2021 Summer Camp Programs

Dear Campers, Staff members and Families! 

As a new year begins we hope you are safe and well. 

The East Ohio Camps leadership team has been praying, seeking counsel, and working diligently on what move to make about summer camp in 2021. After much prayer, consultation, and creative thinking we have decided to move forward with our plans for Summer Camp programs in 2021 at Aldersgate, Asbury and Wanake.

Summer 2021 registration begins online January 29, 2021. Our camp capacity will be reduced this summer due to COVID-19 recommendations. We suggest you register as soon as you are ready to save a spot. 

This summer, kids need the opportunity to be outside in God’s creation, connecting with each other in safe ways, building a relationship with God, and having fun. We firmly believe that camp and retreat ministry is one of the best ways to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are excited to bring Summer Camp 2021 to life.

Camp leaders are adaptive. In light of COVID-19 we are ready to change the way we do things. We are working closely with recommendations from the Ohio Department of Health and with our local public health departments. We are diligently preparing a program that meets our vision of sharing God’s love and having fun, while managing the challenges that COVID-19 brings. We’ve been working on our communicable disease plans. We’ve modified camp activities and procedures. We’ve learned how to clean in ways that thoroughly disinfect our facilities and our camp equipment.

 For sure camp will look different this summer. We’ll be wearing masks when needed, sticking with our small groups, keeping our distance from each other, and minimizing activities that gather us in large groups. This summer our focus will be on people more than ever.  Keeping campers and staff safe is our highest priority. A distinct advantage to camp is that most activities can be outdoors.

We understand the challenges, stresses and decisions that families face right now are difficult. Your decision to send your child to camp or to not send your child to camp this summer will not be easy.

We don’t have all the answers at this moment, but we are moving forward. As there are changes before the summer gets here, we will keep you informed. It’s good news that right now effective vaccines are  being distributed. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

We are grateful for your continuing support. You have been generous with your gifts. We ask for your prayers for East Ohio Camp and Retreat Ministries. We will continue to pray for you and your families. In these hard times we can all depend on a God who is with us always and whose love is steadfast. Until we see you face to face, we pray God’s Peace and Blessings on you and your family!

We can’t wait to see you at Summer Camp 2021!

Rev. Gary Jones, Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries
Dan Bajc, Director of Camp Aldersgate
Rev. Bill Graham, Director of Camp Asbury
Julie Lautt, Director of Wanake Camp and Retreat Center
Rev. Beth Wildterdink, Chairperson of the Board of Camp and Retreat Ministries

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Why Camp?

One mission. Many distinctly different programs.

At East Ohio Camps we are all focused on partnering with families and local congregations in the faith formation of the children, youth, and adults they send our way. The places where the ministry comes alive are all different. The three sites: Aldersgate, Asbury, and Wanake, and the Youth off-site events: CYF, ReachOut, and Institute, all provide excellent camping experiences, yet offer a variety of programs that celebrate their uniqueness.

 

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A Message from the East Ohio Conference Director of Camps & Retreat Ministries

At East Ohio Camps, we have been making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ for 50 plus years. Pioneers and visionaries saw the need for sites and programs in creation where people gathered to experience spiritual birth, growth, and renewal. There are thousands of people, now scattered all over the world or living in the great beyond with their Savior, who would call East Ohio Camps their spiritual birthplace or home.

My hope is that you and your family will become a part of this rich history by participating in the 2020 Summer Camp program. My prayer is that East Ohio Camps will become a spiritual home for your family.

If you need promotional materials to help in your task, click on the Promotional Materials tab. Also, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or by calling (330) 499-3972 ext. 120, or Margaret Nichols at (330) 499-3972 ext. 108.

Blessings!
Rev. Gary W. Jones
Director, Spiritual Formation; Camps & Retreat Ministries Conference Council on Ministries, East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church

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Camp is a powerful life-changing experience!

At Camp ...

Lives are transformed. At camp, young people have the mental room to consider some of the most important issues of life. They need a break from the craziness of the world around them to think about their future, to evaluate unhealthy patterns and practice positive habits and to discover the truth that God loves them and has an amazing plan for their lives.

Campers experience nature and choose adventure. East Ohio Camps are set in some of the most beautiful spots in Ohio. Campers explore nature and get to experience God in creation. Campers choose new adventures and test their limits in a healthy environment surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.

Campers live in a temporary community. In a setting separate from their daily routine, with an opportunity to shed the expectations and pressures of others, campers are freed up to truly be themselves, to live above artificial limitations and blossom into who they were created to be.

Campers develop lifelong friendships. Good friends who exert positive peer pressure can make all the difference in a young person's life. Friendships with caring adults and other campers, forged through shared experience and the compressed time at camp, can last a lifetime and provide a connection that helps young people navigate the challenges of life.

Campers meet adult mentors. At camp, caring adults, counselors and mentors come alongside campers, helping them think through decisions and experiences in a way that will prepare them for their future. Many campers point back to a positive role model they met at camp as one who helped shape the direction of their lives.

We missed seeing each of you this past summer and our chance to offer this powerful, life-changing experience! We are diligently working on plans for a powerful and healthy Summer Camp 2021 to ensure a program that meets our vision of sharing God's love and will keep all those involved having fun, while managing the challenges that COVID-19 brings.