We started at a rented location in the wilderness of Wyoming county, but in January of 2012 we bought a new site to provide a christian camping experience for residents of Rochester, NY and the surrounding region. This property is located in the town of Dansville just an hour drive south of the city along 390. There are 50 beautiful wooded acres along with a pond, 2 creeks and miles of trails. It is a very special and peaceful place to get away from the rush of life and commune with God among his creation.

This summer we will be offering a new program at our Rochester NY christian camp. We are calling it 300 years in 3 weeks. It is an American history themed summer camp program featuring period games, crafts, skills and living history from re-enactors. We will be covering the three time periods; Colonial, westward expansion and the war between the states. This should be a fun, educational program for the children and hopefully teach them some things that they won’t forget.

Another great thing about our Rochester, New York christian camp is that it is available year round for church retreats, corporate events, family reunions and whatever else you might need. It’s very affordable and our facility is brand new with many technological options that other retreat centers don’t offer. Our site has wi-fi in all the buildings. Maximum cellular coverage for all carriers. And if you want to enjoy a little indoor time relaxing we have two 50” televisions with satellite and Nintendo Wiis attached.

Our onsite staff at Hope Valley Camp will make your next christian camping experience the best one ever. Our cook has over 10 years experience in providing large scale food service and never leaves anyone hungry. The food is delicious! Or at least that’s what every retreat group has told us so far. We can provide affordable food service for your next event or let you have run of the kitchen and do it your own way. Your choice.

This christian camp near Rochester NY is an all around perfect place for any event. The beautiful and secluded setting makes it perfect for weddings, graduation parties, family reunions and anything else you can imagine. We offer paintball on site and can arrange for up to 30 people to play at a time on our wooded battlefield. We also have a nice fishing pond full of a variety of fish that are easy to catch. It makes for a fun outing to come down to Hope Valley Camp and spend a day, week or a lifetime.

This rochester ny christian camp is ready and waiting for you to come and join us. Call or email for more information about scheduling your next event. We are excited to meet you and make your event the best one ever. Call (585) 683-4907 and ask for Nathan or send him an email at Director@hopevalleycamp.com We look forward to hearing from you.

The author of this article, Nathan Welton, is a freelance writer and the camp director for Hope Valley Camp. Hope Valley Camp is a summer Christian camp for teens and Christian retreat center dedicated to teaching young people their value as God’s children, raising campers in leadership and providing a life changing experience at an affordable price. Visit HopeValleyCamp.com for more information.

Spiritual Gifting
I spend my life running a Christian retreat center and recently I took a spiritual gifting test at my church. You know the kind where you answer a bunch of questions to identify the areas of ministry you would be best in. I scored the maximum in two areas, Faith and Giving. I’ve always known that I was a generous person, but I had never really thought of myself as a pillar of faith. Looking at the last few months of my life I can see how God has really developed that area of my spirit through my work at a Christian retreat center.

Historical background
As many of you know I used to work for another Christian camping ministry. We loved our time there and learned a lot of valuable lessons that have helped us since founding Hope Valley Camp. One of the greatest lessons I learned came from a brief, but eye opening conversation with the board president of that ministry. We were faced with a mountain of challenges; declining enrollment, lack of donor support, churches cutting us from their budget and other issues. I proposed a series of common sense business decisions that would help “right the ship”. I was told that it wouldn’t be possible to do any of those things. It was told that it was the equivalent of creating an entirely new camp ministry from scratch and she said that would be impossible in today’s world. Then she said made the statement that would set us on the path to creating Hope Valley Christian retreat center. “You are too young and don’t have the right connections to make this work”. I am quoting that from memory because it was burned into my brain. It was a lack of faith moment. Like when the 10 spies came back and gave their false report about the promised land. I argued with her for a while that we only need one “connection”, God. He would open the doors and make things happen because He wanted us to achieve great things for His kingdom. Ultimately we ended up leaving that ministry a few months later, but with a determination that we wouldn’t let fear or a lack of faith drive us away from God’s will and favor. It was at that time that we struck out to create a new Christian retreat center.

Hope Valley Camp & Christian Retreat Center
As President of Hope Valley Ministry which includes the summer camp, Christian retreat center and thrift store I’ve been challenged a lot to trust in the Lord over the last 2 ½ years since our founding in November 2009. When we purchased our facility in January of 2012 it was a major undertaking on a scale that I have never dealt with before. The idea of buying, constructing 4 new buildings and preparing this facility for use the coming summer was TERRIFYING. It still is. Courage is defined as “The ability to do something that frightens one.” I feel as though God has given me a supernatural dose of courage and with the support of my board, friends and family I took the lead and we all charged ahead. I wake up every morning worried about the finances, the time left, the work still to do, but I am reminded that my God is bigger than any of these issues and that with His strength I can do all things. I know that a Christian retreat center is really needed in this area and that all the work is worth it.

