Who Are We?

Our Purpose

To Glorify God

Our Vision

Building bridges of relationships into the community to see friends, families, and neighbors positively impacted for the kingdom of God.

GADC is the place to be for summer 2010! We look forward to welcoming your children, ages 4 - 17 into Junior Camp, Day Camp, SIT Camp and Servant Team. Your camper will be wowed by our theme this summer: Under the Big Top. We are excited to explore the awesome feats of the circus as well as our unbelievable, incredible, and imcomparable God. We're keeping some camp favorites and adding some new and exciting adventures. Our well-trained, mature and absolutely fun-loving staff will take your kids on the adventure of a lifetime ... one they're sure not to forget. At GADC we are committed to building long-lasting relationships with your kids and your family through our program, staff, and activities. We'll see you this summer!

Our regular camp day starts at 9 am and ends at 4 pm. We do offer both Early and Late care beginning at 7 am and ending at 6 pm.

Junior Camp

Campers will not want to leave at the end of the day, but they will be worn out....we gurantee it. This camp is designed with your child in mind, from water games to music and art, from Bible time to sports and nature.

Ages: 4 (as of the beginning of camp) through Pre - K or 5 years old

A Session: 1 week Camper to Staff Ratios: 6:1 Cost: $200/week

Day Camp

Day campers have the awesome opportunity to choose a specialty they would like to "major" in throughout the week. Along with their specialty, they will enjoy all the exciting camp acitivities they're used to, like Bible time, assemblies, water games, sports, creative play, and more.

Specialties: Cheerleading/Tumbling, Sports, Art/Drama, Outdoor Exploration, and Sampler

Ages: Completed K - completed 5th Grade

A Session: 1 week Camper to Staff Ratios: 8:1 Cost: $200/week

S.I.T. Camp (Servants in Trainig)

This camp, specially designed for middle school students, is a hybrid of traditional day camp activites and the opportunity to learn the art of servanthood both inside and outside of camp.

Ages: Completed 6th - Completed 8th Grades

A Session: 1 week Camper to Staff Ratio: 10:1 Cost: $100/week

Servant Team

Servant Team is not actually a camp but an opportunity for high school students to grow, serve and have fun while doing it. Servant Team assists with assemblies, camp store, counselor groups, and more. They will also participate in team, leadership, and character building activites to help facilitate personal and spiritual growth. Servant Team will be coordinating with S.P.A.C.E., Grace Community Church's student missions ministry, to provide opportunities for training and team building prior to camp. Watch for SPACE training and application dates in January.

Ages: Completed 9th - Completed 11th Grades

A Session: 1 week Camper to Staff Ratio: 10:1 No Cost: Eligble for Volunteer Service Hours

Plans for 2010

Yes, it is that time again! Time to make your plans for summer 2010!!!

It is with both joy and sadness that we announce the resignation of Hillary Pennington as camp director. Sadness to lose Hillary but joy because Hillary and her family are pursuing the awesome opportunity of being involved in the Fusion church plant! We wish her all the best and pray that God blesses her work with Fusion as he did here at camp.

Michelle Conner, Assistant director from our first year and co-director from last summer, has been hired by the church as the new director for Grace Adventures Day Camp. She is super excited to fill the role and we are blessed to have a director on board that has been with camp from the beginning.

We are also pleased to inform you that many of the great staff from the 2009 team are joining us in 2010.

And now, what you've been waiting for, the dates for 2010!!!

• Brochures will be mailed on January 3rd. Look for them in your mailbox or pick one up at Grace Community Church.

• Registration will begin on January 17th

• Registration Kickoff will be January 19th at the Chick Fil A on John Hopkins Rd from 5 pm to 8pm. This will also be a camp fundraiser with Chick Fil A donating a portion of the proceeds from that night to our scholarship fund. The director and some camp staff will be on hand to answer any questions. Bring your family and friends because we miss you!
  

• Five weeks of Camp will begin the week of July 12th and end on August 13th

Save these dates and be watching for more information to follow!!!

Seriously...It's The Last Day?

I honestly can't believe it. This summer has flown by, and yet at the same time, it feels like it's been going forever. Regardless, here we are at the last day of camp...at least for this summer.

Of course no last day can go smoothly, at least not completely. But bumps in the road point us to the One who is ultimately in control, instead of trying to rely on our finite wisdom. So far we've had two counselors call in today. When you're already bare bones in staff, being two down could spell disaster, but at Grace Adventures, we know Who is in control. God knew long ago how this day would go, and it's his plan to glorify himself through it. He's already been working.

I told you before that He had paved the way for Raven's siblings to come to camp. We signed them up to come this week, paid in full, but we've run into some glitches trying to get them here. So after that second phone call this morning, I just dropped to my knees and turned this day over the God. On my way here, Aaron Smith called and said that his bump in the road was removed and he was now able to pick the boys up and bring them to camp. Score one for the Big Guy! It's was almost like He was just confirming to me that He's got us covered.

Here's to a great last day of camp.

