Creating New Experiences Locally
Camp in the Community is a traveling day camp ministry rooted in the belief that every child deserves access to joy, beauty, and belonging—regardless of their zip code or family’s financial circumstances. As part of the Holston Conference’s commitment to children at risk of poverty, we bring free, high-quality, Christ-centered camp experiences directly into neighborhoods across East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, especially those where children face systemic barriers to opportunity.
Our program reaches children who are often overlooked or underserved. Some live in food deserts. Others are being raised by grandparents, foster families, or single parents working multiple jobs. Many have experienced trauma or instability. Most would never attend a traditional camp due to cost, transportation, or lack of connection to a church or Christian camp. But Camp in the Community meets them where they are—literally—turning local churches, parks, and community centers into spaces of laughter, worship, discovery, and safety.
Our campers are not defined by poverty—they are creative, resilient, and deeply loved by God. That is the foundation of our ministry. We do not come to fix; we come to listen, to learn, to play, and to affirm each person as seen and celebrated. The work is joyful, sacred, and necessary. Church members are the heartbeat of this ministry. They provide meals, volunteer with activities, sit with children during Bible Study, and build relationships that continue long after camp ends. In doing so, they often rediscover their own sense of calling. One pastor shared, “Camp helped our church connect with our community again.”
That sense of reconnection is transformative for everyone involved. Our former camper turned staff, Callie Smith, said, “Camp was always the best part of the summer. So it only made sense to make it my entire summer as quick as I could. Returning to camp always felt like coming home. For many of our returning campers, the ‘home away from home’ camp is the only week out of the whole year where they will know they are safe, loved and cared for. It will be the only week they know where their next meal is coming from. It will be the only week they can relax enough to have fun without any worry. Camp is the week everyone is welcomed to be exactly who they are.”
Our Junior Counselor Program develops high school students from the same communities we serve, equipping them with leadership training, job experience, and spiritual mentorship. These young people help bridge the gap between camp, church, and community in profound ways. They also begin to see themselves not just as recipients of ministry, but as ministers themselves—called, gifted, and capable of leading others. It is our prayer for Camp in the Community to be a living example of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ: not offering charity, but creating community and dismantling barriers.
We invite you to partner with us—as we build relationships built on mutual respect, love, and the hope of Jesus. Hope that when children are welcomed with joy, offered safety, and reminded that they are made in the image of God, the church becomes exactly what it was meant to be. www.campinthecommunity.org
Reported by Whitney Winston; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;