Camp Bethel Summer Camps
Together: with God, each other, and all creation.
WHY: Building RELATIONSHIPS is WHY we do what we do: with God, with each other, and with creation.
When we live TOGETHER in intentional Christian community, even for only one week, we gain person-to-person relationship skills to benefit our families, schools, churches, communities, nation, and world.
We try to be living examples of Jesus’ ministry of life, hope, and unconditional love. Likewise, your camper will enjoy their week with excellent counselors and with campers who have different backgrounds, gifts, and abilities.
When we live TOGETHER in intentional Christian community, even for only one week, we gain person-to-person relationship skills to benefit our families, schools, churches, communities, nation, and world.
We try to be living examples of Jesus’ ministry of life, hope, and unconditional love. Likewise, your camper will enjoy their week with excellent counselors and with campers who have different backgrounds, gifts, and abilities.
HOW: Small Group Camping Style
Your Unit is your camp family; a small group of 8-10 campers and 2-4 counselors. You and your Unit plan your week and are together all day for activities, meals, and worship. You get 24-hour care by trained counselors who make each day fun and give you individual attention.
Units are co-ed, but cabins and huts are gender separated for sleeping and changing. Your Unit might be all boys or all girls if more campers of one gender sign up that week.
We eat family-style meals together at Unit tables in the Ark Dining Hall (or outside under our Unit Dining Shelter) to talk about our day and learn to ask, “Please pass the pancakes.”
As a Unit we learn and practice how to share our experiences, emotions, and our faith. Working and playing together as a Unit builds deeper relationships and develops true empathy for each other.
Your Unit is your camp family; a small group of 8-10 campers and 2-4 counselors. You and your Unit plan your week and are together all day for activities, meals, and worship. You get 24-hour care by trained counselors who make each day fun and give you individual attention.
Units are co-ed, but cabins and huts are gender separated for sleeping and changing. Your Unit might be all boys or all girls if more campers of one gender sign up that week.
We eat family-style meals together at Unit tables in the Ark Dining Hall (or outside under our Unit Dining Shelter) to talk about our day and learn to ask, “Please pass the pancakes.”
As a Unit we learn and practice how to share our experiences, emotions, and our faith. Working and playing together as a Unit builds deeper relationships and develops true empathy for each other.
WHAT: A Sample Resident Camper Day: Your Unit plans your week together on the Program Board.
7:45 Morning Watch at the Spring Pond
8:00 Breakfast in the Ark, songs, announcements
8:30 Cabin & bathhouse clean-up, duties
9:00 Unit activities (see below), Bible Study, Adventure outing, nature lesson, games, etc.
12:30 Lunch, songs, skits, announcements
1:30 Unit activities (see below), Pool, hikes, games, creek-play, crafts, Home-in-the-Woods, etc.
5:30 Dinner, songs, skits, announcements
6:30 Unit activities (see below), Games, skit-planning, etc.
8:00 Nightly all-camp activity or special program
9:00 Elementary Worship, songs, around the campfire.
10:00 Lights out for Elementary Campers
10:15 MS/HS Worship, songs, small groups at the campfire.
11:15 Lights out for Middle & High School Campers
7:45 Morning Watch at the Spring Pond
8:00 Breakfast in the Ark, songs, announcements
8:30 Cabin & bathhouse clean-up, duties
9:00 Unit activities (see below), Bible Study, Adventure outing, nature lesson, games, etc.
12:30 Lunch, songs, skits, announcements
1:30 Unit activities (see below), Pool, hikes, games, creek-play, crafts, Home-in-the-Woods, etc.
5:30 Dinner, songs, skits, announcements
6:30 Unit activities (see below), Games, skit-planning, etc.
8:00 Nightly all-camp activity or special program
9:00 Elementary Worship, songs, around the campfire.
10:00 Lights out for Elementary Campers
10:15 MS/HS Worship, songs, small groups at the campfire.
11:15 Lights out for Middle & High School Campers
WHAT: Activities! Each age level offers a step up in activities and programs.
