Outdoor Ministries Association UCC

It's Cold Up Here!!!

OMA Webmaster — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:13:29 GMT

Its cold up here in Minnesota. I should have done my research before deciding to move from the relative warmth of west central Indiana. Brrrr. Its currently 10 below zero and they are predicting a high of negative one degree for today. The current wind chill is negative 39!!!!!! Its a norwester auntie em!!!

How are things in Texas Charles? How about North Carolina Curly? How about Hawaii Kirsten? Pilgrim Pines? Blowing Rock Bill? Someone give me some news of warmer climes!!!! I long to live vicariously through my southern colleagues.

Dale

Chris Thurber offers Staff Training via the internet

OMA Webmaster — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:43:51 GMT

Last week I attended the regional ACA Southwest Camping Conference and got to hear Dr. Chris Thurber. He is as awesome as folks had told me he would be.

I also learned that he has just debuted a new staff training program which is available via the internet.

There are 12 modules covering all of the basic topics and Chris does the training on each topic in a 10 minute video clip. There is a test following. As the camp administrator, I can track those who login to the service and see when they took each module and how they did on the test. This program seems perfect for us at Slumber Falls Camp since most of our staff are volunteers and don't arrive until the day before their camp.

With this program we can at least have a basic course from which to build with them. You can check it out at Chris's web site www.campspirit.com style=""> The program is called Leadership Essentials and there are a couple of free sample videos you can see to evaluate the program.

Check it out.

Charles Stark
Slumber Falls Camp

"Camp Is For The Camper" Counselor training books available

OMA Webmaster — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:19:38 GMT

Last year we bought 200 of these 60 page ACA books. We made every staff member and volunteer read them, then take the on-line course that ACA offers. Most felt the book was worthwhile. It covers the basics, which, when you have volunteers at camp for a week at a time, is a good thing. Less felt the on-line course was helpful, but we were able to have them print out a certificate of completion which was one more piece of documentation around training. Since the bulk of our base has taken the course, we are going to sell 150 of them. They each have a number written in marker on the inside cover. They are ten dollars new, (we got a bulk rate) we can let them go for 5, or less if you want a bunch of them. I think you have to buy three from ACA in order to be eligible to make the online exam available. Contact me through the blog if you’re interested or have questions. Bryan

OMA Sponsors ACA Accreditation Workshop

OMA Webmaster — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:43:22 GMT

Representatives from 4 sites gathered at Pilgrim Firs near Seattle to spend 4 days studying the ACA Standards in preparation for possible Accreditation visits in the future. The group was under the able leadership of Jeremy Force and Curly Stumb. Everyone reported that it was an invaluable experience.

During the workshop, participants visited an ACA Accredited Camp. The two photos immediately above are from Camp Indianola which is a United Methodist Camp overlooking Puget Sound.

If you are interested and want to learn more about the ACA Accreditation Program, you can contact:

Jeremy Force force@menschmill.org

Curly Stumb stumb@boone.net

Photos and Podcasts Welcome on this Blog

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:43:43 GMT

Friends,

I wanted to thank all of those who are making use of this new OMA Blog. This is a great way to keep in touch and especially to ask for help with those issues that come up at camp.

I also wanted to let you know that we can post photos as well. If you would like to add a photo to your entry, just email them as an attachment with your Blog Entry to blog@oma-ucc.org

Finally, we can also post Podcasts as well to this blog if anyone would like to do that. Basically, it is a way to post audio recordings so if you have a mic attached to your computer and want to give a verbal greeting, then email me the file and we can post that as well to this very versatile blog.

Charles

Camp Software Question

OMA Webmaster — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:56:22 GMT

Hi folks - I have been using EZCamp2 registration software for several years and am very dissatisfied with the non-integration of cabinets. This program does not allow comparison of information between separate cabinets (one year's worth of camper registration data). So - it is very time consuming to compare past years worth of camper data - to see who came to camp last year but not this year, to even send our brochure info to the past couple years of campers - without manually printing and comparing separate lists.

