Ages 6-14 · Book 6, Faith · 4,299 places
Church Camp and Christian Summer Camp
A week of camp with a spine. Faith as the thing you do when it is hard, taught through a story and a set of challenges nobody finishes on the first attempt.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Disciple — “Difference isn't weakness. It's a gift.” The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Day one: the story, and the question the week will answer
- Session 2
Day two: the hard moment, and a challenge nobody finishes first try
- Session 3
Day three: the difference in the room that turns out to be the asset
- Session 4
Day four: serve someone outside the group and say nothing about it
- Session 5
Day five: each camper names the step they take home on Monday
Questions leaders ask
Does church camp and christian summer camp in your area teach a particular denomination?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series built on named values — belonging, courage, accountability, self-mastery, empathy and faith. Book six treats faith as the choice to move forward while it is still hard. The story carries the value; your church supplies the doctrine. That is why the same material is used across traditions.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 6-14. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is still fully in it, and the discussion questions are written in two bands so one leader can hold a mixed-age room.
Can volunteers in your area run this without training?
Yes. Every session has a leader script with the questions written out, a note for when nobody answers, and a timing column. A volunteer handed it the night before can run it.
How long is a session?
Thirty to forty-five minutes, structured as story, small group, and one step the child names out loud before they leave.
The rules that make it work
The story carries the value, the church supplies the doctrine
Ellis Abel is a character series. It teaches faith as perseverance and stops where doctrine begins, so a parish, a Baptist club and a co-op can all run it beside their own teaching.
Difference isn't weakness
The line on the cover of book six is the operating policy, not a slogan. A child whose participation looks different is participating.
Faith is a decision, not a mood
Children are told to feel confident and cannot make themselves. They can decide to take one more step, and that is teachable, repeatable and honest.
Volunteers are the constraint
Every session is written for an adult who was handed it the night before. Questions written out, timing in the margin, and a note for when nobody answers.
Nobody is diagnosed, labelled or fixed here
This is character material, not a clinical or counselling service. Leaders share what they did and what happened. They do not assess children.
One step, said out loud, followed up by name
A value a child cannot attach to an action they took is a word they memorised. The follow-up the next week is what turns it into something they own.
Church Camp by metro area
Northeast
- Church Camp — New York, NY
- Church Camp — Philadelphia, PA
- Church Camp — Boston, MA
- Church Camp — Pittsburgh, PA
- Church Camp — Providence, RI
- Church Camp — Hartford, CT
- Church Camp — Buffalo, NY
- Church Camp — Rochester, NY
- Church Camp — Bridgeport, CT
- Church Camp — Albany, NY
- Church Camp — Worcester, MA
- Church Camp — Allentown, PA
- Church Camp — Poughkeepsie, NY
- Church Camp — Syracuse, NY
- Church Camp — Harrisburg, PA
- Church Camp — New Haven, CT
- Church Camp — Portland, ME
- Church Camp — Scranton, PA
- Church Camp — Lancaster, PA
- Church Camp — York, PA
- Church Camp — Springfield, MA
- Church Camp — Waterbury, CT
- Church Camp — Reading, PA
- Church Camp — Manchester, NH
