Camp Soulspring Weekend Retreat
Ages: 8-17 • Price: $250 • Dates: 10/25-10/27
ARRIVAL: 6:30pm (dinner will not be provided)
Departure: 11:00am
Join us for this special Camp Soulspring Weekend Retreat! At Westminster Woods, we bring Summer Camp to our campers every Fall (in addition to the Summer). At this Weekend Retreat campers new and old will be able to reunite with their camp friends, participate in our classic summer camp traditions, and create new amazing memories.
The weekend will look similar to a day at camp with a couple fun perks! The retreat begins on Friday with campfire and a night game. On Saturday morning, campers choose how they want to grow closer to Christ through Golden Paths, a series of interactive, unique, and diverse workshops focused on developing campers faiths. After Golden Paths, campers will challenge themselves and build connections with one another through a full day on our Challenge Course. On Saturday evening, we’ll journey out to the beach to experience the wonders of the Sonoma coast and a sunset worship.
Return to camp this October (or come for the first time) and experience all that Camp Soulspring has to offer!
Email summerprograms@westminsterwoods.org or call us at 707-874-2426 ext. 612 with any questions.
Parents and guardians! Click below to view visit our information hub for camp families who are already registered for camp!
about camp soulspring
Camp Soulspring is a faith-based Summer Camp that nurtures the social and spiritual development of young people. We do this by teaching campers how to best love one another, the pivotal lesson Christ teaches us. These lessons allow us to live in the empowering community we know is possible when people of all different backgrounds come together, exemplifying the inclusive society we strive to live in, and embodying the peaceful world that God intends. Immersed in over 50 years of summer camp history, campers are swept away in a tidal wave of games, forest excursions, ropes course adventures, and sacred traditions. Within this beautifully diverse community, campers witness the natural wonders of the redwood forest and creatively explore their faith all while having more fun than you can possibly imagine. Our program is guided by a single proverb, commonly known as The Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). This sentiment, spoken by Jesus Himself, and echoed in the texts of every major religion on earth, is the spiritual cornerstone of Camp Soulspring. We firmly believe the Golden Rule is “True North,” and we help campers find true north with whatever spiritual compass they’re holding.
“Westminster Woods is my home. It has been since I stepped foot on it 10 years ago, and will continue to be until I leave this Earth, maybe beyond. I do not know where I would’ve been without camp. It has taught me so much about myself, how to love myself, how to love others, how to love God. I will never, ever, be able to thank the Woods for all it has done for me. As a queer person it has shown me a christianity that is all about love and acceptance and isn’t weighed down by judgment and egotism. I know that when I cross that bridge I am loved unconditionally, and unendingly. It is truly my favorite place on Earth.””
How we embody Christ
At Camp Soulspring, we follow Christ as a perfect model for how to embody love; a true vessel of The Golden Rule in every way. At the end of Matthew 7:12 (The Golden Rule) when Jesus concludes with “…for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” we choose to believe Him. Matthew 7:12 sums up the spirit of Christianity, summarized and simplified perfectly by Jesus Himself, so that even a child can understand it. By helping campers discover The Golden Rule in their faith and in their hearts, we bring each individual closer to walking as Jesus walked, and loving as Christ loves. We are commissioned by Him to accept people who are different from us, who may hold different beliefs than us, and teach them to love as God loves us. The Gospel is brought to life again with every new session of Camp Soulspring as each new community embarks upon the collective journey of learning to love one another like their lives depend on it, because they do. This is God’s Love in action, and the truth of Jesus’s words are evident in the joy, spirit, and sense of belonging that all our campers feel when we simply follow his golden precept: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you...” And so we do.
“I have gone to so many christian summer camps where they told me that if I don’t believe in Jesus, I would go to hell. This is the first camp where I felt accepted and respected in a way that allowed me the space to truly connect to God.” ”
Camp Soulspring’s Living Units
Once at camp, campers are divided by age into three different living units: Huckleberry, Driftwood, and Cascade. Each living unit resides in its own little corner of camp. While all of Camp Soulspring will be together on many occasions, campers spend the majority of mornings and evenings with their living units experiencing games, adventures, and activities designed to meet the unique needs of each age bracket.
Huckleberry is our youngest living unit, and resides in Huckleberry Hamlet, known to Woods alumni as the Creekside Cabins. Ages range from 8-11 years old.
Driftwood is our middle aged living unit, and resides up Driftwood Hill. Driftwood campers sleep outside under the stars or else in our yurts. Ages range from 11-14 years old.
Cascade is our oldest living unit, and resides at Cascade Canyon, known to Woods alumni as Central Camp. Ages range from 14-17 years old.
This model gives our younger campers the sense of graduating to more sophisticated programming as they age through the units.
Equipped with our diverse, exceptional, and highly trained summer staff, each living unit has assigned Cabin Leaders and Activity Directors dedicated to providing a transformational experience for each camper. Camp Soulspring is proud to have a 1:4 staff-to-camper ratio, ensuring that campers are well supervised and taken care of. For more information, check out our About Camp Soulspring Staff section.
We Are a Faithfully Inclusive Camp
Many programs and organizations may say it, but we have in the past and continue to genuinely welcome any young person of any faith background into our community. And they’re not just welcome; we enthusiastically invite those individuals and every member of our community to openly share their own faith backgrounds if they’re willing. At Camp Soulspring, we invite energetic discussions about matters of faith. It is our experience that young people are hungry for such discussions and ripe with questions but often suppress those feelings for a multitude of reasons. We believe the process of sharpening one’s own beliefs, reasoning, and discovering clarity through powerful discussions is paramount to a healthy spiritual life. Of course, the ceremonies and traditions of Camp Soulspring are informed by our Christian faith, but we intentionally design each program feature to be inclusive and respectful to different points of view. Our emphasis on Matthew 7:12 is opportune because its sentiment is echoed in every other major religion on earth, and universally known as The Golden Rule. This allows us to transcend theological differences and speak the universal truth that is the Gospel while not compromising the beliefs of anyone. In doing so, we celebrate the diversity of beliefs, and bear witness to how this beautiful collection of different beliefs is sewn together with the golden thread of The Golden Rule, creating the living tapestry of Love & Faith our camp is renowned for.