Will others tell me what registration programs they are using; if they like it and why; if they don't like it and why?

At Consult 2007 I attended the Thriva workshop and really like that program - but we are not ready to go totally on line, and it looks a little pricey over the long haul.

So far, I like CampWise - and they are working on an integrated Donor module now that should be ready by Spring 2008.

EZCamp says they are going to work on a piece to make their program more integrated - but they don't have anything to talk about yet.

I need some feedback fast - if we change, it should be NOW!

Blessings,

Priscilla Self, Office Manager
DuBois Center - Il. So. Conf. UCC
2651 Quarry Rd.,
DuBois, IL. 62831
618/787.2202 phone
618.787.7701 fax
duboiscenter@frontiernet.net
Webpage: duboiscenter.org

Hope your Thanksgiving was something to be thankful for!!

OMA Webmaster — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:25:49 GMT

During the thanksgiving Holiday I was mindful of friends and family across the country and across the world of whom I am truly thankful. I think you all know that you all are dear to me and are in my thoughts and prayers. Even those OMA members I have yet to meet. See you at the next Consult!!

Dale

RSS Feeds

OMA Webmaster — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:17:58 GMT

I just discovered RSS feeds to put on my iGoogle home page!!! Its pretty easy to get OMA blog entries onto your igoogle, yahoo, etc. home page.

Under "Syndicate" on the left hand bar on this page you'll see 5 options. I used "Entries RSS 2.0" and "Comments RSS 2.0" and now whenever anyone posts a comment or new entry it shows up on my iGoogle home page.

Hope to see more activity on the blog so Charles's hard work pays off for all of us.

Dale

OMA Board Meets in Pennsylvania

OMA Webmaster — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:32:50 GMT

The OMA Board met at Mensch Mill November 11-14, 2007. The hospitality provided by Jeremy Force and his staff was excellent and the Board did some very significant work.

The Consult Planning Committee was also able to meet and the plans for Consult 2009 are well underway.


Mensch Mill Conference Center	OMA Board Members discuss thoughts for the future

Stay tuned to this blog for more information about not only Consult but the future plans for your Outdoor Ministry Association.

OMA Board Members tour Mensch Mill

Still alive and kicking.....I'm not dead yet!

OMA Webmaster — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:59:39 GMT

Dear OMA Friends,

Life does continue after camp in some new and exciting ways. After a summer of renovating a barn in a neighboring community and working with a neighbor as he converts a former boys basketball camp to a eco-family friendly resort, I have begun a new position as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Campground Owners' Association with 136 private and 19 state campgrounds around the state. My job is marketing coordination, annual inspections/visits, legislative watchdog, camping show manager, etc, etc, etc. It is challenging and exciting at the same time as I learn to work with a whole new group of folks at the local, state and national levels. I bring with me all of the skills and experiences that I learned working with all of you through OMA and the ACA. Over this past weekend I facilitated a Twin State Conference/Trade Show/Annual Meeting for the Association that included a"silent auction" for Camp Sunshine in Maine that provides camp programs for children with cancer. May way of staying connected with the youth camping community. I am finding many Christians within the Association, so our spirituality may not be as overt as it was within the UCC camping community but it is there in many ways.

The OMA blog is a great idea and one that will serve you all very well as a community building tool as well a great source of information and support.

Shalom my friends til we meet again.

