God demands that we be perfectly righteous and that our sins be paid for. The problem is, we can’t offer perfect righteousness and we can’t bear God’s punishment for our sin. Therefore, Jesus did what we couldn’t do, counting His perfect life as ours and taking God’s wrath that we deserve on Himself. This is the Gospel, something we make sure every camper hears about at Pine Cove. (We even have a cheer for it!)
Club is a bit more than the quick description of “a time of praise, worship, and a sermon.” Club is a deeply impactful and meaningful time for campers and families. It’s the whole camp worshiping as one, whether through fast, high-energy songs accompanied by tons of jumping and running, or slower, more meaningful songs with hands raised high and hearts longing for the Lord. It’s incredible, Christ-centered talks given by camp staff that speak directly into the lives of campers. It’s a fun but powerful way to engage kids with their faith.
“Everyone here is so wonderful and inspires me to pursue God! I always look forward to coming and I can’t explain the feeling of worshiping the Lord with my friends!”
Morgan
Outback Camper
Our staff hear this phrase repeatedly during their training and consistently throughout the summer: it’s not about you! The desire to put others first is at the heart of every interaction we have. This idea comes straight out of Philippians 2: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. We pray for eyes to see people the way Jesus does, with love and compassion.
We seek to bless our campers by recognizing specific character qualities our counselors have seen in them throughout their time at camp. At the end of a camper’s session, they’re presented with their character qualities (or “CQ’s”) in front of their families. Our desire is that through these special CQ’s, campers will know they are seen, loved, and recognized for the awesome qualities with which God intentionally designed them.
“My daughter felt loved and special and her CQ was true to who she is! To me that means her counselor truly paid attention and got to know the girls quickly.”
Lindsay
4th Grade Camper Parent
The McKenzie Scholarship Fund is a scholarship program that provides opportunities for children and families to come to Pine Cove. Each summer more than 3,500 campers rely on scholarship assistance to experience camp at Pine Cove. Watch the story of one such camper whose life was eternally impacted by a Pine Cove scholarship.
We believe in having fun at camp, but this is more than just for fun’s sake. Through hilarious skits, silly camp names, and seriously fun activities, we are able to break down walls with campers, grow in fellowship together, and more readily open up hearts to receive the truth of the Gospel.
When do you ever get a chance to dress up as a cartoon character and go to a giant dance party? Or throw on old clothes and splash the evening away in a huge mud puddle? We’re guessing the answer is “never”—unless you’re a Pine Cove camper! Theme nights are seriously fun opportunities for campers to sport crazy costumes, be silly, and let loose with the entire camp!
“The skits were the funniest thing I have ever seen. Pine Cove is the happiest place on earth. Best week of my life.”
Kamryn
Shores Camper
“Cupcake” and “Shells and Cheese” aren’t just delicious foods. At Pine Cove, they’re also someone’s name! Everyone who works at Pine Cove has a “camp name”—even our CEO! Camp names are nicknames that are given to each staff member by the rest of the staff in a fun ceremony called “The Name Game.” A camp name is great icebreaker and always has a hilarious story behind it!
Some of our favorite camp names are Dancing Queen, Broccoli Balboa, and Ain’t No Mountain Fly Enough.