- Church Camp — Trenton, NJ
- Church Camp — Atlantic City, NJ
- Church Camp — Utica, NY
- Church Camp — Norwich, CT
- Church Camp — Erie, PA
- Church Camp — Binghamton, NY
- Church Camp — Barnstable, MA
- Church Camp — Burlington, VT
- Church Camp — Kingston, NY
- Church Camp — Amherst, MA
- Church Camp — Chambersburg, PA
- Church Camp — Bangor, ME
- Church Camp — State College, PA
- Church Camp — Vineland, NJ
- Church Camp — Lebanon, PA
- Church Camp — Johnstown, PA
- Church Camp — Pittsfield, MA
- Church Camp — Glens Falls, NY
- Church Camp — Altoona, PA
- Church Camp — Lewiston, ME
- Church Camp — Williamsport, PA
- Church Camp — Watertown, NY
- Church Camp — Gettysburg, PA
- Church Camp — Ithaca, NY
- Church Camp — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Church Camp — Chicago, IL
- Church Camp — Detroit, MI
- Church Camp — Minneapolis, MN
- Church Camp — St. Louis, MO
- Church Camp — Cincinnati, OH
- Church Camp — Kansas City, MO
- Church Camp — Columbus, OH
- Church Camp — Indianapolis, IN
- Church Camp — Cleveland, OH
- Church Camp — Milwaukee, WI
- Church Camp — Grand Rapids, MI
- Church Camp — Omaha, NE
- Church Camp — Dayton, OH
- Church Camp — Des Moines, IA
- Church Camp — Madison, WI
- Church Camp — Akron, OH
- Church Camp — Wichita, KS
- Church Camp — Toledo, OH
- Church Camp — Springfield, MO
- Church Camp — Lansing, MI
- Church Camp — Fort Wayne, IN
- Church Camp — Youngstown, OH
- Church Camp — Flint, MI
- Church Camp — Canton, OH
- Church Camp — Davenport, IA
- Church Camp — Ann Arbor, MI
- Church Camp — Peoria, IL
- Church Camp — Lincoln, NE
- Church Camp — Rockford, IL
- Church Camp — Green Bay, WI
- Church Camp — South Bend, IN
- Church Camp — Sioux Falls, SD
- Church Camp — Duluth, MN
- Church Camp — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Church Camp — Evansville, IN
- Church Camp — Fargo, ND
- Church Camp — Kalamazoo, MI
- Church Camp — Appleton, WI
- Church Camp — Champaign, IL
- Church Camp — Topeka, KS
- Church Camp — Rochester, MN
- Church Camp — Lafayette, IN
- Church Camp — Columbia, MO
- Church Camp — Joplin, MO
- Church Camp — Elkhart, IN
- Church Camp — Springfield, IL
- Church Camp — St. Cloud, MN
- Church Camp — Racine, WI
- Church Camp — Saginaw, MI
- Church Camp — Iowa City, IA
- Church Camp — Muskegon, MI
- Church Camp — Eau Claire, WI
- Church Camp — Oshkosh, WI
- Church Camp — Bloomington, IL
- Church Camp — La Crosse, WI
- Church Camp — Terre Haute, IN
- Church Camp — Waterloo, IA
- Church Camp — Kenosha, WI
- Church Camp — Janesville, WI
- Church Camp — Bloomington, IN
- Church Camp — Jackson, MI
- Church Camp — Traverse City, MI
- Church Camp — Rapid City, SD
- Church Camp — Monroe, MI
- Church Camp — Jefferson City, MO
- Church Camp — Niles, MI
- Church Camp — Sioux City, IA
- Church Camp — Bismarck, ND
- Church Camp — Wausau, WI
- Church Camp — Manhattan, KS
- Church Camp — Springfield, OH
- Church Camp — Battle Creek, MI
- Church Camp — Ames, IA
- Church Camp — Mansfield, OH
- Church Camp — Lawrence, KS
- Church Camp — St. Joseph, MO
- Church Camp — Sheboygan, WI
- Church Camp — Muncie, IN
- Church Camp — Sandusky, OH
- Church Camp — Michigan City, IN
- Church Camp — Kankakee, IL
- Church Camp — Grand Forks, ND
- Church Camp — Mankato, MN
- Church Camp — Fond du Lac, WI
- Church Camp — Bay City, MI
- Church Camp — Lima, OH
- Church Camp — Dubuque, IA
- Church Camp — Decatur, IL
- Church Camp — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Church Camp — Columbus, IN
- Church Camp — Kokomo, IN
- Church Camp — Midland, MI
- Church Camp — Grand Island, NE
- Church Camp — Minot, ND
South
- Church Camp — Dallas, TX
- Church Camp — Houston, TX
- Church Camp — Atlanta, GA
- Church Camp — Washington, DC
- Church Camp — Miami, FL
- Church Camp — Tampa, FL
