Camp & Retreat Ministries “Communities of Belonging” 2024

As the summer camp season approaches, we reflect on the incredible journey we’ve been on and are humbled by the support of individuals like you.

This year, we are excited to share the remarkable strides we’ve taken toward offering financial support to every person who needs it so that all may attend summer camp. This has an especially significant impact on those who don’t come from a church community where financial aid is offered for a camp experience. (Did you know that about a third of our campers don’t come affiliated with a church? And that number is growing!)

Take the story of *Alisa and Ellie, teen sisters who attended camp for the first time in 2023. Their single mom would not have been able to afford camp without our robust campership funds. These sisters showed up as strangers to camp, not wanting to be there and isolating themselves from the other campers.

Because of the camp staff’s intention in building relationships and trust with them, the sisters started integrating with the other campers after just a couple of days. They began sharing in group discussions, playing, and adventuring willingly with the community. Before long, they openly shared about the challenges they’d experienced in their home life and, by the end of the week, expressed they’d never felt like they belonged that way anywhere else—they’d never felt safe enough to share about their backgrounds and to explore their faith in this type of community.

From isolation to community, loneliness to belonging, unseen to seen—these sisters and so many more were gifted by the assistance your gift afforded them.

Your gift, no matter the size, will help us offer camp experiences to those who may otherwise not be able to afford these unique and holy experiences.

2 ways to make a donation:

1.  Online: Click HERE

2.  Mail a check: Make the check out to Desert Southwest Conference with the memo stating Communities of Belonging, including for which camp (or CRM for both), and send to:

Camp Office
PO Box 25344
Prescott Valley, AZ 86312