March 2023
We are excited to bring you Tending the Fire, a deeper look at the people who make up Camp and Retreat Ministries. Each month we will share a story from our campers, donors, staff and volunteers and what impact Camp and Retreat Ministries has had on them, and them on us. We hope these stories will educate you, uplift you and inspire you to get involved in whatever ways you can.
Many of us would prefer to forget the drama that swirls around us and in us during our early teen years. Add to that becoming part of a blended family after being an only child, and there was plenty of drama in Sara Goetze’s life.
Attending Camp Magruder for the first time as a Junior High camper created some initial chaos as well: getting to know new people, being in a strange place, and sharing a cabin with a lot of people. And yet, amid this there was a friendly camp leader and the natural surroundings of the Oregon Coast that allowed her to step away from the frenzy and be who she was without all the drama. At camp Sara said she, “had the freedom of being in a safe spot and engaging with an activity that would push me to grow.”
Today Sara is an outgoing, confident, and vocal advocate for the power of camp to make a difference in one’s life and in the world. Sara has worked for non-profits after completing her MBA and now is the Senior Accountant for the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church. She can meet new people easily and confidently because camp gave her the space to be herself and the confidence to stand with others.
Camp and Retreat Ministries would like to extend our deepest apologies as we misspelled Betsy Stuller's name in our last issue of Tending the Fire.
© 2014 Camp and Retreat Ministries:
A partnership between The Oregon-Idaho Conference of The United Methodist Church
and The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon