CampBethelVirginia.org
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  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission and Ministry >
      • Virlina District Church of the Brethren >
        • GAG
      • Meet Our Team
    • Parent Info
    • payment
    • jobs at camp >
      • Summer Camp Counselors and Program Staff
      • Summer Grounds Crew
      • Summer Kitchen Crew
    • Our Newsletters >
      • eNewsletter
      • Printed Newsletters
    • Trading Post
    • Upcoming Events
    • videos
    • COVID19 >
      • Guest Group Options
      • Sounds of the Mountains At-Home Festival
  • Events
    • "12 Days of Camp Bethel" Box!
    • Feb 6 Camp Supporter ZOOM
    • Sounds of the Mountains At-Home Storytelling Festival
    • Spring ACA Courses
    • June-July Summer Camps
  • Camps
    • Camps by Date
    • Summer Staff >
      • Summer Staff Information
      • Counselors >
        • Senior Counselors
        • Junior Counselors
      • Coordinators >
        • Assistant Program Coordinator
        • Health Coordinator
        • Pool Coordinator
      • Kitchen & Grounds >
        • Kitchen Staff
        • Grounds Crew
      • Why Work At Camp
      • Staff Adoption
    • ParentInfo >
      • Parent Information
      • Financial Assistance
      • request brochure
    • Camp Songs
    • Pay for Camp
    • Virlina Churches Good-As-Gold
    • Winter Camp Box
    • Self Guided Adventure Fun
    • CampAtHome >
      • Winter Camp At Home Box
      • Camp At Home Videos
      • Family Guided Adventures
      • Onward We Go Bible Study
  • Groups
    • Facility Rental
    • Food Services
    • Band Camps
    • Camp Bethel Events
    • inquiry
  • Outdoor Ed
    • ACA Courses >
      • ACA Canoe Instructor Course May 8-12
      • ACA Kayak Instructor Course May 22-24
      • ACA Paddlesports Safety Facilitator May 29-30
      • ACA Trip Leader Course June 5-6
    • Compass/GPS Trail Adventures
    • KinderCritters
    • Your Outdoor Classroom
    • River Otters Paddle Sports
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • TradingPost
    • Self-Guided Adventures
    • donate
    • jobs >
      • Summer Program Jobs
      • Seasonal Grounds and Kitchen Jobs
    • Camp Reps
    • News >
      • Subscribe to E-News >
        • Subscribe
      • Print News
      • ReinDog
      • Spring Pond Otter
    • Summer Staff Adoption
    • Volunteer
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Together: with God, each other, and all creation.

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.
 
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.
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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 accreditation because you deserve our best.  We are proud of 92 years of excellence at Camp Bethel! 
 
The Virlina District is one of twenty-four districts of the Church of the Brethren denomination and encompasses 93 congregations, fellowships and meeting points with 10,346 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 112,656 members in 1,026 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, Amish, 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. 
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WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING:
"Our son and daughter have been coming to Camp Bethel since they were 5 years old--they are now 13 and 14 years old. We have found that your camp is one of the few that our kids continue to enjoy even as they are older. Other camps (sometimes a lot more expensive) are nice but for some reason the magic of Camp Bethel remains. We also really respect the way that your camp incorporates God and Bible study but in such a way that it is still cool--a rarity these days to find a place were kids can be kids and learn to love God and care for one another in God's creation. Thanks so much for the awesome experience for our kids and the ongoing magic that is Camp Bethel. Thanks, Gina and Chris Engel" 

CONTACT US  540.992.2940
CampBethelOffice@gmail.com
328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090

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