About Us: News

Camp Activities Continuing as Planned June 26, 2009

As you may have heard, Week 4 at the Towers ended a few days early because of an illness that spread throughout the camp. Some of the campers were diagnosed with a common stomach bug while others have tested positive for Type A Influenza. At this time, all camp activities are continuing as planned for the rest of the summer at all of our youth camp facilities, including the Towers. To minimize any future incidences we are undertaking an aggressive cleaning and sanitizing routine at all of our camps. Please check out the following video of our staff cleaning the Towers camp.

towers cleaning procedures video

Towers Cleaning Procedure (2:11)

Kevin East talks about the in depth cleaning process going on at the Towers camp at the end of week 4.
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If your child has been sick we are asking that you not send them to camp until they have been symptom free for at least 24 hours. For more information on preventing the spread of illness, please watch the video below of Dr. Scott Lawrence, Pine Cove’s medical director. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 877-474-6326.

pine cove health procedures video

Pine Cove Health Procedures (3:07)

Dr. Lawrence, our Medical Director talks about how we prevent the spread of illness and care for campers when they get sick.
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Towers: Closed Wk. 4, Open Wk. 5 June 25, 2009

Due to a large number of campers presenting with a viral illness and flu-like symptoms, Pine Cove is suspending operations at their Towers Camp in Tyler, Texas for the remainder of Week 4 (June 25 – 27).

Currently all other Pine Cove camps are running smoothly and will continue to operate as planned. The decision to suspend the Towers camp was made Thursday morning after campers began presenting symptoms on Wednesday night. Parents were notified immediately through phone calls and emails from the staff.

Pine Cove’s medical staff, including Medical Director Dr. Scott Lawrence, is monitoring and treating each case as it comes in. In addition, camp staff is cleaning and sanitizing the entire facility in time for the Towers camp to reopen for its next session, Week 5, beginning on June 28th.

The safety of our campers is our top priority. We are saddened to have to send kids home but felt it was the right thing to do.

For more information on Pine Cove's health procedures, please watch the video below with Dr. Lawrence. You may also read our flu policy and procedures by clicking here.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 877-474-6326.

pine cove health procedures video

Pine Cove Health Procedures (3:07)

Dr. Lawrence, our Medical Director talks about how we prevent the spread of illness and care for campers when they get sick.
Watch Video

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Pine Cove's Flu Policy June 18, 2009

Under the supervision of our Medical Director, Dr. Scott Lawrence, Pine Cove has monitored the current Influenza status with the CDC and local health care providers. At this time, the current strain of influenza appears to be less virulent than seasonal influenza in years past. Based upon current camper day statistics for Pine Cove, current care levels for campers with Flu symptoms remain at a low level overall. Pine Cove will actively manage the health care of all campers and staff in the following manner.

For more information on Pine Cove's Flu Policy, click here.

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Come and Go With Us June 18, 2009

One:8 TripsYou are invited to join Pine Cove as we go global and bless children in Uganda, Russia, Spain, or Costa Rica. Acts 1:8 says "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Your family's heart will grow in your mission and discipleship on these eight-day mission trips. Each trip includes hands-on cross cultural ministry that will change your family's perspective on life. In addition, there are several planned excursions to experience the local cultural sites and highlights of the region. Find out more information on ONE:8 trips or contact Jeff Bice at missions@pinecove.com.


Pine Cove Week on the River June 12, 2009

Beginning Monday June 15, The River, a Christian radio station in Austin, will be hosting Pine Cove Week! The River will be giving away 40 spots at Pine Cove to deserving area families. Those in the Austin area can nominate campers that they feel would benefit from and are in need of a week at Pine Cove. Nominations will begin early Monday morning at 12:01 AM. To nominate someone you feel deserves a week of camp, just click here and fill out the form on the River's website!

Pine Cove President and CEO Mario Zandstra talked about Pine Cove on The River this week, and now you can listen to that interview online! Click here to listen to or download Mario’s interview! (Right click and choose Save Link As or Save Target As to download.)


Download Speaker Talks June 10, 2009

This summer, we will be offering our Family Camp speaker session audio recordings as MP3 files for free download. We hope that you will enjoy these challenging and inspiring messages and share them with your friends. Click here to visit our audio page.


Come with the Forge to Israel - March, 2010 June 10, 2009

Forge in Israel WalkingIf you have ever wanted to travel to Israel and experience the Bible in its original setting and do it with the Pine Cove family, then Spring 2010 is your first opportunity! In March of every year our discipleship program called the Forge spends 10 days hiking through the Scriptures. We would like to invite you to come along with our Forge students and experience Israel with us! For pricing and other important information, please contact the Forge Director, Matt Lantz and he will send you all the information regarding the trip. We would love for you and your family to experience Israel in true Pine Cove fashion!


