2023 Camp Dates
Saturday Camps: January 13, Feb 24, March 9
Spring Camp: March 25-29
Leadership Training: June 3-7
Summer Camp: June 10 - 28
Parents' Day: June 29
Simply put, we have the best day camps in existence. We have the best lunches, best volunteers, best camp director, best music, and best camp dog. We sing and dance and make DVDs, learn about computers, and polish rocks to make homemade necklaces. Our games are outrageous, and we laugh and act silly. Bible study is real and powerful; you can find God here.
We started summer camps 30 years ago, and by God’s grace we have had a summer camp every summer since then. At first, we tried a variety of sizes and schedules. We have had as few as 5 guests and as many as 45 guests with schedules ranging from one to 8 weeks, and what has come out of all that is a tried-and-tested summer camp program.
Our summer camp is a 4 week day camp held northeast of Hernando in the month of June. The first week is intense leadership training for our older young people who have been invited to serve as counselor trainees (CTs). There is leadership training, bible study, and work preparing the camp. Then, the guests arrive for a 3 week session. The day starts around 7:30 for CTs and goes until around 5:30. Guests arrive at 8:45 and are done by 4:30.
Our activities include dozens of fun and simple things to do and learn including: archery, old time computer games, chess, flight simulation, crafts, music, singing, lots of games, reading, drawing, and many more. Each activity is held in a small group or a one-on-one with a CT or adult volunteer. Bible study happens after lunch and consists of basic, mainstream gospel teaching taught in small groups. Another favorite activity of camp is lunches. Each lunch is prepared fresh by our volunteers and is a recipe that has proven itself over the years. Our menu includes: French bread pizza, salad bar, baked potato bar, camp cheese and mac, taco salad, etc.
We are primarily a day camp, but our CTs often stay overnight, and guests may stay nights if it helps overcome transportation issues, etc. that might otherwise prevent their attendance.
Our camp program is open to young people age 9 and up. We sometimes take younger kids (upon interview with the camp director) if they are serious about being here and “tough” enough to keep up. We also take younger kids if their parents are here as volunteers.
The cost of camp is based on a donation of a specified amount of money (currently around $250). Financial assistance is offered to everyone who needs it. Funds are made available by donors to see that kids are able to attend camp, and so far no child has been turned away because of money.
Some kids (a very few) have been turned away because they will not obey. That is our only discipline option besides a “time out” (e.g. standing by a tree or sitting on the porch). The child has to want to be here. If that is the case, then everything else usually works out just fine.
So that’s about how camp works. It is a simple, humble, and peaceful place to be where we have fun, eat well, make new friends, and learn about God. It is hard to describe, but His peace and presence can be felt on our camp property. Many young people seem to thrive here, and they return year after year to enjoy “their camp.”
Spring camp is during spring break for Citrus County schools and is similar in its simplicity to the summer camp described above. We have a typically younger group for spring, starting around age 6. The daily schedule is a little more relaxed, and the session is only 5 days long.