Stronger Faith
I want you to be encouraged and exhorted to face the mountains in your own life. Jesus told us that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we could tell the mountain to move and it would. Faith is defined as “Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Complete. Not partial, not wishful thinking. It’s not a matter of hoping God will do something, but rather KNOWING that God is good and WILL take care of you no matter what. Especially when things are at their bleakest and hope seems far off, God is right there ready to work in your weakness and achieve great things through you. Too many times we get overloaded with stress from life and we need to break away for a few quiet moments with the Lord. A Christian retreat center is the perfect place to do this.

Success with God!
We have seen incredible success so far at the property and much of the work is ahead of schedule. God has provided people and resources at just the right time and many times answered prayer in wonderful and unexpected ways. We are still looking for more volunteers and more finances to get this project further along, but I am overwhelmed with joy when I think about how far we have come in such a short time. It is only by the grace and favor of our Lord Jesus Christ that I am able to write you and share such wonderful news. I look forward to the day when I can open the doors and show you the new and improved Hope Valley summer camp and Christian retreat center.

A fun job
There are so many different parts to a summer camp job. As a counselor you get the experience of teaching, training, disciplining and directing young people. You grow as a person and learn valuable skills that will benefit you in the workforce. Skills like; time management, overcoming adversity, group leadership and how to have an awesome pillow fight. Ok, you might not need that skill in your career. But it is a lot of fun. Think about the fun activities that you get to participate in with youth and teens. Archery, paintball, fishing, camping, hiking, nature craft, arts and crafts, sports, group games, campfires, silly songs and many more fun activities. You also have the choice of location for this summer camp experience. I grew up attending and working at several different western New York Christian camps. I love the area and I know you will too.

Different roles
As a cook, handyperson or activity leader you learn the importance of service and teamwork. Without a good solid team you won’t be able to succeed and this is a valuable life lesson for any of us in the workplace. You will also learn the satisfaction of doing a job well and receiving encouragement from the rest of the team as you serve them. When you work with others from around the area at a western New York Christian camp like Hope Valley Camp you grow as a person.

Behind the scenes
Did you get the chance to attend camp as a child? If so, then I’m sure you understand how much fun the whole experience can be. Now is your chance to go behind the curtain and discover the secrets behind how the whole experience works. This time of year many western New York Christian camping ministries are recruiting on college campuses for caring young people to join their staff. But you don’t have to be in college to find a position with one of these great ministries. You can go to Hope Valley Camp’s website to apply with us. www.hopevalleycamp.com

CCCA
The Christian Camp and Conference center Association (CCCA) is a national organization that several local western New York Christian summer camps belong to. All of them are looking for great Christian staff to join their summer teams. Please take a moment and visit www.ccca.org and search for camps in the local area and then contact them about job opportunities. I know that they will be glad to hear from you.

Sign up now
If you would like to find out more about the ministry of Hope Valley you can register online or check us out on Facebook. Feel free to call my office any time. You can reach me, Nathan Welton at (585) 683-4907. I’d love to speak with you about any camp related questions you might have. Spend this summer working at a western New York Christian camp, you’ll be glad you did.

The author of this article, Nathan Welton, is a freelance writer and the camp director for Hope Valley Camp. Hope Valley Camp is a summer Christian camp for teens dedicated to teaching young people their value as God’s children, raising campers in leadership and providing a life changing experience at an affordable price. Visit HopeValleyCamp.com for more information.

Investing in camp!
Every day we are bombarded with ads imploring us to invest in a college fund or a retirement fund for the future. These are all worthwhile investments, but have we ever stopped to look at the value of investing in a Christian camp for our teens? We all know that sending our teens to Christian summer camp is a great way for them to learn the gospel message while making new friends. But how many of us realize the lasting impact of those friendships and the lessons learned? Are we aware of the subtle changes in behavior and growth that happen in those few short days that they are gone at camp? Changes that will improve the quality of their lives and impact their positive behavior for decades to come! A week at a Christian camp for teens can be just the prescription for change that your child needs.

Behavioral changes!
Many parents send their teens to camp in the hopes of seeing changed behavior or emotional growth. I’ve received several registration forms with notes added about parental concerns regarding issues like ADD, ADHD, shyness and others. A Christian camp for teens is a great place to stretch them and challenge their difficult behaviors. It’s amazing to watch that child with “problems” in the outside world come to camp and completely change before everyone’s eyes. The relaxed, fun and Godly atmosphere of Christian summer camp puts those campers at ease and allows them to enter into the community that develops among cabin groups.

Medical benefits!
According to a study(*) of over 5000 camper families by the American Camping Association or ACA, parents of campers that attended a Christian camp for teens saw significant growth in the areas of Self-esteem, Independence, Leadership, Friendship Skills, Social comfort, Peer relationships, Adventure & Exploration, Environmental awareness, Values & decisions and Spirituality. Both parents and counselors noted the increased spiritual commitment of the campers and their improvement in value based decision making. The campers were not even aware of the changes that had taken place in their lives during those special days at camp. But everyone around them saw the improvement and lasting change. Don’t you want this for your child?

