Ridge Haven executive director Wallace Anderson is optimistic about the number students planning to attend summer camp at the Brevard, N.C.-based PCA retreat and conference center this summer.

“The Lord seems to be blessing us,” he said, reporting that Ridge Haven has received double the amount of registrations so far compared to last year. “We are on track to have a record summer.”

In anticipation of increased attendance, Ridge Haven has hired twice as many camp counselors as last year. The counselors, half of whom are former Ridge Haven campers, must have completed at least one year of college and are drawn heavily from Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), Covenant College, and other Christian colleges.

The seven-week camp season begins on June 7, with each week featuring speakers, musicians, and outdoor activities ranging from canoe races to ropes courses to trail hiking to mountain biking. “It’s back to nature here,” said Anderson. “We have an unplugged policy—no cell phones, no ipods. And we encourage all kids above the age of 9 to spend at least one night in a tent.”

Summer camps are a foundational experience, according to Anderson. “Having 1,000 kids here in the summer hearing the gospel proclaimed is amazing.”

Retired PCA pastor John Grauley agrees. “Camps can have more influence than anything you can do for a child. My summer as a teenager at a summer Bible conference was a life-transforming experience. I believe Christian camps and conferences are vital to the Church's spiritual growth and health.” 

Ridge Haven summer camps are open to rising third-graders through high-school seniors. To learn more, or to register, visit www.ridgehaven.org.