SPIRITLIFE FAMILY VACATION CAMPS:
Intergenerational programs
for personal and family renewal

FAMILY CAMPS AT WALLOWA LAKE

Do you long to have quality vacation time with your family without the hassle of planning it all?  Would you like to experience a vacation with other families who share your values?  Would you like to learn ways in which you can deepen your relationship with each other and God?  Then Spiritlife Family Camp is for you!
Come relax in the foothills of the pristine Wallowa Mountains with your extended family and friends.  The food is nutritious, and home-cooked. There are housing options that meet a variety of needs and budgets from deluxe hotel style cabins to tents to RV hook-ups
The beauty is breathtaking and there are activities for all ages. You will have plenty of time to explore the surrounding area on your own as well as join with other families for games, crafts, story-telling and singing.  Wallowa Lake offers horseback riding, boating, fishing, hiking, go-carts, shopping, golf and bumper boats.  We also promise you plenty of time to take naps!
This summer some of our camps are “Way out West Cowboy Family Camp, Rafting down the Grande Ronde Family Camp, Special Needs Family Camp, and Chief Joseph Days.

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Here, "Family" means loved ones. No matter what kind of "family" you bring to this experience, whether it is yourself, or you and a friend or spouse, child(ren), grandchild(ren), or other child(ren) in your life, it is our hope you will experience the assurance while you're here that you are all beloved members of God's universal family.

This camping experience is based on the Judeo-Christian practice of keeping the Sabbath. For most of us when we think of Sabbath we think of going to church on Sunday. However the Jewish practice of Shabbat reminds us that Sabbath keeping is about nurturing the whole of our lives by remembering that life is sacred.

The Sabbath is a time to gather the family together for great food, fellowship, fun, rest and reflection. It is a time for renewal of body, mind and spirit.

This family camp will help us discover and develop more ways we can experience the Holy. It is the time when we can begin to ponder questions such as the following.

* What are our values as a family and what practices or rituals will help us to honor those values?
* What ways can we renew our body, mind and spirit?
* What do we want our children to learn about their spiritual life?
* How can we incorporate simple practices that will help us honor the sacred in our lives?
* How can we use these practices to help our children claim their sacred story?

We long for rituals that bring meaning to our lives. But we rarely take the time to reflect and commit to intentional practices that will sustain us and help us to grow in the ways of love and compassion as a family. At Spirit Life Family Camp you have the freedom to discover through a variety of experiences what works for you and your family so that if you choose you can continue to share these practices when you return home.

Simple practices such as the following can be embraced and practiced long after camp is over.

* Lighting a candle at the table and giving thanks for the day.
* Working together as a family to accomplish a task like building a campfire, setting a table or doing a craft together.
* Spending quality time together whether that be rest or play.
* Singing songs and hearing stories of faith around the campfire.
* Discovering and honoring our connection with the earth as we hike, ride horses, fish, swim or sleep under the stars.
* Sharing our unique gifts with one another through music, games, crafts, drama, and stories.
* Taking time to nurture our bodies and spirits through massage, yoga, guided meditation, or naps

The camp grounds are arranged so that children can safely play and explore the area. This is a place where there is such an atmosphere of respect and trust that the village (everyone attending the camp) begins to care for the children and by extension the entire family.

Since our camp is located in the historical homeland of the Nez Perce our campfire stories, games and crafts will focus on the Native American culture.

Plan on arriving between 3-5pm on your arrival date to get settled in and oriented to the area and the variety of leisure options available to you during your stay in this peaceful setting. Dinner is served at 6:00pm. If you are running late, please call us and let us know if you would like us to save you some dinner and what time we should expect you.

The Spiritlife family camp is specifically designed for the "spiritually independent" and well as for church members who want to bring spiritual practices into their daily family life. This program is offered freely to all persons in the Spirit and example of Jesus, who invited all to lives of amazing grace, joy and peace with the simple message of love: God's love for us, and a call to love and serve one another. You are welcome to participate in as much or as little of the program as benefits your soul. We only ask that you value your time here as a special gift from God and spend time to consciously renew your mind, body and spirit, strengthen relationships that are important to you, and respect others' desire to do the same.

Click here to see a typical daily schedule of the Spiritlife program offered. You'll notice there is plenty of time during the day to attend to your priorities and enjoy the variety of renewal opportunities available in the area.

Click here for important rules you should know before coming to camp. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, special needs, or anything that we may help you with to ensure your stay here is the life-enriching one it is meant to be.

We're looking forward to seeing you at:
Spiritlife Vacation Camp at Wallowa Lake!

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Beth Estock
Spiritlife Director

Wallowa Lake Camp & Retreat Center
84522 Church Lane
Joseph, OR 97846

wallowa@gocamping.org - 541-432-1271
toll-free: 1-866-WALLOWA (925-5692)

Spiritlife and Wallowa Lake Camp & Retreat Center are
"open hearts/minds/doors" ministries of the United Methodist Church, extending a warm welcome to all persons and faiths;
we invite you to make this your very own special time of renewal.