Teens in Classis Columbia, a regional group of Christian Reformed churches in the western U.S., have counted on Camp Calvin’s volunteer teachers and other professionals for opportunities in spiritual growth, friendship, and leadership since 1975.
Preschool teacher Amy Toornstra, a member of Sunnyslope Christian Reformed Church in Salem, Ore. (where her husband Rob is the pastor), directed this year’s camp.
“This ministry is 51 years old—officially beginning in 1975—but actually started in the 1960s as a joint ministry with other denominations,” Toornstra said. Growth in the 1970s led the different denominations to run their own camps. Toornstra said camp archives show only four years where Camp Calvin, a weeklong experience each June, did not run—1989 (just before a venue change in 1990) and the COVID summers of 2020-2022.
Noting that several of the 20 volunteer staff were once campers, Toornstra said, “Camp Calvin has provided opportunities for spiritual growth, lifelong friendships, and leadership opportunities. One of the unique things is most of our team—including myself—are volunteers. We all have other jobs.”
“All honor and glory goes to God, but also our passion for this ministry and youth ministry in general has kept this ministry alive,” Toornstra said. Involved since 2015 and directing as part of a team since 2023, Toornstra became the camp’s program director in 2025. Ginger Teller, from Sunrise CRC, and Tony Koetje, from Oak Hills CRC, who with Toornstra helped revive the ministry after its COVID shutdown, now serve as counselor and facilities manager. The camp meets at a retreat center in Molalla, Ore.
In 2026, 34 campers attended from six congregations in Classis Columbia, along with 20 volunteers from the same churches—Sunnyslope, Sunrise Christ Community, Oak Hills, Parklane, and Zillah CRCs. Two campers came from First CRC in Mount Vernon, Wash., Classis Pacific Northwest.
Sunnyslope pastor, Rob Toornstra, was the camp speaker, on the theme “Meet Your Hero.” Amy said he used Old Testament stories such as Abraham, Gideon, and Esther to share how God used them among his people, ultimately pointing us to a better hero, Jesus Christ.
“We almost always have a speaker who is a Classis Columbia pastor or youth pastor,” Toornstra said.