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• Camp Volunteer Training Suite

  • Start
    27 Oct 2025
  • End
    03 Aug 2026
  • Location
    Virtual

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  Volunteer Deans or Directors and cabin counselors are central to the camp experience at many UMC sites, but it can be a challenge for them to be trained in all aspects of camp leadership in a short amount of time. The Volunteer Training Suite resource developed by experienced leaders from our UMCRM community is meant to meet this need.

  
  

  Learn more about this training resource

  
  

  Learning modules:

  • Faith Formation

  • Worship Planning

  • Small Group / Bible Study Facilitation

  • Safe Sanctuaries

  • Duty of Care

  • Camper Behavior

  Access the DIY Training Suite format for use at your local volunteer training events or as a virtual training supplement for late hires. A one-time $150 purchase provides unlimited access to the six 10-13-minute learning videos and supplemental resource materials.

  
  

  You will be invited to list email addresses for everyone who needs to receive online access. Add additional users at any time and in future years by emailing UMCRM.

  
  

  100% of the proceeds goes toward the UMCRM Legacy of Leadership Fund, which provides continuing education scholarships to UM camp and retreat leaders! 

  
  

  Please reach out with questions or for tech support.

  
  

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• Compass Points: Articulating our Mission, Role and Value 2026

  • Start
    28 Sep 2026
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • End
    01 Oct 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Pilgrim Firs Camp & Retreat Center, Port Orchard WA
  • Registered
    1 registrant

  Register

  
  

  

  
  

  2026 Fall Course:

  
  

  Articulating our Mission, Role and Value

  
  

  This course will be held at Pilgrim Firs Camp & Retreat Center, Port Orchard, WA. The faculty are Rev. Todd Bartlett and Margie Fiedler. 

  
  

  Tuition, Lodging, Meals, and Transportation

  Registration includes $365 tuition plus room and board. The pricing for private bath lodging with meals (Monday evening meal through Thursday breakfast) is $422.00 for single-occupancy and $375.00 for double-occupancy. Full payment is due by 9/11; contact Jen Burch with registration or payment questions.

  
  

  Please plan to arrive at Pilgrim Firs by 5:00pm on Monday, September 28th. The camp is approximately 1 hour from SeaTac airport.

  
  

  Cancellation policy: Contact Registrar Jen Burch to amend or cancel your registration. Up to 30 days prior to the class, a refund of the program fee will be given minus a $50 admin fee. In the event that Compass Points must cancel the class, a full tuition refund will be given.

  
  

  Learn more about the Compass Points Program
  

  FAQs

  
  

  Please contact Joel Winchip: info@compasspointsprogram.org or 803.322.0232 with any questions about this class or the certification program.

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• Compass Points: Capstone

  • When
    01 Oct 2026

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  The Capstone event is the eighth and final class of the Compass Points certificate program. Students must have received credit for all of the Compass Points coursework, including Site Administration, prior to registering for the Capstone. If you are uncertain about your eligibility for Capstone, please contact your denominational Compass Points Council representative or Joel Winchip. Candidates for the Capstone are advised to begin their projects several months prior to the event at which you plan to make your presentation. Students may choose to Capstone at any denominational outdoor ministries conference of their choice. 

  
  

  Through the Capstone process, you will...

  • Spend time discerning how your ministry has been informed and how it might be enriched in the future as a result of the Compass Points Program

  • Articulate a vision for how your ministry organization might have greater impact on relevant issues of our day

  • Demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the seven Compass Points content areas through written papers and oral presentations

  • Share final projects in a workshop format with fellow Capstone candidates and workshop attendees

  
  

  Students who successfully complete the Capstone project will be awarded their Compass Points certificate and compass. 

  After registering, students will receive the Capstone syllabus/curriculum as a pdf document via email. Please contact Jen Burch if you do not receive your program documents.

  
  

  Please contact your denominational Compass Points Council representative with further questions about your Capstone. 

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• 2026 UMCRM Conference Staff Summit

  • Start
    16 Nov 2026
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • End
    19 Nov 2026
  •  
    9:00 AM
  • Location
    Epworth Forest, North Webster, Indiana
  • Registered
    Be the first

  Register

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Why attend the UMCRM Executives' Summit?

  Each year camp/retreat executives gather for leadership development, educational opportunities, spiritual renewal, and networking. We are stronger together! During the Summit, we will have time for intentional learning, small group conversation, and opportunities to envision the future of camp and retreat ministries of The United Methodist Church.

  Who is the Summit for?

  Our community includes executives with many years of experience and those who are brand new to their positions. Some serve in roles focused entirely on Camp & Retreat Ministries; in recent years many relate to camps as part of a larger portfolio of ministry responsibilities. This gathering is for all conference staff who oversee United Methodist-affiliated camp and retreat ministries in an executive capacity.

  Where is this year’s Summit being held?

  We will be hosted at the beautiful Freeland House at Epworth Forest Camp & Conference Center in Indiana. Our lodging is in comfortable, hotel-style rooms with private bath. All linens and towels provided. Registration includes 3 nights' single-occupancy lodging, 7 meals (Monday dinner through Thursday breakfast, except for our Wednesday dinner out), and all programming. If you prefer to share a room, please reach out to Jen.

  Transportation:
  We'll coordinate carpools from Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA). Please schedule flight arrivals by 3:00 pm on Monday, November 13th. The ride to Epworth Forest is approximately 1 hour. Please book return flights to depart after 12 noon on Thursday.

  
  

  Questions? Contact Jen Burch, Registrar

  
  

  
  

  
  

  2025 Execs Summit at Lake Junaluska, NC. L to R: Dail Ballard (NC), Mary Thompson (Holston), Chris Schlieckert (Balt-Wash), Louisa Smith (WV), Mike Huber (Lake J), Katie Lamoureux (Mountain Sky), John Spelman (New England), Todd Bartlett (OR-ID), Erik Bengston (MI), Nancy Lane (IGRC and IA), Bob Kahle (Great Plains), Arthur Spriggs (SC), Jessica Gamaché (UMCRM), Russell Davis (North GA), Jason Boggs (WNC). Present but not pictured: Kenny Funk (Cal-Pac), Julie Lautt (OH), Apryl Miller (Eastern PA), Alan Rogstad (Pacific NW), Jen Burch (UMCRM)
  

  
  

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• Compass Points: Site Administration

  • When
    30 Nov 2026

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  This self-directed independent study may be taken following successful completion of at least 3 Compass Points courses for context first. Students are encouraged to complete Site Administration 3 months prior to the event in which they intend to Capstone.

  
  

  Visiting other camps and conference centers helps develop skills to think critically about our ministries. For this self-directed course, participants will choose and visit a camp and conference center different from one they are currently serving or have served. Participants will physically tour the site, interview staff who serve in various roles, and summarize the visit using comparative observations between this site and their own.

  
  

  Through the self-directed study, students will:

  • Tour another site that is unfamiliar and different from their own camp experience, interviewing staff members and observing them in their roles

  • Learn how to look at another site through the lenses of hospitality, building and grounds, food service, and communication/administration in order to learn and grow in their own ministry

  • Collect their observations and share their own feedback, including suggestions, praises, and concerns with the site visited

  
  

  After registering, students will receive the Site Administration syllabus/curriculum as a pdf document via email. Please contact Jen Burch if you do not receive your program documents. 

  
  

  Questions? Email info@compasspointsprogram.org

  
  

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