We have some exciting news to share with you about our camp schedule! Beginning in 2013, all of our New York & Florida camps will run on a 6-day model. Each week of camp will begin with registration on Sunday afternoon and conclude on Saturday morning, as usual. The 6-day model, something already utilized at youth camps all around the world, is something that we have been prayerfully considering for several years, and there are many reasons for the change. Here are the 3 biggest ones:

To Support the Local Church

Word of Life exists to serve the local church. We've never been totally comfortable with the fact that coming to camp for a week means missing church for most people. With registration on Sunday afternoon, most of our guests can spend a week with us and never be absent from their local body of believers. It is our goal to minister to you without taking you away from your church family.

To Strengthen Our Counselors

Word of Life is home to some of the most energetic, well-trained camp counselors on the planet. They are "on" for twenty-four hours a day, 6 days a week, without a thought for themselves. They guide, protect, minister and care for the children and students who attend Word of Life Camp. These selfless young people pour themselves out in humble service to their Savior. In the past, we have rotated our counseling corps through a day off during the week, which means our campers see a constantly-revolving door of substitute counselors. The 6 day model will allow our entire counseling corps to take time off together and refresh themselves, to better serve our campers and guests. We will also improve our camper-to-counselor ratio without increasing the number of counselors.

To Create Margin

We're not very good at this; we know it, and we want to get better. The unofficial motto of Word of Life has long been, "Work hard; play hard." However, we do not want to rush to get camp ready each week for a new group of guests, and we do not want you to be forced to rush your travel to get here. A Sunday afternoon registration will give both you and us an extra few hours to make sure everything is just exactly right for your arrival. This new plan will create a little extra margin in our schedule, and we think that's a good thing.

Every year we see a handful of multi-week campers. If you would like to join us for multiple weeks, that option is still available to you! Multi-week guests at the Inn and the Family Campground are welcome to stay through the weekend, although programming will be limited. The weekend would be an excellent time to relax with your family or take a day trip to one of many interesting destinations throughout the Adirondacks. At the Ranch, the Island and in Florida, we are planning an off-site trip for our multi-week campers. More information will follow, but we are working on a major upgrade in this part of our ministry.

One thing you can count on: The core of Word of Life Camps – our commitment to God's Word and our passion to meet the needs of every camper – will never change.  We look forward to a refreshing time together!