Band Together, Start the Party!

Sharing God’s love with everyone you encounter is meant to be a joyous and cheerful time, and the young campers experienced that at Black Diamond Camp just last month! This year’s Winter Day Camp theme was “Band Together, Start the Party!” Our focus was on how God is a fantastic reason to celebrate and to be joyful through life because of Him. Thirty campers from ages 5 to 12 joined in the party fun. Regardless of the cold and wet ...

Who Are You Counting On?

"Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God." Psalms 146:3-5 NLT We love to put our confidence in a person. We so easily focus on powerful people with great plans. These powerful people gather attention and are ...

Internship Highlight – Elijah

Hi, I’m Elijah Vander Pol, and I’m part of the Internship Program at Black Diamond Camp. I am nineteen years old and from Auburn, Washington. Before doing the Internship, I had experienced Camp in many ways. I have been a camper, Summer Staff, and I even went to Rainier Christian Schools, who’s campus is onsite at Camp. Ever since my first experience as a camper, I have always loved it here at Black Diamond Camp. Camp has always been an ...

Winter Break Camp Recap – Band Together

Winter Break Camp came along with joy and excitement for campers and counselors! The rain didn’t put a damper on the festivities at Camp, as we were joined by several returning families, as well as several brand-new additions to our camp community. The Winter Break Camp theme was “Band Together- Start the Party!” Throughout the week, campers learned about how life with Jesus is a party, and how they can be the party starters among their friends and families. To ...

My Summer Staff Experience: Ewa

Hello! My name is Ewa, I'm 20 years old and I'm from Łódź, Poland. I first heard about Black Diamond Camp through Camp America in 2022. Camp America is a program that allows people from all around the world to travel to the United States for the summer to work at a camp. I knew I wanted to visit the United States and after seeing Black Diamond Camp on their website, I knew I wanted to come and meet everyone! ...

Welcome Ricky Rivera

Black Diamond Camp is excited to welcome Ricky Rivera as a full-time Guest Services Event Coordinator! Ricky joined the team all the way from Phoenix, AZ, along with his wife Carissa and their one-year-old son Deni. Their family shares a love for sports, particularly basketball, and travel—whether it's exploring small towns or enjoying the magic of Disneyland. Before his current role, Ricky was an Event Coordinator at UCYC, a camp in Prescott, AZ, where he first met his wife on ...

My Summer Staff Experience: Jenna

Hi! My name is Jenna. I first came to Camp many years ago as a camper and continued to serve as a part of the Service Team Program. This past summer I worked at Black Diamond Camp as a part of the Summer Staff team with Day Camp and Group Camp. Group Camp is a summer program where churches bring their youth groups to Camp and we, as Summer Staff, serve as their counselors! Throughout these 4 to 5 day ...

More Than Listening

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like." James 1:22-24 NLT I recently had a physical. The doctor made some recommendations for my well-being. I listened attentively. Every one of the doctors’ recommendations made good sense to me. Imagine ...

Memories at Glacier Peak

Dan, lead Pastor of Parkside Church, walks up to the podium at center stage. After a night's rest in the comfortable beds at Glacier Peak, he and his church are ready to soak up all that God has for them this weekend. Climbing walls, indoor swimming, and drift trikes for the kids are just a few activities that have been booked for the annual family retreat. He loves that his group gets to sleep in the same building where they ...

A Full Circle Experience

As a first-year Intern at Black Diamond Camp, it is truly a joy to help run The Lights of Christmas. When I was a little kid, I experienced The Lights of Christmas with loved ones. Now that I work for the event, I have come full circle! I am blessed to see friends and family excited to see me participate in the long-loved tradition of sharing the joy and hope of Christmas with the community through the event. During my ...

God With Us

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)." Matthew 1:23 NIV Before you start reading this, I encourage you to take a deep breath right now. Breathe in for five seconds, hold for five seconds, then breathe out for five seconds. Now think about this scripture for a little bit. How true does that scripture ring true to you when you hear “God with us”? As we ...