Become a Pine Cove Ambassador! June 3, 2009

Do you and your family love Pine Cove? Have you been looking for a way to stay involved and help Pine Cove during the year? Think about becoming a Pine Cove Ambassador! As an Ambassador, you’ll help us out by telling your friends and people in your community all about Pine Cove! You will be notified of many specific opportunities and areas where Pine Cove needs help, such as events going on in your area where we need volunteers. To learn more, call 877-4-PINECOVE and let us know that you’d like to hear more about the Pine Cove Ambassador program!


Tacos for Ticos June 2, 2009

Tacos for TicosPine Cove has some exciting mission opportunities in Latin America coming up, and we have a great way for you to be involved! These Latin Americans, or “Ticos,” are in great need of soccer cleats, or "tacos," to play their most cherished sport of soccer. Will you bring your gently used soccer cleats to camp? We will gather them and take them with us on our next Commission Camping trip to Latin America. Just put your pair of cleats in a large zip-lock bag with the shoe size written on the bag and bring them with you to closing day at your camp. Thank you for helping make happy campers around the world!


Photo Gallery June 2, 2009

Have you been wondering what your camper has been up to during their week at Pine Cove? Then be sure to check out our photo gallery, which highlights all the fun and activities that are going on at the Towers, Outback, Ranch, Timbers, and Shores! You can see new photos of the youth posted Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings, and pictures of our day camps and family camps posted on Sunday mornings. Click here to check out what’s been going on at Pine Cove!


Pine Cove Week on KLTY June 1, 2009

We are so excited that Pine Cove Week on KLTY started this morning! The Dallas-area Christian radio station is giving away free weeks of camp at Pine Cove all week long to those who call or write to the station sharing the hardships they’ve faced this year. If your family has faced lay-offs, illness, or any other difficulties over the past year, KLTY wants to bless you with a week at Pine Cove.

Call KLTY at 214-787-1949 or email your story to frank.reed@klty.com to enter for your chance to win a free week at Pine Cove!

Pine Cove President and CEO Mario Zandstra went on the air with KLTY this morning to talk about opening day at Pine Cove and how much we’re looking forward to camp this summer! Click here to listen to or download Mario’s interview! (Right click and choose Save Link As or Save Target As to download.)


New Pine Cove Products! May 15, 2009

Are you looking for some new Pine Cove gear to get ready for camp this summer? The Pine Cove webstore has added a bunch of new t-shirts, sweatshirts, Camelbak water bottles, and more! Head on over to the webstore to check out all the new Pine Cove merchandise!

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Family Camp Spots Still Available! May 14, 2009

Summer camp is just around the corner, and we still have availability at all three of our family camps! We know that many family campers have invited friends to Pine Cove before, only to see them get on a waiting list because camp was full. This year is a great opportunity for a new family to get into camp! Also, scholarships are available for family camp, so click here for information and applications. Call 877-474-6326 to get registered for an awesome experience at Pine Cove Family Camp!

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New Shores Weight Room April 23, 2009

Shores Weight RoomThe Pine Cove Shores is crazy excited about a brand-new activity class coming this summer! This new activity class, named "Boom Time," will take place in our new, decked out weight room and exercise facility. Staying fit while you’re at camp is easy with our stationary bikes, dumbbells, and Olympic weight-style bench presses! Campers will not only have the opportunity to utilize the weight room in a morning activity class, but also during camper’s choice each afternoon. "Boom Time" will be staffed by trained Shores counselors, so get ready to pump it up!!

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Refer a Friend Contest! April 23, 2009

Get ready, camper families! We have a brand-new contest starting soon that YOU could win! Beginning Monday, April 27th, Pine Cove will be keeping track of all of the families and campers you refer to camp. Start telling people at church, show your highlight videos to anyone you can, and get your friends to come to Pine Cove! The family that refers the most new campers for Summer 2009 between April 27th and May 5th will be our grand prize winners! Click here to find out more about how to win and to get the full scoop on our new Refer a Friend Contest!

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Watch Awesome Videos March 18, 2009

Pine Cove has a brand-new video section with tons of fun and crazy videos for you to enjoy! These videos will give you a great idea of what summer camp looks like at Pine Cove, from our hilarious staff to the awesome programs that are featured during the week. We have some great tours of camp, overviews of our summer activities, and plenty of extremely random (and hilarious) skit videos. Head on over to the Stuff Section to watch these entertaining videos!