Lives impacted!
I want to share some wonderful anecdotal stories from family and old camp friends about their own experiences and the impact that it still has on them to this day. One former camper had attended as a child every summer and eventually moved up to a counselor position. Today this person is serving full time as a traveling preacher, inspirational speaker and best selling Christian author. Another young person came from a bad foster home situation and learned that God loved them and had a great plan for their life. Now that camper is a successful businessman that financially supports sending youth to a Christian camp for teens. A pastor gave his life to Christ as a teenager at church camp and now tends to God’s family and the less fortunate. They all claim much of their success due to the impact of summer camp. The stories are numerous and these changed lives have a ripple affect on others like a stone in the pond of eternity.

The residential camp difference
Vacation Bible School and day camp are both wonderful programs and a great way for kids to get out of the house for a few hours, but the greatest impact will come from a residential program. Overnight camp allows children the chance to grow, stretch and learn more about themselves in a semi-independent environment under the care and supervision of loving Christian role models. Some of the best memories can be made with the time spent at a Christian camp for teens. There is nothing as fun as a week in the woods filled with s’mores, games, hiking, campfires songs & new friends.

As I’m sure you are aware childhood is over far too quickly and then your teenager wants to drive the car, go to college, get married and start the process all over again. There are only a few golden summers where a child can be free to let go and grow their lives at summer camp. Don’t let this summer slip past without giving your child the chance to experience the life changing ministry of a local Christian summer camp. Sign them up today and see the lasting results of a summer spent in the ministry of Christian camping. Find a local Christian camp for teens by searching: www.CCCA.org

I wanted to write and update you about what God has been doing in our lives the last few years and non-denominational Christian camp in western NY that we are operating. As you probably already know we moved back to New York from Kentucky in 2006 to be closer to family and get more involved in the ministry.

Our purpose
The area that God really burned into our hearts was outreach to children from broken homes and poverty stricken areas here in western NY. We really wanted to find a way to reach these kids through non-denominational Christian camp ministry, but we didn’t know how or where to start. Then God opened a door. In 2007 we were able to live and work at a small non-denominational Christian summer camp in the southern tier of western NY. Over two and a half years we learned the “ropes” of operating a camp and reaching the public with our message, but this was not our final destination.

The beginning
We felt that to really fulfill the call God had placed on our lives we needed to work within the structure of our own ministry and not the established program we were in. So in November 2009 we founded Hope Valley Ministry to operate a non-denominational Christian camp program in western NY that we are calling Hope Valley Camp. This camping program offers a loving and gracious gospel message to children that may have never heard it before.

Community Outreach
Our outreach is to the communities and schools located around our adopted hometown of Dansville, where we live and work in western NY. The community that we live in is a wonderful place with many great people, but a lot of dark secrets that are kept in the shadows. Over 50% of the children under 15 live below the poverty line and drug/alcohol abuse is rampant among parents and children alike. In fact drug use starts as young as 6th grade among the many hopeless and broken youth that reside here. And our town is not alone in this terrible trend. Most of the communities within a stone’s throw of our camp are in the same boat. Children have no hope for the future and don’t even realize that there is a better world out there. We want to bring these kids outdoors and disciple them in a non-denominational Christian camp setting.

Growth
Our camp ministry has been growing by leaps and bounds in the few short years since we started it. God has provided in so many amazing ways that we begin to lose track if we don’t make a list. Our legal paperwork was filed for free by an attorney that we met and shared our heart with. We received a special rate on the non-denominational Christian camp facility that we rented to get started. We created a thrift store to support the camp and our landlord gave us a very special low lease rate. We have received free newspaper advertising, multiple newspaper articles on the camp and network radio spotlights promoting the camp! God’s blessing keeps going on and on. In fact we are quickly filling up the available spots with kids on scholarship that had been turned away by other summer camps!

Thrift Store
In November 2010 we started a large thrift store in Dansville to provide a place to promote the camp and raise funds for the program. This has been a good resource in the community for inexpensive essentials and a way to connect with the needy families that would benefit from our services. Thank God, we have made a profit every month that we have been open even if it was only a small amount. Several wonderful volunteers have stepped up and helped make the store a real local project. Our non-denominational Christian camp ministry is getting larger every day and we are reaching more teens, children and youth across western NY. Unfortunately the store has not been able to cover all of our ministry expenses as we have grown.

Financial support
I hope that you are encouraged and inspired by what we have shared so far and the good that God is doing through us. We are looking to find ongoing support for our ministry as we continue to serve the least and the lost in our area. It is our hope that you will join with us to help fund the non-denominational Christian camp programs of Hope Valley Ministry. Our goal is to achieve a level of $2,000 in regular monthly support. This will allow us to provide the current programs at greatly reduced cost and add new ones for these children and their families.

Where are we headed?
Our long term goal is to provide at least three weeks of camp each summer exclusively to children living in poverty, foster care or single parent households for free or at a very tiny price. They would be able to stay in cabins, enjoy campfires, do devotionals with spiritual mentors and be discipled in the Gospel. With the recent purchase and development of our 50 acre facility in western NY we have the opportunity to provide year round programs. Our facility is also available for church retreats, business events, family reunions and independent youth camps. Hope Valley Camp is a wonderful non-denominational Christian camp that is available to all children from western NY and northern PA.

Enjoy this video of one of our recent construction projects, now completed by the grace of God!