Keeping Campers Safe

We understand that this world can be a dangerous place. Many of the camps and trips that we participate in have the potential for danger, and physical injury is not the only danger that we are concerned about. Bad people are real and can inflict far more damage in the life of a boy or girl than any physical wound.

Because of this we go to great lengths to make sure that the whole person is protected while they are under our care. Below we have outlined some of the processes and guidelines that we have in place to help ensure that each camper comes home stronger physically, spiritually, and emotionally than when they arrive at camp.

Helping Prevent Physical Injury

Although many of the activities that we participate in have a higher propensity for physical injury than sitting on couch playing video games they are actually not statistically more dangerous than many other physical activities that you probably wouldn't think twice about. Just as one example, surfing might conjure up images of broken boards and bodies but surfing is statistically much more safe than cheer leading!

We prioritize safety highly and don't take it for granted. This begins with the staff that are chosen to lead our camps. We hand pick our staff to ensure the quality and character of each person.

Each of our trip camps is staffed by at minimum two adult positions. The first is the Trip Master. This position is responsible for the trip logistics and other technical aspects of the trip. The Trip master is highly skilled and experienced in the details of the particular activity he is leading and has demonstrated himself to be a good decision maker who can balance the risks inherent in the activity with the need to make good decisions about camper safety.

The second adult staff position is what we call the Spiritual Coordinator. This person is responsible for ensuring that the spiritual objectives of the camp are not neglected during the trip. If all responsibilities were placed in the hands of the Trip Master either safety or spiritual objectives could be neglected. By splitting this responsibility the proper focus and attention can be placed on both of these vital components of a successful trip.

As the number of campers increases or the demands of the particular activity increases so does the number of staff.

In the more than 40 years of camping ministry we have never had a serious injury or fatality. This is due to the kindness of God as he has protected us and given our leaders skill, prudence, and wisdom.

Child Protection

The prevalence of child sexual abuse is a sad but very real concern. This kind of abuse can leave emotional, physical and spiritual scars that will last a lifetime. We take our role seriously in doing our best to make sure that our campers are protected.

We not only want to protect against abuse,but we also take precautions to provide the kind of oversight and standards of behavior to help guard conversations and behavior that can often be unwholesome even between campers themselves. We want your son or daughter having learned about Jesus during their time under or care not having learned about what is available to them on the internet because of an unguarded conversation with a peer.

We believe that the most important step we can take in protecting your child in this important area begins with who we choose to lead our camps and trips. We do not solicit nor do we accept resumes from strangers interested in acting as staff or counselors at our camps. Our staff are hand selected and usually have a long history with camp staff or board members. In other words, we really do know the staff that we place in charge of your child's safety and spiritual development.

Two high level standards help guide us in the selection of our staff:

They must have a mature and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
We must believe strongly that if our own child were to spend time with that staff person that they will come away from the experience a stronger and more healthy person who looks more like Jesus Christ.

In addition we require that each staff person fill out a detailed staff application. This application includes a personal reference from someone who knows the applicant well as well as a church leader where the applicant has established a solid relationship and where his character and behavior has been seen.

Every Staff person has a police check completed.

While at camp emphasis is placed on never being alone with campers for the protection of campers and staff. Clear guidelines for interaction and physical touch are also followed.

We believe that these standards and procedures are vital to the protection of every camper we serve.