What to bring:
• Sleeping Bag/Bedding (Twin Size)
• Pillow
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, bug spray, shampoo, conditioner)
• Towel
• Warm clothes
• Jacket
• Tennis shoes (NO flip flops)
• Bible
• Journal/Pen
• Water Bottle
• Flashlight

Register online today! If you have questions, call Hope at 918-263-3622.

185 River Avenue

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Come join Shepherd’s Fold Ranch and Warm-Up at the Spring Retreat!!! Register before April 18, 2012. Ages 9 to 18.

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I continued to work at SFR through the summer of 2005, spending two years actually living at the Ranch. Even though time has passed, I still consider it a home. I suppose that is because Home is where foundations are laid. Through my time at the Ranch, the Lord laid in me a foundation of trusting in Him. I learned that He was good and that He was worth following, regardless of the cost. The lessons I learned were not always easy and often included tears and pain, but they have proved essential. I now live in Washington, DC–a world far removed from camp life–yet I daily apply the lessons I leaned at the Ranch. I can follow Jesus closely here because I learned to follow Him closely there (and, on the same token, I can plunge tolilets here because I could plunge them there!).

The Fold and the people that I did life with there hold very dear place in my heart. I had fun. I met with Jesus in life changing ways. And that’s Shepherd’s Fold.

Martha Glover, Attorney, Washington, DC

Jon Fouch here, signing on to throw a little bone your way to chew on and think about. Let’s get through the basics first: grew up in Tulsa, went to Jenks High School, played lots of sports, liked sports and kept playing them at Evangel University, survived college and got a degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Management…and now I am doing something really awesome that will be mentioned in the near future…like further down the page.

The real story of how I ended up at SFR…my brother worked at camp in the summer of 2004, and I needed a place to work off the 50 hours of community service I received for driving way too fast and not wearing a seatbelt…true fact. At this point in my life, I had just been baptized at my church and was trying to figure out how to actually follow Jesus(and I still am!!!) SFR rocked my world, and I ended up coming back the next summer to do lawn maintenance work every Thursday…and play lots of Frisbee, go swimming, and eat delicious camp food. After my first year of college, I decided to look past my own fears and inadequacies. Yes, I became a camp counselor. I think my biggest reason for working was because my best friend Stephen Pyle wanted me to….but I also was excited to think about what God might do in my life as I committed my summer to Him. Well….He ruined my life. hahahaha. I found passion in my heart for Him, and I developed a passion to see others experience Him as well. The next three summers of my life were dedicated to SFR…and it all started with a really big speeding ticket.

What do I love about SFR…EVERYTHING!!!!!

The big question to ask is WHY? Why should you send your child to camp? Why should you go to camp? Why should you join the furnace? WHY!?!?!?!?!?!

Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” SFR is a place where people can experience fullness of life….and I am not just talking about all the crazy fun that is to be had. It is a safe environment to trade with God, and God always trades up. He gives us beauty for our ashes. And at SFR, you never walk alone. The community is absolutely amazing.

So, you are probably wondering what I am doing with my life now….I have allowed that passion for God and others to grow over the past 4 years, and I am currently a missionary in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I share the gospel with university students who have never heard of who Jesus is. One of my Kazakh friends asked me a question after spending a few months discussing the gospel…he asked, “Did Jesus only come for the sick and the poor?” HE DID!!!!! I thank God that He captured my heart at SFR and set me free from my sin.

What will the SFR experience do to you or your child’s life?

Jon Fouch
Missionary
Almaty, Kazakhstan

I love SFR because the community is INCREDIBLE, and there is such a culture of love, acceptance, and grace that is essentially God’s kingdom working on earth. SFR has trained me up to express my love for Jesus with no limits. There are so many ways to worship Him, and I first discovered this freedom at Shepherd’s Fold. Shepherd’s Fold is a place for kids (young and old) to come and ‘do business with God,’ and every time I go out to the ranch I feel as though I am coming home. Here I learned the importance of being open with God and others. I have received so much healing, created relationships that I will have for the rest of my life, and experienced the love of God on increasingly deeper levels than I ever thought possible…and there is still SO MUCH MORE! Praise the Lord!

Everyone should have the chance to experience SFR! Each summer we gain a deeper understanding of the Father’s love through living in kingdom community, causing us to grow more and more into our identities as son’s and daughter of the Most High God, and everything else in our lives will flow from this truth. What could be greater?!

Alyssa, SLT 2010, Shepherd’s Fold Ranch

Jonah White, 9, of Tulsa plays a game Thursday at Camp OK Corral, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Jonah's leg was amptutated because of bone cancer. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

It seems like any other summer camp – until Jonah pops off his right leg and Olivia adjusts the ballcap that covers her bald head.