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Care Packs Now Available! March 11, 2009

Have you purchased a Fun Love & Care Pack and Camo Kit for your camper yet? Our Care Packs are filled with awesome Pine Cove logoed products, and will be hand delivered to your camper during their week of camp. We also have Camo Kits available, which is a great way to prepare your camper for camo night! A fun filled kit full of Pine Cove gifts will be delivered to your camper during the day prior to camo night with plenty of items to help get them prepared to play the big game. We have a ton of cool stuff in each of these kits, so check out these awesome gifts for your camper and order one for this summer!

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Vote for Your Favorite Pine Cove Shirt! March 11, 2009

We have a really exciting contest going on now in our camp stores. For the first time ever, we are asking for YOU to pick this summer’s shirt for each of our youth camps and our family camps! We’ve got three fun options for each camp, so tell us which is your favorite! The winning shirts will be sold in our camp stores this summer, so check out all of our colorful choices and start voting!

Towers T-Shirt Contest

Outback T-Shirt Contest

Ranch T-Shirt Contest

Timbers T-Shirt Contest

Shores T-Shirt Contest

Family Camp T-Shirt Contest

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Custom Retreat T-Shirts! February 16, 2009

Coming to Pine Cove for a retreat? Order a custom t-shirt for your group from Pine Cove and you'll have a unique item that's not available for purchase in our camp stores! We have six fun and creative shirt designs ready for you to customize with your group name for your upcoming retreat! Check out our colorful shirt designs and order yours today!

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New Junior High Conference February 11, 2009

We've got a really exciting, brand-new junior high conference for 6th-8th graders coming up this March 27-29, called the Girly/Burly Junior High Conference. The junior high girls will be at our Timbers camp with their own activities and speaker, and the boys will be at the Ranch camp with a speaker and activities designed just for them! The cost is just $88 per student for the entire weekend, which begins at 8pm Friday and lasts until 1pm Sunday. Check out more info about both the Girly and Burly portions of the conference, then call us at 1-877-474-6326 to register!

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Free Family Day! February 9, 2009

Come join us for our second Free Family Day!

Come tour Pine Cove Outback and see why over 1500 families chose to send their kids to camp last summer. Enjoy food and drinks, a great concert by Anthony Evans, and lots of fun activities for the whole family. And best of all, it’s free!

Location: Pine Cove Outback and Crier Creek
Date: April 5th, 2009
Time: 1:30pm-5pm.

Online Registration Coming Soon!

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New Pine Cove Shores TV Ad February 4, 2009

Pine Cove had the amazing opportunity to air a commercial for our Shores camp during the Superbowl Pregame in the East Texas area.  It was a huge blessing that allowed us to tell a lot of people about Pine Cove, and our prayer is that many new campers will come to the Shores as a result.  The ad will continue to air during other television programs in East Texas, and soon you'll be able to see it in other cities throughout Texas.  Click here to watch the commercial and learn more about the Shores!

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Day Camp: Now Online! January 16, 2009

To better serve our camper families, we have now made Day Camp Registration available through www.pinecove.com.  For those who wish to continue registering over the phone, you may still do so by calling 877-474-6326.  However, for those who prefer registering online, you can now sign up for camp 24/7 from the comfort of your computer chair!  Pine Cove offers two day camp programs: Castle Rock Day Camp near Tyler, TX and Down Under Day Camp located near Columbus, TX.  Day camp is a great alternative for younger children who are just not ready or interested in staying overnight.  For more information on our two day camp programs, click here.

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Youth Camp Forms: Now Online! January 16, 2009

That’s right!  As of January 15th, all required forms for summer 2009 are now available online.  To begin filling these out, simply log in to your account.  They’re easy to complete and contain important information that we need to know in order to best serve your camper.  In addition, all required forms must be completed before Cabin-Mate Requests (aka Roommate requests) can be made.  To access your account and these forms, click here.

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Apply now for The Forge! January 7, 2009

The Forge Leadership Training program is currently accepting applications for the class of 2010.  The Forge is an 8-month resident discipleship program designed to prepare leaders for a lifetime of ministry.  Click here to apply or to find out more information about the Forge!

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Pine Cove Receives Award January 7, 2009

Pine Cove is delighted to have been named Best Camp in East Texas of 2008 by the readers of BScene Magazine!  It’s an honor to be recognized by the local community, and we feel truly blessed by it.

