High School Summer Camp: Ponderosa
Overview
Ponderosa also known as “Pondy!” is our flagship camp at Hume Lake for high school students. One of the many things we love about Hume Lake is the opportunity to get away from the busy-ness and distractions that young people face on a daily basis and have an incredible camp experience. When you come to Pondy, you will hear the gospel preached, be challenged through scripture, engage in sweet worship through music and get some time alone and with your church to process what God did in your life up here at camp. Hume Lake takes pride in its high energy recreation allowing kids to be kids. That includes things like playing in the mud, running the gauntlet, doing the bike jump, and dominating in Kajabe Kan Kan. If you allow it, a week at Ponderosa can and will change your life forever. We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Dates and Speakers
Learn More
Clear Gospel Message
The gospel isn’t merely one ingredient in our programming mix. It’s the reason for everything we do.
Hume speakers know teenagers as well as their bibles. They unwrap and animate God’s truth in ways that connect with students.
Students will hear the gospel of Jesus in chapels and talks, then wrestle with it in seminars, breakouts, and all those unscripted moments between youth pastors and students that a Hume Lake camping experience delivers.
Dynamic Worship
Indoor worship, outdoor worship, corporate worship, devotional worship.
Hume Lake nurtures the attitude of worship from sunrise to sunset. Just step out of your cabin, and you can’t help but acknowledge God here in the midst of His majestic creation.
Personal quiet times, small-group prayer, our dawn patrol sunrise worship—you'll have plenty of options for exalting the lord. For listening to him, too. (It helps that distractions are few here—no phones or ipods, for instance.)
And our musicians are selected for their giftedness in bringing students into the presence of the lord.
Recreation
For an hour a day, we let kids be kids. We call it recreation.
The high-energy, innovative games at Hume Lake give campers an outlet for their energy, while providing counselors a chance to encourage team-building and leadership skills.
Game-winning teams are awarded points throughout the week, and on spirit day themed costumes multiply your points to give your team the cutting edge!
While all campers receive a free “rec” shirt, only the winning team gets the coveted “champion” shirt.
Theme
The theme is a creative and practical link between the fun, entertaining aspects of camp and our presentation of the gospel.
While we believe that the theme is a critical part of the camp experience, it is our desire that by the end of the week it becomes background to the biblical truths taught throughout the week.
The opener, the daily videos, the recreation team names, spirit day and the free camp dvd are some of the programming elements we use to capture campers attention, win their trust, and direct their focus to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Local Church Ministry
Let us agree on one thing: your youth pastor—not us or any other ministry resource provider—knows your youth group best.
We run camp in order to give youth pastors freedom to do what they do best—relate to students, listen, offer guidance, love. To that end, we free them up from the myriad details required for a successful, memorable camping experience—the programming, lodging, meals, recreation, speakers, music. They do enough of that anyway.
So this time, we'll do the footwork while your youth pastors ministers to your students. After all, when Jesus left this planet, he left behind a church, not a camp.
Pricing & Details
2011 Church Group Pricing
Camper $440
Counselor $149
No minimum group size required. Counselor to Camper ratio of 1 to 8 is requested per gender. Price includes meals, lodging, program, highlight DVD, and recreation T-shirt. Extra activities are available at additional cost or deposit.
2011 Individual Pricing
Camper $480
Price includes counselor, meals, lodging, program, highlight DVD, and recreation T-shirt. Extra activities are available at additional cost or deposit.
What to bring
Bible, notebook, pencil, flashlight, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries, warm and cool clothes, jacket, modest one-piece swimsuit (no tankinis), $50 recommended spending money.
(Remember: Girls no bare midriffs or spaghetti straps; guys, no sagging.)
What not to bring
Drugs (unless prescribed by a doctor), alcohol, tobacco, fireworks, firearms, electronic devices.
Registration
Camp begins with registration at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday and concludes at 9:00 a.m. the following Saturday. Dinner on the first night is served at 6:00 p.m.
You may send mail to the following address
(Please send five days prior to desired delivery date.)
Camper Name/ Church registered with
Ponderosa Camp (date of camp)
64144 Hume Lake Rd
Hume, CA 93628
Theme
2011 Theme is in the works and will be unveiled around the first of the year.
2010 Theme
We live in a self-centered culture with an attitude of entitlement. From the decisions we make to the things we say, our lives reflect an abundance of "me." This "me-centered culture" is in opposition to II Corinthians 5:14-15 which says: "For Christ's love compels us, for we are convinced that one died for all therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again."
This summer we will address the "me-centered culture" of today's youth by challenging students to understand that we were bought with a price by the death of Christ and the life we live belongs to Him. We are called daily to selflessly submit to Christ. We are called to excuse ourselves out of the way so that God gets the glory. This summer we will learn what it means to Excusez-Mwa!?...
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Band
2010 Band
In the cool, culturally minded streets of Portland, Oregon, Christianity, like much of the city’s music scene, is basically underground.
But for the Portland trio know as pop/rock act Above the Golden State, the sheer lack of Christian culture hasn’t been a problem. If anything it’s caused the guys to get serious about their faith in the trenches—and what it really means to be a follower of Christ.
For more information on Above the Golden State, check out www.abovethegoldenstate.com.
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“I feel like we got a fresh, clean, unbiased start to following Christ and understanding God through His Word,” Michael shares. “And that’s why we draw from who we are and share that message musically.”
Now on the heels of its critically acclaimed, self-titled debut in 2008 that yielded hit singles “Sound of Your Name” and “I’ll Love You So,” the band is serving up a new collection of catchy anthems with a decidedly West coast vibe on The Golden Rule.
With a back-to-basics approach, Watson says the album’s lyrics underscore the core elements of faith.
“The Golden Rule, to love God and your neighbor as yourself, is a commandment we’ve all been given,” says Michael. “Through our songs, we want to encourage the Church to return to that fundamental truth. We aren’t interested in competing with other bands for chart success or simply following the path that the music industry has set out for artists. Instead, we are constantly pursuing God upward, serving God within our community and going into the world to share His message.”
Not afraid to shy away from the complexities of faith, even in a three-and-a-half minute song format, Above the Golden State’s sophomore album isn’t fueled by pat answers and platitudes. Rather, it’s driven by an authentic desire to love the world as Jesus did.
One of the project’s standout tracks “I Am Loved” is a reminder of God’s continual presence, even when He feels far away.
“Where is God? Why don’t I feel His presence? These are questions that many of us ask. Even great men of the Bible like David asked these questions,” Michael shares. “But this song is ultimately a reminder that He hasn’t left us. He hasn’t stopped loving us. Naturally, life will have its highs and lows, there’s no escaping that. But thankfully this life is really just the beginning. He is shaping our souls for the day we’ll see Him face to face and know Him fully.”
With “The Real You,” the band addresses authentic Christianity, not the “feel-good, quick fix” that’s often peddled in the Christian subculture. Later on, with “Tragedy,” the message of “The Real You” gets a practical application when the guys investigate life’s darker realities, most notably what you say to someone who’s lost it all through divorce, cancer, lost jobs or even a loss of faith.
Anchored by the prayerful and practical support of their local church, Solid Rock in Portland, the band is “humbled” and “honored” to share its Gospel-driven message with the masses.
“How Jesus is moving in our church locally is the lifeblood of our ministry,” Michael says. “Now I would like our next big push outwardly to have a clear message of the Golden Rule, which is already in our music.”