EVERYONE: All Camp Big Game, Arts & Crafts, Bible Study, Big Oak Hike, Cave Trail Hike, Creek Play, Dozens of Group Games, Explore Hike, Four-Square, GaGa Ball, Gym Games, Initiatives & Team Building Games, Kimball’s Walk Hike, Low Ropes Group Course, Morning Watch, Music and Singing, Nature Fun, Nightly Worship, Nine-Square-in-the-Air, Parachute Games, Polar Bear Swim, Pond Exploration, Rhythm Rest Stop, Sidewalk Chalk, Skit Night, S’mores, Swimming.
3RD GRADE & OLDER: Archery, Campfire Cooking, Climbing Wall, Daily Group Duties, Funny Farm Animals Hike, Geocaching, Graybill Graveyard, Home-in-the-Woods Day, Horseshoe Bend Hike, Host Meals, Letterboxing, New Bethel Hike, Night Swimming, Orienteering, Outpost Hike, Pool Festival, Salamander Gander Hike, Seven Summits Hike, Shale Walls Hike, Quarry Trail Hike, “Add-On” Activities (below and schedule on pages 18-19).
7TH GRADE & OLDER: Adventures, Biking, Glow-in-the-Dark Night Games, High Ropes, Slacklining, Skills & Trip Camps (see pages 11-14), Spec Mine Hike, Super Loop Hike, Flying Squirrel, Zip Line.
Adventures, Trips, & Skills Camps include: Backpacking, Biking, Canoeing, Caving, Digital Arts, Equestrian, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Mountains-to-Beach-to-Bay Trip, Paddlesports, River Tubing, Rock Climbing, Skateboarding, Stand-Up Paddleboarding, and White Water Rafting.
EVERYONE: All Camp Big Game, Arts & Crafts, Bible Study, Big Oak Hike, Cave Trail Hike, Creek Play, Dozens of Group Games, Explore Hike, Four-Square, GaGa Ball, Gym Games, Initiatives & Team Building Games, Kimball’s Walk Hike, Low Ropes Group Course, Morning Watch, Music and Singing, Nature Fun, Nightly Worship, Nine-Square-in-the-Air, Parachute Games, Polar Bear Swim, Pond Exploration, Rhythm Rest Stop, Sidewalk Chalk, Skit Night, S’mores, Swimming.
3RD GRADE & OLDER: Archery, Campfire Cooking, Climbing Wall, Daily Group Duties, Funny Farm Animals Hike, Geocaching, Graybill Graveyard, Home-in-the-Woods Day, Horseshoe Bend Hike, Host Meals, Letterboxing, New Bethel Hike, Night Swimming, Orienteering, Outpost Hike, Pool Festival, Salamander Gander Hike, Seven Summits Hike, Shale Walls Hike, Quarry Trail Hike, “Add-On” Activities (below and schedule on pages 18-19).
7TH GRADE & OLDER: Adventures, Biking, Glow-in-the-Dark Night Games, High Ropes, Slacklining, Skills & Trip Camps (see pages 11-14), Spec Mine Hike, Super Loop Hike, Flying Squirrel, Zip Line.
Adventures, Trips, & Skills Camps include: Backpacking, Biking, Canoeing, Caving, Digital Arts, Equestrian, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Mountains-to-Beach-to-Bay Trip, Paddlesports, River Tubing, Rock Climbing, Skateboarding, Stand-Up Paddleboarding, and White Water Rafting.
WHO: Your Counselors are fun, safe, and welcoming. They are with you all day, making it fun and keeping it real. We will laugh and sing and learn something new every day.
Directors Barry and Kathleen interview, select, and train your Counselors during a comprehensive 2-week training ensuring mastery in physical and emotional safety, CPR & First Aid, risk management, emergency preparation, and all activity skills. We perform thorough background checks on ALL employees and volunteers. Our hiring is open to persons of all ethnicities and Christian denominations.
Help us build our Summer Staff! Encourage any exceptionally mature, creative, and selfless young adult leaders you know to apply. Applications and details at CampBethelVirginia.org/staff.
