A letter from Marva

Each year, as the opening of Camp Crestridge has approached, I’ve written a letter to the incoming summer staff introducing myself. Over the years, those introductory letters have helped to ground me before I entered the gates of camp.  This year, I write a different letter. After much prayer and consideration, I recently met with my friend and supervisor, Ron Springs, to let him know that it was time for me to step down as the Summer Director of Camp Crestridge.

As it says in Ecclesiastes 3,
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens:
​​a time to be born and a time to die,
​a time to plant and a time to uproot,
​​a time to kill and a time to heal,
​a time to tear down and a time to build,
​​a time to weep and a time to laugh,
​a time to mourn and a time to dance.

A dear friend of mine upon hearing of my decision sent me the following note:
“Odd isn’t it, how important decisions in our lives are unheralded, no trumpets sounding, just the ordinary, familiar cadence of minutes passing.”

She also perfectly described how I felt each year as I arrived at camp:
“I could exhale coming through the gates, knowing that the same faces would greet me, same arms would embrace me, same authority figures would hold me accountable, same Jesus would meet me in that familiar space and place.” 

I will forever love and cherish memories of my time at camp and will be indebted to Coach Peggy Birmingham for introducing me to Camp Crestridge, and to Johnnie Armstrong for mentoring me once I got there.  These women laid the ground work for my 32 life changing summers at Crestridge.

And as Hobo said in one of those introductory letters,
“See you soon and let’s go on a hike”.

With a thankful heart,
Marva

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Crestridge, Marva Rawlings, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Summer Director | Leave a reply

Construction Update: Dining Hall Foundation

This past Wednesday the construction crew started laying the blocks for the foundation of the addition.  The crew even let us help lay a block!  It’s neat to now see exactly where the Cooking Classroom, Staff Lounge and Drama Den will be.

Additional Laundry Space

New staff lounge and cooking classroom

Drama Area

We are hoping to start clearing land up on the Ridge soon so we can start building cabins and all the other fun stuff that will be going up there!  We’ll keep you posted as we move along!

Posted in Girls | Tagged additions, Camp Crestridge, construction, Crestridge dining hall, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Exciting Construction Updates

Lots of construction crews have been busy this year at Crestridge!  We’d like to fill you in on what all has been happening the past several months.  There are three projects at this point.

1. The two cabins are coming along well.  The shells are finished (minus the siding and roofs).  Now it’s time to get started on the inside.  Previously, we said that the new cabin on Chip/Chick Hill will be a Chickasaw cabin.  There has been a change and that cabin will now be a Chippewa cabin.  There will still be four Chippewa cabins and six Chickasaw cabins.  The staff cabin (currently known as the Mansion) will also be a Chippewa cabin.  The current Chickasaw 6 will be a staff cabin. The Chippewa cabin is a little different.  It has the porch on the side instead of on the end.  It looks great!
We’ve also decided to have six Cheyenne cabins and six Choctaw cabins. So if you have finished 6th grade, you’ll be in the Cheyenne Village.  If you have finished 8th grade, you’ll be in the Choctaw Village.  For those who have finished 7th grade, you’ll either be in Cheyenne or Choctaw.

2. We are adding a covered porch across the front of the Lodge.  This will allow more covered, outdoor space for the cooking skill!

3. Marty and Rob are updating the bathrooms in the Infirmary.  We don’t have any pictures to show at this point, but this is a huge improvement!  They are updating the light fixtures, vanities, toilets, and added new tile floors!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to see up-to-date photos!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Bathrooms, Camp Crestridge, Cheyenne, Chippewa, construction, Construction Updates, Crestridge construction, Crestridge Infirmary, Crestridge Lodge, Infirmary, Lodge, New Cabins, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Find us on Instagram

Crestridge is now on Instagram!  If you are on Instagram, take a second to follow us…CampCrestridge.  There are so many ways to keep in touch with camp and your camp friends.  You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, the Green & White (Crestridge blog), Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, etc.  We love being able to see you throughout the year!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Crestridge for Girls, Crestridge Facebook, Crestridge Google +, Crestridge Instagram, Crestridge Pinterest, Crestridge Social Media, Crestridge Twitter, Crestridge Youtube, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Social Media | Leave a reply

The Construction is Continuing

Chippewa and Cheyenne Hill will see an addition this year.  After much thought and prayer, we have decided to add two new cabins for summer 2014.  One of the cabins will be built just below the Mansion (staff cabin on Chip/Chick Hill).  This new cabin will be used in the Chickasaw Village.  The current Chickasaw 4 cabin will become Chippewa 4. The Chippewa Village will now have 40 campers! 

The second new cabin will be built behind the current Cheyenne 12.  The Cheyenne Village is now going to be available for those who have finished 6^th grade along with some who have finished 7^th.  For those who have finished 7^th grade, you will either be in the Cheyenne or Choctaw Village.  The Cheyenne Village will now have 50 campers!  We are so grateful and excited for the opportunity to impact more lives! 

Construction has started on the new Cheyenne cabin, which will be called Cheyenne 14. Here’s the progress so far…

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Chippewa, construction, New Cabins, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Week One of Session 2A Vlog

A lot happens each day here at camp.  Here’s a quick recap to show you some of the activities we did during the first week of session 2A, 2013.

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Activities, Camp Crestridge, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Session 2A | Leave a reply

Johnnie Armstrong’s Campfire Message

Johnnie Armstrong, former director for Camp Crestridge, has been with camp since the beginning, 1955.  She has continued to return each summer during our third session.  She spoke at campfire this past Tuesday and a camper asked if we could post her message online.  You can click on the link below to access the message. The Lord has used and is continuing to use Johnnie in mighty ways.  We are thankful for all she has done for Camp Crestridge!

Johnnie Armstrong’s Campfire Message

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Campfire, Johnnie Armstrong, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Skill Stretches Vlog

At Camp Crestridge, we want to make sure our campers are ready for skills each day.  In order to do that, we lead them in the proper stretches.  We actually had a couple guests come help! Parents, there’s more to come in the session video!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Crestridge Skills, Nancy Cothran, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Sharon Aylestock, Stretches | Leave a reply

Carnival Vlog

Carnival involves all the Crestridge campers going to Camp Ridgecrest for a couple hours, playing games, earning Ron Dollars, and eating good food!  At the end of the evening, each cabin goes to the Auction to claim their prize!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Auction, Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, carnival, Ridgecrest Summer Cams, Ron Dollars | Leave a reply

Night of Chaos Vlog 2013

The name says it all, “Night of Chaos”!  This activity includes lots of water, shaving cream, hair gel, ping pong balls, squirt guns, footballs, and much more.  The Green is truly chaotic during this activity!  Unfortunately on this particular night, the activity was cut short due to a thunderstorm but the girls still enjoyed their time of Chaos!

Posted in Girls, News | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Chaos, Night of Chaos, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, shaving cream, water | Leave a reply