Jonah White, 9, was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was 5 and is attending the camp for the third year. He’s wearing Spider-Man swim trunks and is a bundle of energy despite his prosthetic leg.

Olivia Hamilton’s hat is light purple with a yellow flower in the middle and the words “Life is good” stitched along the brim.

She was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

Olivia, also 9, is quiet and polite, keeping to herself as she makes a keychain out of pink and purple strands.

Jonah and Olivia have come to Camp OK Corral at the Shepherd’s Fold Ranch near Avant, north of Skiatook, to be with other children who know what it’s like to have cancer.

But they rarely talk about the disease. Instead they swim, ride horses, make crafts and play games.

“You just get to have fun and forget about your stuff for a week,” said Morgan Mitchell, 17, of Broken Arrow, who has Ewing sarcoma and has attended the camp for three years.

It can be tough to walk around school with a bald head, but the children at the camp are used to being treated differently.

“I never let people feel sorry for me because I don’t feel sorry for myself,” Mitchell said. “Kids here get that.”

Jarand Kennedy, 12, of Owasso was diagnosed with lymphoma in February and received a chemotherapy treatment just this week.

He speaks calmly about the tumor found in his chest and his plans to go back to school in the fall. He gets tired easily, and his immune system is weak. Earlier in the day, he had to spray sunscreen on the top of his head.

He has found lots of ways to have fun at camp, though.

“He’s like a leader,” said Ginny Haisten, a nurse at St. Francis Hospital who volunteers at the camp. “He never gets into trouble. He’s always thinking of something fun and creative to do.”

Camp OK Corral has 58 children ages 7 to 18 this year, including a few siblings of children with cancer. The camp is sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

The activities are like those at most summer camps, although full-contact sports aren’t allowed.

And nurses and doctors are always around.

Medications are handled carefully, and golf carts are parked around the campground in case a child gets too tired to walk.

As lunchtime nears, Olivia sits at a picnic table and continues work on her keychain. Jarand joins a group playing cards, while Jonah is with a larger group sitting in a circle playing a game.

“It’s just fun,” Haisten said. “It’s gives us something to talk about all year long. It just changes their whole demeanor.”
__________________________________________________________

Camp OK Corral

Where: Shepherd’s Fold Ranch, near Avant

Children attending: 58

Ages represented: 7 to 18

Sponsor: American Cancer Society
__________________________________________________________

Read more from this Tulsa World article, Click Here:

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 6/10/2011  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 6/10/2011  8:16 AM

We are also in dyer need of skilled labor to help us finish our new building at the top of the hill: bathrooms and meeting room! We need help with hanging the suspended ceiling, mudding sheet rock, trim, flooring, carpentry and painting the interior walls! If you have a group at your church of skilled laborers, please, please call us and see if we can get them on our schedule to come out and complete this building. WE HAVE ONLY 2 WEEKS BEFORE OUR FIRST CAMPERS ARRIVE!!

By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer
Published: 5/21/2011  2:00 AM
Last Modified: 5/21/2011  6:14 AM

Click Here to Read more from this Tulsa World article

Ron Griffin, 36, served in the Army Special Forces in Africa for nine years, worked as a security contractor for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan and then co-founded Indigen Armor, a company that for the past seven years has been making armored vehicles for the government.

But he’s happy to be back in the Tulsa area, where he spent summers as a boy at Shepherd’s Fold and graduated in 1992 from Victory Christian School.

“I was a camper here and on the staff,” he said. “I know what a powerful experience it can be for kids.”

Shepherd’s Fold is an independent Christian camp on 88 acres, with two ponds, a ropes course, horseback riding, swimming, canoeing, cabins, a lodge and open-air meeting areas.

It offers a variety of camp experiences in the summer and retreats in the winter to churches and other organizations.

Griffin said he stayed in touch with camp leaders over the years and that after he sold Indigen Armor in 2009, they asked him to consider taking over the camp, which was founded in 1972 by Don and Shirley Staires.

“To me, it feels like I’m back, getting ready to jump into the next 40 years here. It’s very exciting,” he said.

“My heart’s always been here.”

Griffin said he is making plans to develop and expand the camp.

He and his wife, Lucia Griffin, and their three children – ages 1, 3 and 5 – will move from South Carolina to the camp.

A native Oklahoman and U.S. Army veteran His parents have known Don and Shirley Staires since before the founding of the Ranch 40 years ago. He attended SFR as a camper during the ‘80s and continued as a staff member in the ‘90s.

Prior to joining SFR, Ron co-founded and operated three defense companies: Defense Venture Group, Indigen Armor Inc. and Armorline Corp. As a business owner, he obtained various multi-million dollar contracts and supervised more than 50 employees.