Directors Barry and Kathleen interview, select, and train your Counselors during a comprehensive 2-week training ensuring mastery in physical and emotional safety, CPR & First Aid, risk management, emergency preparation, and all activity skills. We perform thorough background checks on ALL employees and volunteers. Our hiring is open to persons of all ethnicities and Christian denominations.
Help us build our Summer Staff! Encourage any exceptionally mature, creative, and selfless young adult leaders you know to apply. Applications and details at CampBethelVirginia.org/staff.
Our Mission: Camp Bethel is the outdoor ministry of the Virlina District Church of the Brethren that exists to foster and build relationships with God, with each other, and with all of God's creation, TOGETHER. We live this ministry through our summer camps, our services, and availability of our facilities to people of all denominations and backgrounds.
Our Site and Property: Camp Bethel is 470 sacred acres of forests, fields, ponds, streams and hills in Botetourt County. Our property connects to the vast Jefferson National Forest and a 3-mile trail-hike up through Horseshoe Bend to the Appalachian Trail. Camp Bethel programs began at this location in 1927. Camp Bethel is open all year for conferences, retreats, festivals, school groups, outdoor education, and other family, church and community events. Our facilities are a mix of modern rustic-elegant cottages, lodges, meeting rooms and event spaces. Supportive congregations, loving guests, faithful families and campers, exceptional food services, a Biblically-based program philosophy, excellent staff, and hundreds of devoted volunteers have established Camp Bethel as the region’s best camp.
Our Summer Camps: We welcome the participation of children and youth of all faiths, traditions, races, and nationalities. We believe Jesus’ message of life, hope, love and unconditional acceptance. Likewise, your camper (and her/his cabin mate) should expect to share their camp group with other children who have different backgrounds, gifts and abilities. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14)
In small groups of 10-12 campers and 2-4 counselors (cabins separated by gender), campers play and learn together in an intentional Christian community as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Trained counselors lead hundreds of active, fun, educational activities. Through these experiences, with Jesus as our hope, campers come to understand that their relationships with each other and all creation are precious to God and worthy of our active care.
Our campers reside in rustic-comfortable and modern cabins, each with bunk-beds, air-conditioners, electric lights, and close access to bathrooms and showers. Our camp is a safe, special place, and your children and teenagers will be “happy campers!”
Quality and Safety: We voluntarily follow 300 health, safety and program quality standards covering every facet of our operation: site and food services; transportation; health and wellness; human resources and staffing; program design and activities; aquatics; adventures and trips. Camp Bethel is committed to providing a safe, nurturing camp community; caring, professional counselors and staff; developmentally appropriate experiences; opportunities for service, leadership and personal growth; experiential education; and opportunities for discovery. Our policies and practices create a conducive environment for child and youth development. We strive for excellence in all we do, and we invest in safety because you deserve our best. We are proud of 96 years of excellence at Camp Bethel!
The Virlina District is one of twenty-four districts of the Church of the Brethren denomination and encompasses 88 congregations, fellowships and meeting points with about 9,200 members located in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina (hence, "Vir-lina"). The members of these Virlina District congregations own and operate Camp Bethel TOGETHER by electing a volunteer District Board and Outdoor Ministries Committee, through their volunteerism in service and work, and their gifts and tithes.
The Church of the Brethren is a denomination of about 110,000 members in 1,000 congregations, fellowships and projects throughout the United States. The Church of the Brethren is a Christian church similar to other mainstream Protestant groups such as Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians. Brethren are noted for an emphasis on peacemaking, reconciliation and service. We base our beliefs on Jesus’ life and teachings and the New Testament. Jesus saved the world by serving its people, so we seek to do the same. Our other distinctions include our peace position (Matthew 5:44) (shared with Quakers, Mennonites, and Moravians), emphasis on simple living (Romans 12:2) and Christian service (Luke 22:27), feet-washing during Communion worship service (John 13), and baptism by choice (Acts 2:37-39). The name “Church of the Brethren” was chosen in 1908 to emphasize a sense of family and community. The Church of the Brethren views all people as children of God. Related denominations, formed through mission work, are found in Nigeria, India and other nations. Brethren began in Germany in 1708 as a movement advocating adult profession of faith and baptism by immersion, separation of church and state, and an earnest desire to live out the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Our summer staff and summer campers are always a diverse group of Christians from multiple denominations and faith backgrounds.
