IT'S A BIG PARTY AND YOU'RE INVITED!

Celebrating 15 years of Christian camps and retreats

Can you believe it?! Jonah Ministries is celebrating our 15th Anniversary! On Saturday, March 19th, we're hoping to fill a banquet hall with adults who would like to help us celebrate our first 15 years of existence, and then help us move into the next 15 years with great vision and inspiration! This will be a free, fun, Jonah-style event. We're planning a casual, entertaining, interactive, FUNd-raising party featuring:

Otter Pops and a Prayer
Picnic Basket Chicken Dinner with all the fixings
Strawberry Shortcake Dessert
You Tube Testimonies
Reader's Theater by Jonah Staffies
Camp Skits and Songs
Prizes
Amazing 2011 Camp Displays

This evening is being planned as a celebration for those who've already been involved, and as a night of introduction to Camp Jonah for those who are curious to know just what God does at our camp! Please RSVP by March 9. (It's a program planned for adults, so no childcare is being provided.) We hope you can join us!!

DINING HALL PROGRESS

Thanks to the donation of tile (from Wholesale Home Improvements in Brooks, OR 503-581-4605 - liquidation of new building materials) and the skill of Harlan, Jeff and Derek, our Dining Hall floor now has beautiful new flooring! It is now sealed and ready to use this week! For the first time in my life, I can't wait to mop! It looks so nice and clean and inviting! Thanks so much to all of you who helped make this happen-including the retreat groups who have let us feed them in the gym during this process. This week we're ordering cabinetry (another generous donation) for the serving and coffee bar areas. If you'd like to help finish this project, we still need a little more cash to purchase heating and lighting. It's starting to look like a real Dining Hall, not just a school cafeteria!

Stop by and take a look!

3CA NW SUPER SECTIONAL

We have been members of Christian Camp and Conference Association (3CA) since the start of Jonah Ministries in 1996. It's been money well spent. This last week we attended the every-third-year Super Sectional in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The networking with other camp leaders is invaluable, as is all the seminars we can choose from and the general session speakers (Bob & Carol Kraning), special music (Clay Crosse) and worship (Mila Polevia) times. Attending these programs and rubbing shoulders with other Christian camp staff always inspires and refreshes us, and this year was no exception!

Now we're ready to dive into 2011-and plan the best summer ever!

THE BEST "APP" YET!

No, it's not available for your iPhone this year, but it is on our website! We're referring to the application for the best summer of your life - our Staff 2011 Application! If you've been praying about this opportunity and feel that maybe God would like you at Camp Jonah this summer, then go to our website and download a staff application.

Get this filled out and sent in quickly because we'll start "hiring" soon. Yes, it's a volunteer position (some scholarships are available), but we've seen God
provide over and over again for staff financial needs.

Do you think Jonah Staffing is in your near future?

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Since we're now celebrating 15 years of camps and retreats, we're also taking time to reflect and evaluate on why we do each program and what the goals and purpose are. We realize that we can either just shift into neutral and expect this car to keep on running on the same great course or we can re-fuel, set our GPS, and take the future seriously. So, we've created a new part-time position and hired an old favorite: Sherri "Daisy" (Duke) Wilson. Her new title is Program Development Coordinator. Her job will include:

1. Developing a prayer focus for our year-round and summer staff
2. Developing an intern mentoring and training program
3. Developing structure for each JM programmed camp and retreat
4. Developing and implementing a social networking plan
5. Developing relationships with churches and youth leaders

We're pretty excited about moving with purpose into the future, by evaluating the past and developing intentional programs--always seeking to honor God as our Camp Director. If you'd like to support Sherri in this new position, please send your check to Jonah Ministries (or donate online) adding a note with her name or position on it.

Thanks!

WHAT'S COOKING AT JONAH?

