Church Camp

March 25, 2014

7:45 a.m.

Bring on the bonfire tunes and shaving cream wars, the zip lines, kayaks and blobbing and you’ve got summer camp! Throw in some friendship-making fellowship and faith-shaping communion, and it’s a whole new adventure. If you want to equip your child in all arenas of life—physical, mental, emotional, social—and ignite your child’s spiritual life with a passionate love for God and neighbor, then church camp’s the place to cabin up.

CAMP TEKAKWITHA – Williamsburg, KS

“Camp Tekakwitha allows my daughter to be around a group of children with the same core values as our family. She gets to experience activities like horseback riding, the super slide and zip line, along with prayer,” says Olathe mom Nancy.

Ashley, an 11-year-old from Olathe, says, “My favorite activity at camp was canoeing. I can’t wait to go back this year and be able to get the horse to go where I tell it.”

Camp Tekakwitha is located at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg, KS. The camp combines Catholic spiritual practices, such as prayer and sacramental experiences, with a wide host of exciting outdoor activities. Camp Tekakwitha offers archery, basketball, canoeing, group party games, high ropes challenge, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, mountain boarding, orienteering, outdoor camping, rappelling, rock climbing, soccer, softball, swimming and volleyball.

“Camp Tekakwitha combines demanding outdoor activities with powerful spiritual instruction, bringing about a unique encounter with God,” says the Camp Tekawitha brochure. “Although our adventure activities are memorable, often the love that campers experience through prayer is what kids remember most.”

KANAKUK CAMP – Branson, MO

“Avery loved going with her counselors and cabin mates to spend the night in the tree house for a ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ experience,” says Overland Park dad Mark. “She made new friends from all over the country, and her counselors left an indelible mark of God’s character that will help shape her into a woman after God’s own heart. Mason loved ‘trip,’ a two-day journey that entails camping on an island, tubing on the lake and death-defying cliff jumping.”

Kanakuk Kamps offer endless options: local in-town day kamps; specialized (golf, scuba, aviation, survival, Western-themed) kamps; and traditional church kamps lasting seven, 14 and 28 nights. The mission of Kanakuk Kamps is to develop “dynamic Christian leaders through life-changing experiences, godly relationships and spiritual training.” Kanakuk Kamps, with more than 70 activities to choose from, have been setting the standard for church camp since 1926. Today Kanakuk Kamps host more than 10,000 youths (ages 7-18), inculcating their core principles:

God first…others second… I’m third.
The four-square life: "And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52)
Let your light so shine (Matthew 5:16)

YOUTHFRONT CAMP –Edgerton, KS

“My experience at Youthfront Camp was awesome. I hung out with friends, jumped off the blob, did a stomach diving contest (one guy jumped into the water dressed as a cow),” says 12-year-old Meaghan of Overland Park. “There are ATVs, paintballing, so many activities. I felt like I grew in my relationship to God and really bonded with my friends.”

Youthfront Camp is passionate about bringing youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. This commitment to growth and relationship ties into Youthfront’s three primary values:

Fun. “We believe one of the best ways to worship God is through wholesome play. A typical camp day holds plenty of time for swimming, a high ropes course, theme nights, paintball, riding ATVs, the blob, arts and crafts, sand volleyball, water sliding and more!” says the camp website.

Environments. “Time and space are carved out for students to connect with their Creator through play, worship, community, scripture, solitude, prayer and reflection.”

Community. “We value learning and living in community because it sparks greater passion and pushes us to think more deeply. We surround students with adults whose intimate relationships with Jesus overflow as they share life together and build meaningful relationships with one another.” –Youthfront.com

Wendy Connelly, faith columnist, is a graduate student at St. Paul School of Theology, Leawood. This year marks her daughter’s first visit to summer church camp.