If you as a youth pastor would like to bring your youth group to our summer (and fall and winter) camp sessions, we’d love to have you! At Ghormley, we see ourselves as an extension of the church ministry. Youth leaders, interns, and adult or college age volunteers are invited to come with their youth group students for a fun week at camp. We see this as a great way for churches to be a part of the life-changing decisions their students will make here at camp. This provides an excellent camp experience for your youth, without burning yourself out with camp planning.
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Volunteer Counselor Information
Transportation Information
Housing Information
Scholarship Information
Registration Information
Saving Spots
Camp Speaker Information
Youth Pastor Involvement
Youth pastors are welcome to come to camp as counselors while their students are at Ghormley, but they are not required to come. If youth pastors or other church volunteers and leaders come as counselors, they can expect to counsel the students in their youth groups (by gender), as well as other campers as space allows in each cabin. Please notify us as soon as possible if you plan to bring leaders to a camp session!
If you do not plan to attend a camp session but would like to visit your campers while they are at camp, please call the office in advance to give us some more details. We do not allow visitors to come to camp without preapproval, for the safety of our campers, and as visits can prove disruptive to the camp environment. If your visit is approved, please stop by the office when you arrive to check in and pick up a visitor pass.
You are welcome and encouraged to bring counselors as well as students! Counselors must be at least 18 years old. If you plan to bring counselors to camp, please let the Ghormley office know as soon as possible. Each counselor must fill out an application form: Apply to Counsel
Applications must be submitted at least one week before the session they plan to counsel for, though earlier applications are appreciated. Church volunteers should fill out the Church Staff Application after selecting their camp session(s).
After they have applied to counsel, they will hear from our Program Director with details about their chosen camp session.
No payments are required to volunteer as a counselor for our camps.
Volunteer counselors can expect to attend a short training after their arrival at camp, which will highlight expectations and general operations of a camp session.
Please note that counselors will not have access to their phones or internet during their “on” time, but will have a designated time off each day, during which they may use both at the office.
You are welcome to bring your campers up in a group! When you arrive, you will need to make sure each one goes through the check-in process individually – any missing forms or payments are due when they arrive! Please note that campers should bring all medications through the check-in process with them to give to the nurse. No medications are allowed in cabins, other than inhalers and epi-pens.
If you are also driving all the campers home, please communicate with the parents that they must include you on the list of authorized pick-ups on their registration forms, or call the office to update this information. Note that it is not Ghormley’s responsibility to know which campers are riding with the church group, and which campers are riding separately. Please confirm with the parents before you arrive for your camp session.
If you are staying for the camp session as well, we do have van/bus parking available! You will be directed where to park when you arrive.
If your group is planning to attend a camp session together, please notify the Ghormley office as soon as possible. Your students may be housed together by gender, as long as they indicate they are with your youth group on their registration form.
Parents should list the youth group on their registration form as one of their campers’ cabinmate requests.
Other students may be in the cabins with your group, depending on the number of campers attending with your group. We will house up to eight students per counselor in a cabin. If your group is providing counselors as well, they can expect to counsel students outside your group, unless eight campers of the same gender attend with your group.
Your church is welcome to scholarship campers! There are a few options to make payments for campers: mail a check, call to pay with a card, or bring the check when you arrive. Please note that campers must pay a $50 deposit and complete and submit a registration form in order for their spot to be saved in a camp session. If the church is paying the full balance for a camper, we will need the payment before the camper arrives, or direct communication about it with the office.
Churches are welcome to mail checks for the campers they scholarship. These campers may all be included on one check, but they don’t have to be. Please indicate who the money is for, and how much should be applied to each camper.
We also accept debit and credit payments. To apply a payment to a camper account, call the office. We will be able to take the payment over the phone and email you a receipt.
Churches are also welcome to send a check up to check-in with a leader who is coming. Please indicate on the check who the money is for, and how much should be applied to each camper.
Ghormley also offers scholarships for summer camps. These are partial scholarships based on need and availability. If your church is also able to provide a partial scholarship, this will not affect your students’ chances of receiving a scholarship through Ghormley as well. For more information on our scholarship program, visit our Scholarship Page. Each camper interested in a scholarship must fill out a scholarship application and submit it with their registration.
Students who plan to attend camp as a group must still fill out individual registration forms. Youth leaders may request lists of campers who have registered and notify the Ghormley office of how many campers they expect to attend. While youth groups may arrive as a group, each camper must be checked in individually.
All registrations should be submitted to Ghormley in advance. Any registrations or payments given to youth leaders should be faxed or mailed to Ghormley at least one week before each session, though spots may not be saved for campers whose registrations have not yet been received.
Some Ghormley camp sessions fill up fast. We are only able to save spots for your group if you are able to provide counselors. For each counselor you provide, we are able to save 8 spots for your campers of the same gender as the counselor. These spots will be held for you until three weeks before your chosen camp session starts. If the spots have not been filled three weeks before your session, the spots will be made available to other campers.
If you choose to save spots for your group, we will provide you with a code for parents to enter on the online registration as they register. This will let us know that the campers are with your group.
If you would like to save spots for your students, contact the office.
Each summer, we ask speakers and leaders to teach for one of our camp sessions. If you are interested in being the primary speaker for a camp session, let us know!