PNW Camps

10/24/2025

This week the year-round staff of our four PNW Camps gathered at Lazy F for our annual fall retreat. This is our time to evaluate the previous season, and look forward to the new season which will soon be upon us!
I can’t say enough for this group that works tirelessly to make our camps some of the finest camps anywhere. Plus, they are a lot of fun to be with.
Yes, axe throwing was a scheduled activity!

Special thanks to David Valera, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries, Kathy Hogg, Executive Assistant, and Geneva Cook, OR/ID Conference Camping Accountant, and Pastor Cody Natland for joining us and providing their expertise and help.

01/29/2025

This week our PNW Camp staff is in Navasota Texas at Camp Allen for our National United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministy Association gathering. Last night Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth gave a wonderful sermon at our evening worship (thanks Bishop!) Today on our morning off, we undertook a time-honored tradition and ate at the local Waffle House. A bonus was a visit to Buc-ee’s!

12/05/2024

Just concluded our yearly PNW Camping managers team retreat at Lazy F Camp. What an amazing and talented group we are blessed with! At this retreat we evaluate the past season, and look ahead to improvements in the coming year.

From left: Alan Rogstad, Executive Director, Rev. David Collins from Indianola, Rev. Tyler Rauhauser from Twinlow, Greg Clensy from Ocean Park, and Dave Burfeind from Lazy F.

10/16/2024

PNW Camping Ministry is excited to announce the upcoming arrival of Tyler Rauhauser as our new director of Twinlow Camp! Tyler and his wife, Kathryn will arrive at Twinlow in Mid-October from Eastern Pennsylvania. Tyler will begin as director November 1st.

From Tyler:
"Kathryn and I are excited to join the Twinlow Camp & Retreat Center family! We cannot wait to settle in at Twinlow. I bring my experience as a camper, volunteer counselor & dean, volunteer member of the Susquehanna Conference Camp & Retreat Board, and paid staff member, as well as serving as a local pastor in the local UMC for 5+ years. I look excitedly toward sharing my experience and learning new things as director of Twinlow."

Rauhauser will replace Kristen "Moonie" Moon as director. Kristen has served Twinlow for 11 years in the assistant director and director positions. Before her time at Twinlow, she served three years on staff at Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center in Ellensburg, Washington.

Alan Rogstad, Executive Director of PNW Camp & Retreat Ministries, offered deep gratitude for Kristen's ministry, "Even as we anticipate Tyler's arrival, we also celebrate and bid farewell to Kristen Moon and husband Trevin. We are so grateful for the years they poured their gifts and hard work into Twinlow and wish them only the best."

05/20/2024

Friday evening the Camping Board of Stewards of The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church and Site Advisory Team of Camp Indianola celebrated the ministries of Pete Simpson & Josh Goodman. Pete served as interim site director the last two years and re-enters retirement. Josh served as operations manager for ten years. Blessings to each of you on your new journeys in life.

03/29/2024

06/08/2023

Renovations, Outdoor School, Best Summer Camp Award! -

04/11/2023

Congratulations to Twinlow Director Kristen Moon, and the Twinlow staff and Board for this amazing achievement!

From Newsweek:
Congratulations! We are pleased to announce that Newsweek has identified Twinlow as one of America’s Best Summer Camps of 2023!

Newsweek, in partnership with Plant-A Insights Group, is set to release the premiere ranking of “America’s Best Summer Camps” and we identified the best camps in America most recommended by parents and social media reviews. This is an outstanding achievement, and the ranking identified the top 500 camps in the United States. The ranking is based on over 670, 000 social media reviews and 114,000 camp reviews from 15,000 American parents based on US Census Data.

We are proud of our amazing camps in the PNW Conference. Twinlow has given us even more reason to love our camps!!

Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group ("Plant-A") have partnered to determine the 500 best summer camps in the U.S. America's Best Summer Camps 2023 recognizes the top summer camps in the United States, categorized by state, based on social media reviews and a comprehensive survey of 15,000 parents.

03/23/2023

The Directors of our PNW United Methodist Camps met over the last three days at Lazy F Camp for our annual spring planning retreat. Pictured are Greg Clensy (Ocean Park), Dave Burfeind (Lazy F), Kristen Moon, (Twinlow), Pete Simpson, (Indianola), and Alan Rogstad (Executive Director). We had a wonderful and productive time together planning out the next year of programs and activity at our camps!

03/14/2023

PNW Camps: Fruitful Faith - A Spirit-Filled Life -

01/25/2023

This week our PNW Conference Camp staff is gathering with other UMC camp professionals at the national camp leaders gathering at Epworth by the Sea on St Simons Island, Georgia. It happens every other year and is an incredible opportunity to network, enjoy play time with colleagues, as well as get to see each other! It doesn’t happen as often as we would like.