2022 in Review

Greetings from snowy Tall Timber! As we round out the year and ring in the new one with over 50 people at Snow Camp, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and all that God has done to bless Tall Timber. So first, some numbers. In 2022, Tall Timber...

• served 196 students...and over 1,800 total people

• helped students and families come to camp with over $7,000 in scholarships

• partnered with the Presbytery of the Northwest Coast to supply an additional $2,000 worth of scholarships to students and families

• hosted 5 new groups

• saw 6 brand new donors join as ministry partners

Winter and spring were full of many groups with whom we shared Christian hospitality and programming, as people engaged in building relationships with God, themselves, and each other in the beautiful setting of Tall Timber. Unfortunately, the winter months were made difficult by continually breaking snow removal and grooming equipment. However, we made it through as a team and thanks to the leadership of our Assistant Director, Velda, (and thanks to the many supporters of Tall Timber!), and were able to continue to serve guest groups well through the spring and into the summer season.

Summer Camps

The summer season started off with a bang, as camps serving students from 8-18 (as well as families!) ran each week. Here are some quotes from students who came to camp this past year:

“Definitely coming back next year!”

“My relationship with God changed and I saw different perspectives from some Bible stories!”

"God doesn't need to be boring."

“My overall experience at Tall Timber was really fun and I had a lot of new cool experiences and got better connected with God.”

“I had lots of fun, made new friends and hope to come back.”

Fall of Forest Fires

While so many students reported having impactful experiences at camp, the summer unfortunately ended with a sharp halt, as we had to cancel Senior High Camp due to a COVID outbreak amongst staff.

Moving into fall, many forest fires surrounding camp (with some right along the White River!) made things even more exciting. While we are grateful that these fires did not affect our property or facilities, they did force us to cancel a number of groups due to the poor air quality levels. These challenges helped us make the difficult decision to furlough some permanent staff members. Three decided to stay on in a volunteer capacity and ride out the storm, and for that we are grateful. We are hopeful to bring them back on staff in the first half of the New Year, and look forward to having a more full team to make Tall Timber happen! 

Also during the fall, we were excited to welcome our new Executive Director, Rev. Adam Tobey, along with his family, Rev. Catherine Tobey and their daughter Danielle. We are excited to see what this new leadership at Tall Timber will bring, as the staff at Tall Timber and the Board work to dream about the future and bring it to fruition.

After the fires were finally put out with rain and snow, we were able to get back to hosting a variety of groups into early December, including a group of students for our Fall Youth Retreat, and a fellow Mission Partner of the Presbytery of the Northwest Coast, Underground Ministries.

Looking Ahead

Through this past year, we have been so grateful for the many ministry partners we have from all over the country. Your support through prayer, volunteer service, and finances have been instrumental in helping Tall Timber serve so many people in such impactful ways. As the year wraps up, we are grateful for the year-end giving that has already come in, and ask that you continue to consider how God is calling you to support Tall Timber. 

In 2023, we are excited to launch revamped programming for young people and families, and as permits come in we will be able to share more information about what to expect! In the meantime, we are interviewing summer team members and updating our volunteer program to include a more robust training, current background checks, and provide new ways to serve. Whether you've volunteered here many times before or are just considering it, please fill out this volunteer application.

Thanks for being a part of the ministry here at Tall Timber, and we hope to see you up at camp sometime soon! Until then, have a Happy New Year, and God bless!