Gregg Pitman

Gregg and Carla Pitman
298 Harmony Road
Northwood, NH
603-942-8640

An update on the Dressler's move to Minnesota

OMA Webmaster — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:46:36 GMT

We'll we did. On October 30th the moving van arrived in Merom, Indiana and Dale, Jennifer, Noah, Grace, and Ronny (the dog we dognapped from Merom) headed up to Alexandria, Minnesota to start a new era in our lives and ministries. Dale is busy setting up his office and getting to know the good folks of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ, Jennifer is setting up the house and getting the kids acclimatised to thier new life in Minnesota (Merom was the only home they've known). Noah just turned 15 and is a freshman at his middle school that is 4 times the size of the high school he was attending in Indiana (16 times the size of the charter school he went to last year!!!). He's adapting slowly. He misses the country music fans that were his friends in Indiana and is not so sure of the Heavy Metal fans he's meeting at his new school. Grace is 12 now and attending a grade school in Alexandria. It was a nice blessing that she is attending the same school as her friend Naomi who she met when Naomi's parents attended Just You and Me Kid Camp at Merom several years ago. Naomi's Dad, Scott is our pastor at our new church!!! Ronny is missing being a camp dog since we do not live on site at Pilgrim Point. He goes nuts when I take Grace to school and he sees all the kids. He can't wait until the camp reopens next Spring and I take him out with me to be with the guests at camp.

We all will appreciate your prayers as we ease into our new life here in Minnesota. We were quite content in Indiana and ready to stay for the long run. We heard about the job opening in Minnesota and decided to enter into a discernment process to see if God had something else in store for us and, as a result, felt a strong call to uproot our family and head north. Still, as transitions always are, it won't be an easy and there will be bumps on the road as well as vistas that fill us with joy (Jennifer and Noah saw a bald eagle as they were turning on the road that leads to our new home).

Our new address:

Home:

Dale Jennifer, Noah, and Grace Dressler
4932 Algonquin Trail NW
Alexandria MN 56308

Office:

PO Box 305
Alexandria, MN 56308

Background Checks

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:25:18 GMT

Greetings all! Hey,this is great timing. I had a question for the collective wisdom of this group...which is WAY more than mine! In the Southwest, we need to start doing background checks on our counseling staff. All staff are volunteers for the two weeks of camp we run, probably a total of about 50 people. I'm not sure how is the best/most economical way to do that, how extensive we need to be, etc. Any suggestions? We have been doing disclosure and release forms, but not the actual background checks. Thanks! Hope all is well! Barb

Barb Doerrer-Peacock

Strategic Plans and Governance Documents

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:38:58 GMT

I am the camp manager at Camp Adams. The Board of Directors of the Central Pacific Conference have asked me to gather the strategic plans and governance documents for other UCC camps. Can you help me do that or tell me who I should ask?

Thanks,

Jim Doane
Interim Camp Manager
Camp Adams

Dealing with Volunteer Behavior Issues

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:31:32 GMT

From time to time, we have a camp volunteer who crosses the line in their behavior to the point where their continued participation becomes highly questionable. In cases like this, I have made the decision to write a letter to the person and inform them they are no longer invited to volunteer to be on camp staff. Sometimes I issue a warning, sometimes I ask for a face-to-face conversation, and sometimes there are just too many incidents in the past and I make a final decision that the person is now out of the program.

At our last Outdoor Ministries Committee meeting, one of the committee members made a case for having a couple more people involved in making such decisions. He volunteered to work on researching and writing up procedures for removing people from the list of acceptable volunteers. I had concerns about widening this decision making process. If I as the staff person feel that a person is unsafe to be around children, I don’t want to have to either prove my case or argue with other people about that decision. I spoke briefly with our conference minister about it. She brought up the volumes of written materials she has added to our conference supplements to the Manual on Ministry for dealing with ethics violations of authorized ministers. And this differs from volunteers, because authorized ministers actually have rights in terms of their standing. No one has a “right” to volunteer in areas of conference or church activities, they are chosen to participate. She pointed out that if the decision to exclude a volunteer were broadened to a formal panel of people, we would need to set up very explicit criteria and procedures for making those decisions. The way it is now, everyone is relying on my judgment as the conference staff person.