Our Largest Week Yet

I barely blinked and the week was gone...our largest week yet, more than twice the size of our largest week last summer. Crazy, isn't it? We had over 85 campers and 20 staff, outgrowing our brand new pavilion. Seriously, who would have thought? It was also our second to last week. Summer is certainly winding down, but it's not over yet. The saddest part of this week was that we said goodbye to 5 of our beloved staff members, Sara Beth, Tim, Erin, J-Mo, and Roya. Each of them brought their talents, gifts and passion for the Lord and his people to our camp family this summer. Even though there is only one more week, I feel like we're going into it a bit incomplete. I have to say that our team is beyond amazing and I'm so thankful that God sent them to us, called them to camp. I'm not sure what God has in store for them over the next year, but I hope each of them considers returning next summer, to continue investing in the lives of Grace Adventure's campers.

We have some campers that stay with us all summer. Let me tell you, that takes some faith on behalf of the parents. We're always honored when someone would entrust their children to us, especially when they don't know us. Last summer, there were several families, 12 kids total, who took the leap and signed their kids up for all four weeks. All but 1 of them, and they moved out of state, came back with summer. This past Friday night, our team was invited to the Shamlin's house for an end of the summer picnic and movie night. I'm amazed by this family. They have so much going on, from building a new business, moving to a new home, and raising two boys...and yet they still find time to bless our camp family with great food, fellowship, and genuine hospitality. We look forward to having them back next summer as well. It's an investment.

Another all summer family, the Metzgers, caught the vision of camp and ran with it...literally. Before they had even filled out the registrations for their four kids, three of their friends had already hopped on board (for the entire summer as well). Mr. Metzger is juggling so much while his wife is deployed, and yet he's still looking out for his friends and neighbors.

There are so many more stories just like that one where people are reaching out to the people around them and inviting them to camp. I know that as we grow, our vision will grow as well, encompassing the community around us. What a great way to open the doors of the Church, to invite people to play in its front yard.

Posted by Hillary

Not Quite The Lesson We Were Hoping To Teach

Amy here. I'm the administrator at GADC and this is my first post on the camp blog. This story made me laugh so hard when it happened I thought I'd share it here.

Every afternoon during our assembly time one of our staff takes three to five minutes to speak to the campers. Generally they share a testimony, a story of where God is working in their life or the gospel. This past Friday it was Dena's turn to speak.

Part way through her talk she asked the question, "What does God want us to do with our money?"

A little girl called out, "Give it to the poor!"

And then, in that moment of silence following her sweet answer, a four year old boy piped up, "And steal from the rich!"

I know he's four because he's my son. And we've been reading a lot of Robin Hood lately.

Dena told me later that it took all her power to hold it together for the rest of her talk. The rest of us were not so put-together and laughed loudly at my sweet little boy.

Posted by Amy

A Moo-Ha-Ha

We have some really fun neighbors. To our left, there are horses, and to our right, there are cows. Sometimes our friends to the right like to come visit us at camp, or at least get as close as they can without hopping the fence. Who would have thought that we'd have our very own "petting zoo," minus the actual petting? Yesterday, the cows, who resemble those fiesty guys over at Chick-fil-a decided to pay us a visit, and our Junior campers thought they'd be polite and say hello.

A few minutes into the visit, Henry, a camper, turns to Miss Erin and says, "Why is that cow standing on top of that other cow?" Erin and Amy turn to see our friends procreating right there in front of our campers. "Um, they're just dancing."

Henry turns and says "uh uh, there doing this," and then begins to mimic the cows. Oh goodness Henry, you're 5. How do we explain to a 5 year old what these animals are doing? They left it at dancing, though I'm pretty sure he didn't believe them. Now, of course, we had a little talk with our friends that they need to be a little more discreet from now on. They couldn't promise us anything, so we'll just have to keep a watchful eye. I don't know, maybe word will spread that we have dancing cows at camp and more people will be lining up to come. Who knows?

Posted by Hillary

God is Here

Each day at Grace Adventures Day Camp it becomes even more evident that God is here. He shows up everyday in both small and big ways.

We have all known from the beginning that this is God's ministry but each day, I see it more and more. Here are just a few small examples.

This year we began a middle school portion of camp called SIT camp. The majority of the kid's involved are members of Grace Community Church and Light Company the middle school ministry, therefore they all know each other pretty well. As fitting with our mission, God brought to us a few non- Grace goers which could have been a little uncomfortable for a middle school student coming into a group that already has established relationships. BUT NOT WHEN GOD'S INVOLOVED. He saw to it that the newcomers would have some other people around to build relationships with. In fact, two of the students have formed such a close relationship, that the newcomer was invited to attend Light Company on Sunday with her new friend. God, you are good.

Another example is our staff, each and every one of them were put here for a reason. I believe that God put each counselor into the exact positions they are in. Nikki, our Servant Team counselor came on at the very last minute but I know that God put her here for a reason. She has the heart of a Servant which is pretty cool being that she is teaching and leading high school students how to be servants of Christ.

Iman is yet another example, she is working with our middle school program and has a heart of gold and the patience most mother's should have. Her patience and heart have proven incredibly powerful and inspiring. God also orchestrated Jonathan's involvement at camp. We are truly blessed to have such a strong male leader among us. His pink hat and goofy spirit help to encourage, energize and motivate the camper's on a daily basis. These are just a few of the staff stories, because if I were to tell them all, I would be here all night long and I really need to get to bed so that I can be alert tomorrow. I don't want to miss any glimpse of God's blessings.

Posted by Michelle