Learn more about our Summer Camps, plus F.A.Q.s at our Parent Information Page.
Our Site and Property: Camp Bethel is 470 sacred acres of forests, fields, ponds, streams and hills in Botetourt County. Our property connects to the vast Jefferson National Forest and a 3-mile trail-hike up through Horseshoe Bend to the Appalachian Trail. Camp Bethel programs began at this location in 1927. Camp Bethel is open all year for conferences, retreats, festivals, school groups, outdoor education, and other family, church and community events. Our facilities are a mix of modern rustic-elegant cottages, lodges, meeting rooms and event spaces. Supportive congregations, loving guests, faithful families and campers, exceptional food services, a Biblically-based program philosophy, excellent staff, and hundreds of devoted volunteers have established Camp Bethel as the region’s best camp.
Our Summer Camps: We welcome the participation of children and youth of all faiths, traditions, races, and nationalities. We believe Jesus’ message of life, hope, love and unconditional acceptance. Likewise, your camper (and her/his cabin mate) should expect to share their camp group with other children who have different backgrounds, gifts and abilities. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14)
In small groups of 10-12 campers and 2-4 counselors (cabins separated by gender), campers play and learn together in an intentional Christian community as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). Trained counselors lead hundreds of active, fun, educational activities. Through these experiences, with Jesus as our hope, campers come to understand that their relationships with each other and all creation are precious to God and worthy of our active care.
Our campers reside in rustic-comfortable and modern cabins, each with bunk-beds, air-conditioners, electric lights, and close access to bathrooms and showers. Our camp is a safe, special place, and your children and teenagers will be “happy campers!”
Quality and Safety: We voluntarily follow 300 health, safety and program quality standards covering every facet of our operation: site and food services; transportation; health and wellness; human resources and staffing; program design and activities; aquatics; adventures and trips. Camp Bethel is committed to providing a safe, nurturing camp community; caring, professional counselors and staff; developmentally appropriate experiences; opportunities for service, leadership and personal growth; experiential education; and opportunities for discovery. Our policies and practices create a conducive environment for child and youth development. We strive for excellence in all we do, and we invest in safety because you deserve our best. We are proud of 96 years of excellence at Camp Bethel!
The Virlina District is one of twenty-four districts of the Church of the Brethren denomination and encompasses 88 congregations, fellowships and meeting points with about 9,200 members located in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina (hence, "Vir-lina"). The members of these Virlina District congregations own and operate Camp Bethel TOGETHER by electing a volunteer District Board and Outdoor Ministries Committee, through their volunteerism in service and work, and their gifts and tithes.
The Church of the Brethren is a denomination of about 110,000 members in 1,000 congregations, fellowships and projects throughout the United States. The Church of the Brethren is a Christian church similar to other mainstream Protestant groups such as Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians. Brethren are noted for an emphasis on peacemaking, reconciliation and service. We base our beliefs on Jesus’ life and teachings and the New Testament. Jesus saved the world by serving its people, so we seek to do the same. Our other distinctions include our peace position (Matthew 5:44) (shared with Quakers, Mennonites, and Moravians), emphasis on simple living (Romans 12:2) and Christian service (Luke 22:27), feet-washing during Communion worship service (John 13), and baptism by choice (Acts 2:37-39). The name “Church of the Brethren” was chosen in 1908 to emphasize a sense of family and community. The Church of the Brethren views all people as children of God. Related denominations, formed through mission work, are found in Nigeria, India and other nations. Brethren began in Germany in 1708 as a movement advocating adult profession of faith and baptism by immersion, separation of church and state, and an earnest desire to live out the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Our summer staff and summer campers are always a diverse group of Christians from multiple denominations and faith backgrounds.
Learn more about our Summer Camps, plus F.A.Q.s at our Parent Information Page.