It would be nice to not be the sole person subject to the wrath of someone kicked out of the camping ministry, and it would be nice to have a couple people to consult with and who would give me support for my decisions. However, it is extremely rare to exclude someone. It is never done without my being willing to discuss the situation with them. Though no one has ever come back after a period of time, expressed understanding of why they were excluded, and asked to be part of the program again, I would certainly be willing to talk with them. I just have concerns over opening up this kind of decision making process to volunteers.

I didn’t expect this e-mail to get so long! Basically I wrote because I’d like to hear what other OMA folks do in similar situations. Does anyone have a committee process that works? Do program administrators tend to make these decisions unilaterally?

Barbara Broadbent

Should email addresses be included with posts and comments?

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:59:06 GMT

Like I said earlier, this blog with be a project in development. The question has been raised as to whether or not we should include the email address of someone who posts an entry or adds a comment so that if someone wanted to take up an exchange of ideas on a private basis, they could email the person directly. This also raises the question of whether those who post and those who comment want their email addresses made public in such a fashion.

It is important to remember that the OMA members are not the only ones who can view this blog. Anyone who finds us on the internet can follow our conversations and pick up our email addresses if we post them there.

I am open to the wishes of those who are using the blog. Please comment and let us know your thoughts.

Charles Stark
OMA Webmaster

Testimony to the ACA Writer's Workshop

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:38:28 GMT

November 8, 2007

Dear Jeremy, Curly and Charles;

Many thanks to you and OMA.

Today at Pilgrim Lodge we received our letter of accreditation by the ACA. It was almost a year ago that I attended the OMA’s ACA writers workshop at Mench Mill. The work shop really helped me break the ice and dive in. That was the beginning of this process that took all of 2007. It was a lot of hard work but very satisfying. Going through the paces improved every aspect of Pilgrim Lodge and the end result is synergistic. I don’t know if I’d have ever truly started if not for the workshop. So I thank you most sincerely.

Yours truly,

Bryan

Posting and Reading Comments

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:33:36 GMT

Well, it didn't take long to get this blog up and working once it was unveiled. We already have two comments. Tim Hughes and Frank Russell have commented on the Announcement posting.

I realize that many folks are used to blogs but perhaps some of you are new to the world of blogs. Therefore for you newbies, and I have to admit I am not far from that status myself, you can read the comments to a posting by clicking on the link at the bottom of a posting labeled View Comments

If you want to add a comment, then you click the link at the bottom of a posting labeled Add Comment

Remember, if you want to start a new discussion or ask a question of our readers, then email blog@oma-ucc.org and I will get it posted on the blog.

One final reminder, comments and postings are not published immediately. Since I am currently moderating this blog, I will need to do the actual posting and approve the comments.

Welcome to the new OMA Blog

OMA Webmaster — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:42:10 GMT

Today we kick off a new communication tool for those who are involved with Outdoor Ministry in the UCC. This blog will hopefully become a source of help and support for those who deal with the everyday challenges of camps and conference centers. It is my hope that you will check out this blog on a regular basis. Here you will see the questions of others who are seeking help and support for their particular challenge. Here you will learn that you are not the only person to ever deal with this problem. By participating in this blog, you will be able to throw out questions to your colleagues and hear their helpful feedback. As you read this blog, I hope that you will be able to offer words of advice for those who have questions.

I am sure, as with anything new, this blog will experience a journey of growth and development as we all learn to use this tool of technology. For now, we will all be learning how to get the most out of this blog.

At this point, if you would like to post a question or a thought for others to consider, you will need to email me at blog@oma-ucc.org I will post your submission on the blog. At this point, anyone may click the link at the bottom of the post to provide comment to the posting. These comments will be moderated by me so that we can avoid any misuse of this blog by others. Remember, this blog is not a private space and is open to anyone to post a comment to a submitted entry.

To help you keep up with what is happening with this blog, it will be possible to subscribe to this blog as an RSS feed. More about that later.

For now, I hope you will make use of this blog and check it frequently. Please don't be shy. The value of this blog will be determined by your comments.