- Church Camp — Orlando, FL
- Church Camp — Charlotte, NC
- Church Camp — Baltimore, MD
- Church Camp — San Antonio, TX
- Church Camp — Austin, TX
- Church Camp — Nashville, TN
- Church Camp — Virginia Beach, VA
- Church Camp — Jacksonville, FL
- Church Camp — Raleigh, NC
- Church Camp — Oklahoma City, OK
- Church Camp — Louisville, KY
- Church Camp — Richmond, VA
- Church Camp — Memphis, TN
- Church Camp — Birmingham, AL
- Church Camp — Tulsa, OK
- Church Camp — Greenville, SC
- Church Camp — New Orleans, LA
- Church Camp — Knoxville, TN
- Church Camp — Sarasota, FL
- Church Camp — McAllen, TX
- Church Camp — Charleston, SC
- Church Camp — Baton Rouge, LA
- Church Camp — El Paso, TX
- Church Camp — Columbia, SC
- Church Camp — Cape Coral, FL
- Church Camp — Lakeland, FL
- Church Camp — Greensboro, NC
- Church Camp — Little Rock, AR
- Church Camp — Deltona, FL
- Church Camp — Winston-Salem, NC
- Church Camp — Palm Bay, FL
- Church Camp — Augusta, GA
- Church Camp — Durham, NC
- Church Camp — Fayetteville, AR
- Church Camp — Jackson, MS
- Church Camp — Chattanooga, TN
- Church Camp — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Church Camp — Huntsville, AL
- Church Camp — Pensacola, FL
- Church Camp — Lexington, KY
- Church Camp — Killeen, TX
- Church Camp — Wilmington, NC
- Church Camp — Corpus Christi, TX
- Church Camp — Ocala, FL
- Church Camp — Savannah, GA
- Church Camp — Brownsville, TX
- Church Camp — Gulfport, MS
- Church Camp — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Church Camp — Lafayette, LA
- Church Camp — Asheville, NC
- Church Camp — Naples, FL
- Church Camp — Mobile, AL
- Church Camp — Spartanburg, SC
- Church Camp — Beaumont, TX
- Church Camp — Tallahassee, FL
- Church Camp — Fayetteville, NC
- Church Camp — Montgomery, AL
- Church Camp — Shreveport, LA
- Church Camp — Hickory, NC
- Church Camp — Lubbock, TX
- Church Camp — Huntington, WV
- Church Camp — Gainesville, FL
- Church Camp — Clarksville, TN
- Church Camp — Columbus, GA
- Church Camp — Roanoke, VA
- Church Camp — Hagerstown, MD
- Church Camp — Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Church Camp — Kingsport, TN
- Church Camp — Waco, TX
- Church Camp — Longview, TX
- Church Camp — College Station, TX
- Church Camp — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Church Camp — Laredo, TX
- Church Camp — Slidell, LA
- Church Camp — Amarillo, TX
- Church Camp — Lynchburg, VA
- Church Camp — Daphne, AL
- Church Camp — Tyler, TX
- Church Camp — Lake Charles, LA
- Church Camp — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Church Camp — Macon, GA
- Church Camp — Fort Smith, AR
- Church Camp — Panama City, FL
- Church Camp — Charlottesville, VA
- Church Camp — Gainesville, GA
- Church Camp — Athens, GA
- Church Camp — Monroe, LA
- Church Camp — Punta Gorda, FL
- Church Camp — Jacksonville, NC
- Church Camp — Johnson City, TN
- Church Camp — Lexington Park, MD
- Church Camp — Warner Robins, GA
- Church Camp — Auburn, AL
- Church Camp — Florence, SC
- Church Camp — Charleston, WV
- Church Camp — Houma, LA
- Church Camp — Bowling Green, KY
- Church Camp — Dover, DE
- Church Camp — Midland, TX
- Church Camp — Burlington, NC
- Church Camp — Abilene, TX
- Church Camp — Jackson, TN
- Church Camp — Greenville, NC
- Church Camp — Blacksburg, VA
- Church Camp — Odessa, TX
- Church Camp — Vero Beach, FL
- Church Camp — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Church Camp — Decatur, AL
- Church Camp — Hattiesburg, MS
- Church Camp — The Villages, FL
- Church Camp — Florence, AL
- Church Camp — Dothan, AL
- Church Camp — Sherman, TX
- Church Camp — Valdosta, GA
- Church Camp — Winchester, VA
- Church Camp — Wichita Falls, TX
- Church Camp — Rocky Mount, NC
- Church Camp — Alexandria, LA