Most of you know by now that there's always good home-cooking to be had by all who work here or attend here. We'd like to introduce you to our new Lead Cook, Russ Cole, Jr (we all call him Jr.) who is continuing on with this tradition. Grandma is still our breakfast cook and the one who's got the coffee on in the wee hours, but Jr breezes in while the pancakes are still hot and gets lunch and dinner plans underway. He's our (Jeff & Beki's) son-in-law, but you'd think we chose him to marry Angie just for his gift of cooking. Jr is doing a great job of organizing everyone and everything that has to do with the camp kitchen.

The one thing he can't do, however, is cook during our summer camp season (he's a raft guide during those 8-12 weeks), so we're looking for a person who'd like a summer position of ministering to the hearts and tummies of our campers. The menu will be planned and the groceries purchased, so it's a fairly easy job to step into if you've got some group cooking experience and a lot of stamina. You'll also be blessed by working closely with our amazing summer staffies! Contact Beki if you're interested in being our summer cook at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 509-395-2900.

ANNUAL REPORT

If you are the sort of person who likes to know the nitty gritty of all that goes on here, perhaps you'd be interested in reading our 2010 Annual Report. Email Beki to request a copy!

AVAILABLE DATES

Planning a retreat? We still have these dates open:
April 8-10
May 13-15
June 3-5
June 25-28 (Sat-Tue)
August 21-24 (Sun-Wed)
September 2-5 (Labor Day Weekend)
September 30-October 1 (every other year)
October 21-23, 28-30
November 11-13, 18-20
December 2-4, 9-11

We'd love to help you tailor-make the best retreat ever!

PRAYER & PRAISE

Each year about this time, the passion for the upcoming summer gets stronger and stronger as the plans for summer camps start falling into place. Our passion this year (number 15!) is not only strong, but deep. Our theme is Real Life! Relationship not Religion. Our greatest desire is to introduce to our campers the personal relationship they can each have with Jesus Christ. There is nothing valuable about religion. In fact, religion masks what a relationship offers. We have the job and privilege to teach about the difference, and offer the opportunity to choose a life-long relationship with Jesus. Summer Camps and Retreats are such great tools. We appreciate your prayers that we will be extremely effective this year! Here's a list to walk you through our current prayers and requests:

PRAYER:

1. We'd appreciate your prayers for a successful 15th Anniversary Celebration. We desire for this event to glorify God, show the value and uniqueness of our camps and retreats, and friend-raise and fund-raise in order to move joyfully and confidently into our next 15 years!
2. Please keep praying for "bulging" Summer Camps and Retreats. Full camps means more ministry opportunities and more stability in finances.
3. We all know that the selection of Summer Staff is of utmost importance. These are the ones we trust with our campers lives and hearts. Pray for wisdom!
4. Please pray for our spring finances. Our larger groups are now past and we have some empty weekends due to spring break, Easter, Mother's Day, etc. Pray that we always trust God, our Camp Director.
5. Keep praying for wisdom as we get final bids, plans, permits before breaking ground on our Bus Barn Project.
6. We're making such great progress on the Dining Hall Project. In order to completely finish, it will take a few more thousand dollars. Let us know if this is of any interest to your giving pleasure. (And be sure to stop by and take a look!)
7. We're looking for a strong, talented, somewhat experienced summer cook. This is a summer ministry experience with lots of influence over campers as well as staff. If this sounds interesting, please email Beki...

PRAISE:

1. We're gratefully celebrating the 15th anniversary of Jonah Ministries!
2. Finally (thanks to Harlan, Jeff, Derek, Larry), our Dining Hall Floor is completed and the new cabinets (thanks, Todd) are ordered!
3. We've had a very full, rewarding winter retreat season!
4. Thank you to ALL of you staffies who have worked tirelessly each weekend this winter serving our groups-especially this past weekend. You impressed me and inspired me!
5. Thank you, Harlan and Sharmin, for finishing the sealing of the Dining Hall floor on Monday, your day off! We're so excited and so appreciative.
6. Thank you, Board of Directors, for your investment in this ministry, for your hands-on involvement, and for taking care of Jeff, Grandma and me. We appreciate you.