Here is Your Monthly Newsletter from Seabeck

July 2023

A Message from the Director

2023 is half over. It honestly feels like we were just opening presents a few months ago. Next Christmas is less than six months away. Where does the time go? Before we know it will be Labor Day. I do have to admit, I do smile when I see the first back to school ads. That means our very busy summer season is almost over.

Speaking of busy, we have a group of 250 people on campus right now. They report they could have brought 350 if we had the space. Groups are definitely returning in full force. Most of the summer groups are at or above the contracted number. That will really help in our continuing recovery.

A reporter from the New York Times magazine will be on campus this Thursday to do an article about the redwood trees we planted. These trees will help preserve the DNA of some of the biggest trees ever on our planet. I guess it’s a bigger deal than I realized. I will keep you advised if we make publication.

Also on Thursday, we will be the first site in Kitsap County to receive a Community Preparedness Pod. When the big quake happens, they predict Kitsap will break into 25 islands. We will host a trailer full of supplies and then be a training center for the other 24 potential islands to learn what to do. I am proud to be in the lead on this. I also know that wherever the boxes are, someone will have to come get stuff and we can get help quicker.

I am just about to announce a new project to bring solar power to the Seabeck campus. I will present it to our Board later this month and then launch the program. I had a solar assessment done and we have several great roofs for panels. I think we will start small and then expand to other roofs. The smaller project could net a decrease in power usage on that meter by 50%, while the larger sites could return 102%. I will have more details in my gatherings during the summer and will make sure to update the progress in the newsletter.

We have around 60 people on our staff right now. Our last group chose to be served family style. It was the first time we had served that way since March 9, 2020. Even though we had served that way for 105 years, only five of us on the staff had ever seen it done. We made it through. I was the last holdout for family style service. After two years of buffet, I am a convert.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July. We are empty that night so it should be quiet on the campus. Our campus will be the only quiet place in the area. It’s usually a war zone around here, but it’s only one night. I don’t want to be the old guy telling kids to get off my lawn. HAHA

Thanks,

Chuck

Do You Want to go to a Summer Camp?

There's Space for You with

Center for Spiritual Living

Top 10 Reasons why Seabeck is for you!

10. Nature, beauty, and water everywhere you look.

9. Clear, star-filled night skies.

8. Finding out that watching sunsets is just as much fun as watching Netflix.

7. Great food, friendly service, and no dishes to wash.

6. Plenty of fun for the kids, and for the kid in all of us.

5. You’re the boss of your daily schedule.

4. Deep connection with your spiritual family.

3. PickleBall, PickelBall and PickelBall

2. Crafty fun, playshops, movie night, a talent show, music, games, kayaking, hiking, rocking chairs on the deck, swimming, and more.

And the number one reason why Seabeck is for you?

Only make your bed if you want to!

For 62 years, Center for Spiritual Living Seattle families, singles, and couples come together for a week of heaven at CSL’s All Community Summer Camp at the historic Seabeck Conference Center. We are so excited to once again welcome our community to our little slice of heaven!

This is an affordable intergenerational camp experience that includes everything from workshops led by our amazing staff ministers, arts and crafts led by community members called playshops, and other activities like movie night, evening meditations, and our famous Seabeck Talent Show.

Our goal is to create meaningful interactions where people of all ages, experiences, and interests come to collaborate for good, relaxed fun and to activate, stimulate, and deepen our commitment within our own communities by coming together, sharing, connecting, and worshiping with other communities.

Would you like to join us?

To register contact our registrar Heidi Dillehunt at registrar@spiritualliving.org or 206-527-8801.

CSL Website: https://www.spiritualliving.org/seabeck/

CSL Facebook: CSL Facebook

The Meeting House

The Maintenance crew did a great job getting the Meeting House painted. Not only that, but Eliot Insitute donated an upgrade to the sound system.

Seabeck Cemetery

These pictures were taken at the Seabeck Cemetery by Candace Lawig Kolbas from the Daughters of the Revolution. This group has been working on cleaning up the cemetery and uncovering unmarked graves. Fred Just would be so happy to see this being done. He worked so hard to do the same thing but it took him so much longer without all the help the Daughters of the Revolution are getting.

A group of boys from the Bremerton Youth Academy spend a day working up there and got so much work done.

Next time you are at Seabeck, take a walk up to the cemetery and look at what has been done.

Click the link below and watch a great little video that they took.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/185974624328559

Seabeck Snapshots

This picture was taken on June 11th and they are already as big as the adults. Amazing how fast they grow. They have been all over the Seabeck Facebook site, stopping traffic at the south gate on a regular basis.

A great shot of an owl by Angela Landram-Youtsey on June 27th.

This picture was taken in Seabeck by Steve Gutierrez on June 27th

at Big Beef. What a beautiful shot!

Very low flying military cargo plane. Went right over the conference

grounds at tree level. Very loud and a little bit scary.

This beauty was taken by Barbara Allen on June 27th.

Makes you want to live doesn't it?

Another great shot in Seabeck on June 27th by Michael Roberts.

Ways to Donate to Seabeck

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT

SEABECK CONFERENCE CENTER

Want to help us lay the foundation for the next decade of Seabeck Conference Center? There are many ways, not all of them involving huge disbursements of cash.

Here are some creative ideas you might not have thought about:

Cash Donation Today

Tax-deductible gifts via check, credit card, in person, or online. Please consider

upping your regular gift by another 10 percent.

Automatic Monthly Payments

Gifts can be deducted periodically from your bank account, making larger donations

easier by spreading them over time.

Low-Cost Appreciated Stock

Avoid paying the capital gains by giving full-market value to Seabeck Conference Center.

In-Kind Donation

We are always in need of furniture, lighting, rugs, and much more - the market value is tax-deductible.

Multi-Year Pledges

A great way to ensure support will be there when we need it year after year.

Designated Gifts

Donate to a targeted project or capital campaign.

Commemorative Gifts

Donate a bench or rocking chair in honor of someone or something important to you.

A Bequest in Your Will

Your gift can be a specific sum or a percentage of an estate after other bequests.

Just add an addendum to your existing will.

Life Insurance and Savings Accounts

Same as retirement plans, except those payments made to Seabeck Conference Center

are exempt only from estate taxes.

IRA's and Retirement Plans

Your estate receives a charitable deduction for the full gift amount on estate and income

taxes, while we receive full donation value. Non-charitable heirs receive only a part of

the value (since inherited assets are subject to estate and income taxes).

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. You must be 70 1/2 or older to be eligible to make a QCD.

All gifts are welcome. Seabeck Conference Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contribution may be tax-deductible. If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director, Chuck Kraining at (360) 830-5010 or email him at chuck@seabeck.org.

Seabeck Conference Center

13395 Lagoon Dr NW

Seabeck, Washington 98380

360.830.5010 Email | Websi te