News
Are You Considering a Call to Camp/Conference Ministry?
The PCCCA Focus Event will be held at Sound View Camp and Retreat Center (Longbranch, WA) on November 22nd-24th. This program provides the opportunity to learn more about this ministry, to meet folks in the field and to spend time exploring God's call. The weekend includes workshops, worship, a question-and-answer session, a talk about current job openings at Presbyterian sites, a tour of Sound View and a panel discussion. For just $60, participants will receive two nights lodging, four meals, airport shuttles and a 2014 membership in PCCCA. To learn more about this event, please check out the
brochure.
Spring Issue of Branches Online is Available Online
The most recent issue of Branches Online, the enewsletter of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association, is available online. You can see all of the latest news and resources by checking out this new issue. You will also find the previous issue here. If you did not receive these issues in your email inbox, you can subscribe by filling out the form on this page.
Please Tell Us What You Think
The PCCCA Board is pondering what our Annual Conference could be to better serve more people. We would like to hear your opinion. Please tell us what you think in 11 short questions. We apologize for the difficulty with question #1. Due to the number of responses already received, we cannot edit the question further. Please do not be discouraged- share your input on the survey anyway!
Presbyterian Panel Survey on Camp and Conference Ministry
The Presbyterian Panel of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has released survey results related to Spiritual Growth Experiences and Church Retreats. A representative sample of nearly 4,000 Presbyterians (members, ruling elders, pastors, and specialized clergy) serve on the Presbyterian Panel for a three-year period and respond to mailed questionnaires four times a year. You can find the summary of this survey on the impact of camp, conference and retreat ministry at the Presbyterian Panel website.
Camp and Conference Sunday Materials Are Now Available
As you gear up your promotion of your summer programs, please take advantage of the Camp and Conference Sunday worship materials that have just been released by the Office of Camp and Conference Ministries. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has designated February 10th as Camp and Conference Emphasis Sunday this year. Of course you can encourage your congregations to use any (and all!) Sundays to lift up the ministry of our camps and conference centers. Click here to download your free copy of this resource.
Is Your Site Participating in the Retreat Placement Program?
BookARetreat.com took our directory of Presbyterian camps and conference centers to the "next level." With PCCCA's new relationship with Retreat Central, we hope to do that again. This Dallas-based company will soon be offering live assistance to visitors to our searchable directory. Retreat Central can help steer more retreat groups to your site if you are participating in the Connector program. Please take a look at the detailed explanation of our relationship with Retreat Central and see how it can benefit your camp or conference center. If you have not completed the BookARetreat.com listing for your site, please fill out the update page.
Does Your Site Deserve the Green Leaf Seal?
The Green Leaf Seal is a program of the Environmental Ministries office of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in cooperation with PCCCA. This seal is presented to Presbyterian camps and conference centers in the United States and Canada that care for God's earth by practicing sustainability and educating guests about environmental stewardship. To receive a Green Leaf Seal, a site must have completed a total of five projects or activities in the areas of facilities, education/program, operations, and outreach. You can learn about the requirements and benefits of this distinction by going to the Green Leaf Seal page.
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Are Your PCCCA Emails Being Caught by Spam Filters?
In May of 2011, PCCCA started using the iContact email service in order to deliver Enewsletters, Member Updates and Annual Conference Updates to our mailing list. Since we are now able to track these emails, it seems that many of our communications are being caught by spam filters.
If you are on the mailing list and have not received emails from PCCCA over the past two months, we ask that you "white list" the email addresses that iContact uses. These are icontact.com, app.icontact.com and icpbounce.com. If you do not know how to white list addresses for your email server, please go to this help page and see how you can change your settings in order to receive email from these three domains.
Where is Your Site in the BookARetreat.com Search Results?
Some of our Presbyterian camps and conference centers still need to send in their lodging parameters and pictures for the Bookaretreat.com website. This search engine is the new directory for those seeking retreat accommodations in the United States and Canada based on location and lodging needs. Please go to the website and see how your site is listed. Those camps and conference centers who have sent in their information should appear at the top of the search results. Do you need to complete your listing? Please fill out the information update today.
Are You on Facebook?
As many of you know, the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association now has a fan page. If you are on Facebook and would like to receive timely updates related to the association and to new resources, please become a fan of our Facebook page.
Special Brochure for our Canadian Camps and Conference Centres
The Presbyterian Church in Canada asked PCCCA to produce a special brochure to highlight the ministries of their presbytery, synod and national camps and conference centres. This was distributed at the General Assembly meeting and will be part of the special summer mailing to the churches. The brochure is available here.
Our Partnership with Columbia Theological Seminary
PCCCA has an official relationship with the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Geogia. To learn more about this exciting partnership that seeks to better equip our camp and conference staff and volunteers, please take a look at this flyer.
The Fund for Camp
The Investment Committee of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association is pleased to introduce the Fund for Camp (also called the Hostetter Fund). Just as the life and service of Donald A. Hostetter touched the ministries of so many of the camps and conference centers in our denomination, PCCCA seeks to aid these sites by providing financial support to the systems that sustain Presbyterian camp and conference ministry. PCCCA intends to undertake a $3.3 million capital campaign in order to raise funds for the support of Presbyterian camp and conference ministries. The Fund for Camp will be structured to support PCCCA programs and our Executive Director position, the visits and events provided by the PCCCA Consultants Network, and the national staff position for camp and conference ministries housed at the PC(USA) center in Louisville. For information on this exciting initiative, please go here to learn more on how you can support Presbyterian camp and conference ministry.
Article Posted on Jun 3, 2013 Read more news...
Who Are We?
Since 1964, staff and volunteers from Presbyterian camps and conference centers have gathered for fellowship, education and the mutual support of their ministries. This organization is called the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association. This close-knit group brings together people who support and represent the 156 Presbyterian camps and conference centers in the United States and Canada. The programs and fellowship of PCCCA (pronounced "P - triple C - A") allow these individuals to hone their skills and to bring knowledge and resources back to their ministries. The PCCCA "family" serves as an incredible source of professional and personal support.
The mission of PCCCA is to equip leaders for ministries of discipleship, community building and the care of Creation. It seeks to provide a common voice and shared vision for Presbyterian camp and conference ministry. The association offers many educational and connectional events. PCCCA also provides a quarterly enewsletter, a directory of camp and conference centers, representation on national committees, consulting services, an online repository of resources, job listings, special discounts on products/services and a network of collegial support.
The organization is open to all persons who value this important ministry. You may be a full-time camp and conference professional, a board/committee member, a summer staff person, a retired camp and conference professional, a volunteer, a student or just an interested person. You are invited to join PCCCA!
