections, we will hope that we can stay at least on Parr with 2008 stats on income / expenses. The “Experts” tell us that 2009 and 2010 will be very difficult for most Non- Profit organizations. Many Non-Profits rely on endowment and Investment Interest income as well as annual Fund raising to maintain their Operational budgets…. They project nationally that thousands of non-profit organizations will fold or merge by the end of 2010……… a fairly gloomy report.
How will Camp Indianola sustain through this potentially difficult two year period ?
- In setting our 2009 operational budget we did not project any increases in income $ over where we ended up with 2008.
- Our operational budget is based on approx. % 95-97 percent income generated from Guest Group/ Camper fees
- We are attempting to conserve utility expenses as much as possible
- We are paying close attention to general operational spending
- We held pay raises to a minimum
- With a small staff we can cross train and fill in to reduce overhead ( yes, Pete does dishes every once in awhile )
- We have made very minor increase in $fees, with the attempt to retain as many repeat Guest Groups as possible
- We are experimenting with some promotions trying to reach a few new potential Guest Groups/ Campers
- We hope to continue to maintain strong relations with our UMC constituents
- We will attempt some general fund raising for Camp Indianola
- We will support UM Conference Camping and Retreat Ministries in new fundraising efforts ie; “ Annual Fund Campaign “
- We will continue to work towards offering affordable / quality Summer Camp Programs
- We will continue to encourage Volunteer support with appropriate Operational and Program functions
- We will try to be realistic and cautious about “overextending” on capital Projects
- We will work hard to avoid borrowing money to meet operational expenses etc.
- We will ask for your continued prayer and support and we’ll trust that we will be open to God’s guidance through this….
2009 Summer Camp session planning and Recruiting is happening now and we have launched into a partnership with our UM Connectional Ministries on an exciting opportunity to assist our neighbors, the Suquamish Tribe in hosting a huge Tribal Canoe Journey event the first week of August.
Thanks for your continued support of Camping And Retreat Ministries,
Sincerely, Pete Simpson - Director Camp Indianola
Who Uses It?
The Camp and Retreat facilities of Indianola have served United Methodists of
the Pacific Northwest in a variety of ways. As a PNW Conference managed
operation since 1978, thousands of United Methodist children, youth and adults
have attended events here each year.
Local churches hold family retreats, youth group events and men's/women's
retreats. Some local church staff and committee groups have held planning and
training events at Camp Indianola. Many pastors have spent time alone on this
beautiful site in mini-sabbatical.
Conference-planned meetings, church leader training events, and Camping
Ministries events are purposely scheduled at Camp Indianola to make full use of
the facilities and wonderful property. The Conference Board of Ordained Ministry
has conducted "candidate for the ministry" interviews and evaluations at
Indianola.
In addition, conference and district UM youth retreats and college campus
ministry events have taken place here. District clergy events, the PNW Cabinet
and the Executive Staff have used this site. The Camp has also hosted some UM
jurisdictional events and some participants with national UM events through the
years.
Camp Indianola has continued to serve as a popular site for Camping Ministries
Summer Camp Age Level Sessions, with over 100 volunteers and approx. 600 campers
participating each year.
As a local outreach Mission, Camp Indianola is engaged in a Ministry of
Hospitality. The facilities and grounds are available for rent to faith-based
and secular non-profit educational, recreational and spiritual organizations.
For example this last year the Camp hosted religious groups ranging from
Episcopalians to Quakers to Zen Meditation groups.
A variety of cultural and ethnic groups, including Korean, Chinese, Filipino,
and Hispanic groups have organized events at Camp Indianola. With several of the
events, English is a second language used by leaders and participants.
Other non-profit groups scheduling and renting facilities include Alcoholics
Anonymous, Americorps, EPA, Marine Environmental Educators, 4-H, Scouts, local
county agencies, Youth Soccer Organization, US Navy affiliated groups, and
Washington State Ferries committees. Camp Indianola has also served as a popular
site for many Puget Sound area public and private school groups.
Extending Camp Indianola's hospitality to groups and organizations beyond The
United Methodist Church has created a positive connection with the community. We
extend nurturing hospitality to these groups because we understand them to be
partners in healing, justice, and personal, spiritual growth. By supporting
these groups, The Pacific Northwest Conference extends its love to people and
places far beyond what we will ever know. This type of outreach has also enabled
an increase in income to help maintain and improve the camp for all to enjoy.
The Feb. 4th Storm of the Year 2006 may be the storm of many decades
Saturday morning Feb. 4th the Tide calendar predicted a 9:00 am high tide of 12.4 feet and the winds out of the South were reported to be 30 -40 mph with gusts above 60 miles per hour… The sustained winds coming from the South created a huge storm surge of water which washed pounding waves directly upon Camp Indianola’s waterfront. The rare combination of High wind and High tide completely rearranged many years build up of driftwood , beach sand / gravel and garbage.
At the peak of the storm the water was flowing across our playfield three feet deep on the basketball court. None of the Camp buildings were seriously damaged, however some of our waterfront Camp signs and the Lifeguard equipment station area was washed away.
After the water receded and the winds slowed down, a huge mess of garbage and driftwood was left on much of our lawns and playfield areas.
With the help of some super volunteers ,Camp Guests and Staff we have already done much to clean up. On Sunday Feb. 12th volunteers filled 175 garbage bags raked up from waterfront lawns. Staff took three full truck loads to the Dump/landfill. Staff also rented a Bob Cat machine to move larger driftwood logs back along the normal high tide mark. We still have much more clean up to do but things are generally functional.

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10635 NE Shore Dr, PO Box 1150, Indianola, WA 98342 - (360)297-2223 - office@campindianola.org
Operated by the United Methodist Church
Questions? Contact Camp Indianola
For more United Methodist Camp information, check the Pacific Northwest
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Last updated 5/28/2007