- Church Camp — Dalton, GA
- Church Camp — Texarkana, TX
- Church Camp — Albany, GA
- Church Camp — Morgantown, WV
- Church Camp — Hammond, LA
- Church Camp — Harrisonburg, VA
- Church Camp — Jonesboro, AR
- Church Camp — Wheeling, WV
- Church Camp — Cleveland, TN
- Church Camp — Salisbury, MD
- Church Camp — Staunton, VA
- Church Camp — Morristown, TN
- Church Camp — Elizabethtown, KY
- Church Camp — Lawton, OK
- Church Camp — Goldsboro, NC
- Church Camp — San Angelo, TX
- Church Camp — Brunswick, GA
- Church Camp — Anniston, AL
- Church Camp — Owensboro, KY
- Church Camp — Steubenville, WV
- Church Camp — Sebring, FL
- Church Camp — Pinehurst, NC
- Church Camp — Beckley, WV
- Church Camp — Sumter, SC
- Church Camp — Gadsden, AL
- Church Camp — Paducah, KY
- Church Camp — Rome, GA
- Church Camp — Victoria, TX
- Church Camp — Hot Springs, AR
- Church Camp — Hinesville, GA
- Church Camp — Parkersburg, WV
- Church Camp — Enid, OK
- Church Camp — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Church Camp — Los Angeles, CA
- Church Camp — Phoenix, AZ
- Church Camp — Riverside, CA
- Church Camp — San Francisco, CA
- Church Camp — Seattle, WA
- Church Camp — San Diego, CA
- Church Camp — Denver, CO
- Church Camp — Portland, OR
- Church Camp — Sacramento, CA
- Church Camp — Las Vegas, NV
- Church Camp — San Jose, CA
- Church Camp — Salt Lake City, UT
- Church Camp — Fresno, CA
- Church Camp — Tucson, AZ
- Church Camp — Honolulu, HI
- Church Camp — Bakersfield, CA
- Church Camp — Albuquerque, NM
- Church Camp — Boise, ID
- Church Camp — Oxnard, CA
- Church Camp — Stockton, CA
- Church Camp — Colorado Springs, CO
- Church Camp — Provo, UT
- Church Camp — Ogden, UT
- Church Camp — Spokane, WA
- Church Camp — Reno, NV
- Church Camp — Modesto, CA
- Church Camp — Santa Rosa, CA
- Church Camp — Visalia, CA
- Church Camp — Vallejo, CA
- Church Camp — Salem, OR
- Church Camp — Santa Maria, CA
- Church Camp — Salinas, CA
- Church Camp — Anchorage, AK
- Church Camp — Eugene, OR
- Church Camp — Greeley, CO
- Church Camp — Fort Collins, CO
- Church Camp — Boulder, CO
- Church Camp — Kennewick, WA
- Church Camp — Olympia, WA
- Church Camp — Merced, CA
- Church Camp — Bremerton, WA
- Church Camp — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Church Camp — Bend, OR
- Church Camp — Yakima, WA
- Church Camp — Santa Cruz, CA
- Church Camp — Prescott, AZ
- Church Camp — Bellingham, WA
- Church Camp — Las Cruces, NM
- Church Camp — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Church Camp — Yuma, AZ
- Church Camp — Medford, OR
- Church Camp — St. George, UT
- Church Camp — Chico, CA
- Church Camp — Billings, MT
- Church Camp — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Church Camp — Yuba City, CA
- Church Camp — Redding, CA
- Church Camp — El Centro, CA
- Church Camp — Idaho Falls, ID
- Church Camp — Pueblo, CO
- Church Camp — Grand Junction, CO
- Church Camp — Logan, UT
- Church Camp — Maui, HI
- Church Camp — Santa Fe, NM
- Church Camp — Hanford, CA
- Church Camp — Flagstaff, AZ
- Church Camp — Mount Vernon, WA
- Church Camp — Napa, CA
- Church Camp — Albany, OR
- Church Camp — Bozeman, MT
- Church Camp — Missoula, MT
- Church Camp — Wenatchee, WA
- Church Camp — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Church Camp — Twin Falls, ID
- Church Camp — Farmington, NM
- Church Camp — Longview, WA
- Church Camp — Cheyenne, WY
- Church Camp — Corvallis, OR
- Church Camp — Helena, MT
- Church Camp — Fairbanks, AK
- Church Camp — Pocatello, ID
- Church Camp — Grants Pass, OR
- Church Camp — Great Falls, MT
- Church Camp — Casper, WY
- Church Camp — Lewiston, ID
- Church Camp — Walla Walla, WA
- Church Camp — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
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