Internship Highlight – Olivia

Hi, I’m Olivia Gaines and I’m an Intern at Black Diamond Camp (BDC). I am twenty-two years old and originally from Hockinson, Washington. I first came to Black Diamond Camp in 2021 as part of the Summer Staff team. I had such a wonderful summer full of deep friendships and opportunities for personal growth, and I knew I would miss camp when I left. I heard about the Internship Program and really wished I could stay for it, but I ...

A Chance to Serve

Hi! My name is Jenna Clifton, and I am 18 years old. I’m from Auburn, Washington and I’m currently an Intern at Black Diamond Camp. I have been a part of Black Diamond Camp for about 11 years as a camper, Service Team Member, Summer Staff, and now as an intern!I have made so many fun memories, many of which are from my time as a Service Team member. If you don’t know, Service Team is a program for campers ...

Sharing a Meal

The past couple of years my mom and I have started a new tradition of picking an area of the country and seeing as many states and baseball games as we can in as few days as possible. This year we found ourselves exploring New England and all the beauty and food there was to discover! As any good tourist roaming the eastern seaboard, we HAD to have a lobster roll. We discovered that one of the best spots was ...

Welcome Rosalyn Harris

Black Diamond Camp is excited to introduce Rosalyn Harris as the full-time Guest Services Event Coordinator! Rosalyn first joined the Black Diamond team in 2022 as Summer Staff and after continuing in the 2022-23 Internship Program, spent this summer (2023) as a Group Camp Program Head. Through the Internship Program, Rosalyn shadowed the Retreats Department and was able to learn the importance of being flexible to best serve each group’s needs. She is excited to step into this new role ...

Summer Staff Skills and Resume Builders

Summer Staff at Black Diamond Camp have the incredible opportunity to be the face of Camp to so many students. During their time with us, Summer Staff learn and develop many skills that can be useful to build their resumes. Here are just a few: People Skills: At Camp we serve people of all ages in many different programs. As counselors, Summer Staff are tasked with leading students (grades K-12) through activities, Bible studies, and the day-to-day life of a ...

Welcome TJ March

Black Diamond Camp is excited to welcome TJ March as the full-time Challenge Course and Adventure Activities Manager! TJ has five years of outdoor exploration and education experience in roles such as Zip-Line Tour Guide, Trip Leader, and High/Low Ropes Facilitation. In her free time, TJ enjoys being outside, hiking and exploring new places with her husband and two sons! In her new role, TJ has enjoyed being outside and encouraging others as they conquer fears. Their family is excited ...

My Summer Staff Experience: Kylie

Hello, my name is Kylie! I'm 19 and from Auburn, Washington. I first heard about Black Diamond Camp (BDC) when I attended Rainier Christian Schools, a school that meets on the BDC grounds. On one of the last days of my senior year in 2022, Tyler, the Youth Program Manager, came to our assembly and talked about Summer Staff. From there, I decided to work as Summer Staff in 2022 as a counselor/kitchen staff, stayed for the 2022-23 Internship Program, ...

Summer Retreat Recap 2023

This past summer, the Black Diamond Camp Event Coordinators had the opportunity to serve over 50 different guest groups alongside summer programs. These groups consisted of churches, schools, and many different local businesses and organizations. We love getting to dream big with each leader to make their dreams come to life during the summer!  Everything from obstacle courses built on-site by church leaders for their students to enjoy or setting up a dance party in the Blacklight Dodgeball room! BIG shout ...

My Summer Staff Experience: Alyssa

Hi, my name is Alyssa! I’m 21 years old and from Black Diamond, Washington. This summer, I served on Summer Staff, but more specifically, I served as a Counselor in Group Camp!Each session of Group Camp, counselors are assigned to a youth group that we spend the whole session serving. We facilitate their activities, run Bible studies, and overall, just get to know those campers in an in-depth way. I think one of my favorite things about this summer was ...