Ron will reside at Shepherd’s Fold Ranch with his wife of 11 years, Lucia, daughter Katie (5), two sons Patrick (3) and Emmitt (1), dog Charlie and cat Eve. Ron and Lucia are very excited about the opportunity to be involved in SFR’s business development, ministry work and youth mentoring while sharing their unique experiences with their kids.

Ron Griffin
Executive Director
Shepherd’s Fold Ranch

This summer we will have a new Meeting Room and Bathroom on the top of the hill so our campers and guests will not have to use our dining room to meet and they’ll no longer have to use the dreaded Port-a-Johns! Hallelujah! This building along with the new pavilion and ball court at Briggs Park built last year combine to create a much more inviting environment for all our guests. Wait ‘til you see the deck!! You’ll love it!

This summer is the summer to be “CLEAN” and our camper numbers are ahead of schedule! Mark 1:41 talks about the leper asking Jesus if He would be willing to make the man clean. Jesus said, “I am willing. Be clean.” This summer is all about discovering the willingness of Jesus to make us clean! This is a powerful message to a culture that prides itself on “self-achievement”. Our children need to grow up with this message: “GOD LOVES YOU AND IS WILLING TO MAKE YOU CLEAN”. We want to invite your children and their friends to come to The Fold and encounter the loving heart of the Father this summer. My daughter, Clare, has recruited five of her friends to come to SFR this summer for the first time! As a dad, I’m so glad that she will have friends next year at school that will have had this common experience with her of feeling God’s desire to be their friend.

The ministry through Shepherd’s Fold has always been about “training up a child”. Over the years we’ve had hundreds of testimonies about how God has touch hearts in a personal way while a child has been at the Ranch for a week of summer camp. This past year, we have expanded our ministry beyond summer and even beyond the Ranch. We now do after-school programs for at-risk children in Skiatook and in Tulsa. We have three leadership training programs and a discipleship training school. This summer we are even sending our summer camp experience to South Africa to minister to vulnerable children in Cape Town! The Lord is “expanding our tent” as we continue to listen to His voice and respond to His direction.

These encouraging developments are a part of the transformational process that began at our Board Retreat in January, 2010. While anticipating the summer of 2012 as our 40th anniversary, the Board began looking at the next 40 years. The Board unanimously agreed that the course is “further up and further in” and that we must do everything we can to prepare this “ship” to sail boldly into the future. It became clear that in order to move confidently into the future, Shepherd’s Fold would need to begin adding leadership positions to ensure that the people behind the programs possessed the support and diversity necessary to achieve the Ranch’s long-term goals.

This planning process has led me to announce our biggest news this spring. The Board of Directors is proud to announce Ron Griffin as the new Executive Director of Shepherd’s Fold Ranch. Last summer, I began talking with Ron, a long-time Foldie and supporter of the Ranch, about the need to have someone join our executive team and take over the daily management of the Ranch. The Board, Lisa and I realize that this change has become necessary to allow Lisa and me to develop new ministries and programs the Lord has laid on our heart. It quickly became apparent that Ron and his wife, Lucia, were well suited to assume this responsibility. After conducting an extensive interview process, the Board asked Ron and Lucia to join the Ranch in our endeavors.

As the Executive Director of Shepherd’s Fold Ranch , Ron will be focused on the daily management and administration of the business of the Ranch. I will begin transitioning to a new position—Chief Executive Officer of Shepherd’s Fold, Inc. From this position; I will be able to focus on our newly developing programs and ministries. I will also continue to lead the ministry and discipleship training at Shepherd’s Fold Ranch and develop vision for the future. Together, Ron and I will make a more equipped team to help SFR continue it’s meaningful camping ministry into the future.

I am eager to welcome Ron onto our leadership team. I am including his biography so that you can learn more about his experiences at Shepherd’s Fold as well as the things he has done in his professional career. He has a wonderful story that you’ll want to hear. Ron is tremendously excited about promoting the mission of SFR: “Providing a place in the country to do business with God.” In fact, it’s precisely because of the encounters Ron had with the Lord at SFR that he is so excited to come and be a major part of creating a place for those same experiences to happen with this next generation.

Ron and his family will be moving into the Lodge (the house my family most recently lived in) this summer! In early June, Lisa and I will be moving into a house just up Javine Road toward Skiatook (9 minutes away). I will be spending most of my time this summer at the Ranch leading Camp, The Furnace, and the Summer Leadership Team. Having Ron join our executive team is a huge blessing for Lisa and I. We are extremely excited about what the future holds for Shepherd’s Fold Ranch, our staff, our campers and all of the people that will be encountering the Lord here in the years to come!

“Further Up and Further In”,

Clay Staires
CEO
Shepherd’s Fold, Inc.