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Year-End Giving December 5, 2008

This is the time of year that many people make additional gifts to ministries.  We are a non-profit organization, so any donations made to Pine Cove are tax deductible.  In addition, every dollar given will be matched until the total reaches $238,000.  If the Lord leads you to donate to Pine Cove this year, your gift will be greatly appreciated!  Click here to learn more.

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Webstore Sale! December 4, 2008

Looking for a little help with your Christmas shopping this year?  Then you need to check out the Webstore Christmas Sale!  You ’ll find some amazing deals on Pine Cove merchandise, including $8 shirts, $5 CD’s, half-price books, and more!  In addition, if you spend $20, you’ll get our “2nd Life of Mattresses” worship CD absolutely free.  Head on over to the store for some really unique gifts and fun stocking stuffers!

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Winterfest Bands Announced November 13, 2008

As part of the Winterfest December camping experience, Shores and Timbers campers can look forward to an awesome concert with some amazing bands.  We’re excited to announce that the two bands performing at the Winterfest concert will be Everyday Sunday and KingsFall, two incredibly talented Christian groups with a heart for the Lord. Don’t miss out on this great experience- get registered today! Click here for more information about Winterfest.

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Winterfest Information Page October 31, 2008

Be sure to check out our new Winterfest page for all the important details about our upcoming winter camp experience!  Winterfest will take place at all five of our youth camps, and will be packed full of activities, counselors, Bible studies and more.  We can’t wait to see your child at camp this winter, so click here to find out more information and get registered for Winterfest!

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More Facebook Content Added October 28, 2008

The Shores 2008 Facebook groups have been such a success that we’ve decided to put even more material on Facebook!  The Pine Cove Shores page is for ALL Shores campers (and their friends!) and is a great place to connect with other campers.  Each week we’ll be adding new content including some classic program videos, a weekly blog, polls, and a lot more.  Head on over to Shores Facebook Page and become a “fan” of the Shores today!

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Shores Facebook Groups October 15, 2008

Shores campers now have a great way to stay in touch with the friends they made during the summer!  The brand-new Shores Facebook groups are now up and running!  2008 campers are encouraged to join the group created for their week of camp, where they’ll find tons of pictures, awesome videos, and a great community to reconnect with friends.  Each group is named after its week (Shores Week 1 2008, Shores Week 2 2008, etc.), so come find us on Facebook and join in on the fun!

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New Young Guns Video October 3, 2008

Are you curious about our awesome summer program for guys who have graduated from high school?  Then check out the brand new Young Guns video for some great program photos and a look at what makes this program so unique.  Young Guns is an intense 5-week discipleship program designed to train students in righteousness through creative learning experiences, teamwork, mentorship, and teaching.

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New Forge Section October 3, 2008

Check out the all-new, completely revamped Forge Leadership section of the website!  We’ve got brand new photos, alumni information, student testimonies, and a whole lot more!  It’s an all new look with all new information, so head on over to learn more about this incredible leadership training program.

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Winterfest '08: Date Changes! September 30, 2008

Pine Cove’s winter camp experience, called Winterfest, is moving to a new date. The event is now scheduled for December 19th-21st. After surveying our camper families, it became clear that this was a better date for the majority of campers. Winterfest will be hosted at all 5 of Pine Cove’s youth camps. And special for this year is a concert for all 8th-12th graders at the Shores Camp!  We’re talking multiple bands on a big stage with even bigger speakers!!  It’s going to rock…literally.  To sign up or find out more, simply call 877-474-6326.

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Webstore: Lower Shipping Costs September 30, 2008

Thanks to some help from UPS, we can now offer lower shipping costs in our Webstore! In addition to the lower shipping costs, we have updated some of the products. Shoppers can browse through dozens of fun t-shirts, hats, worship CD's, books and more! To take a stroll through the store click here.

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Important Summer Deadline September 22, 2008

For all those currently registered for Summer 2009 and NOT on an automatic payment plan, please be aware that the second payment for camp is due on October 1st.  For Youth Camp, the payment is $150 per camper session and $300 for each “OverFlow” session.  (OverFlow is the new 2 week experience for 10th-12th graders.)  For Family Camp, the scheduled payment is $350 per room per week.  If you have any questions regarding this payment, please call our Registration Office at 877-474-6326 and they will be happy to help.

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Pine Cove News Page September 22, 2008

Welcome to the new Pine Cove news page.  The focus of this page will be to update you on important deadlines, upcoming events, and other note-worthy items.  The page will be updated at least once a week with additional posts possible during certain times of the year.  Our hope is that this page will keep both our current and prospective campers better connected to Pine Cove.  If you have a topic that you would like to see us write about, please send your suggestion to contactus@pinecove.com.

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