The History of GrandCamp
In 1998, God gave Cavin Harper a vision to bring grandparents and grandchildren together for a grand faith adventure in the beautiful Pikes Peak region in Colorado. Faithful to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Cavin and his wife, Diane, established GrandCamp. In addition, Cavin founded the first-ever grandparent ministry, now known as Christian Grandparenting Network.
For years, the initial GrandCamp served hundreds of grandparents and their grandchildren, ages seven to twelve, until it wasn’t able to meet the growing demand. A decision was made by the ministry to take the GrandCamp experience to a national level by offering a program model for various camps, churches, and denominations. Today, there are multiple GrandCamps in the United States and Canada, and more are being planned by Christian Grandparenting Network each year.*
What is the GrandCamp Experience?
GrandCamp is an amazing faith adventure designed to transport grandparents and their school-age grandchildren away from the distractions of everyday life to a place where God can do a powerful work, building a legacy of faith generation to generation.
Each GrandCamp is unique. If you want to rock climb, pack your bags for the Colorado Rockies. If it’s the sun and sand you want, sign up for St. Simons Island. While each GrandCamp location offers different experiences, all are based upon the original design format. This format includes daily intergenerational Bible teachings led by a staff member, fun outdoor activities, Scripture memorization, and evening family-time devotions led by grandparents in the privacy of their room (all the materials you need are provided). Every GrandCamp concludes with the blessing ceremony.
What is a normal day at GrandCamp?
Each day begins bright and early with breakfast followed by morning worship and an intergenerational Bible lesson based on the theme. These lessons are fun and engaging; more importantly, they steeped in God’s Word.
During the second-half of the morning, grandparents and grandchildren are separated for ninety minutes. Grandparents attend grandparent classes affectionately known as GrandBits where they discuss what it means to be godly and intentional grandparents. Meanwhile, grandchildren spend time with youth leaders who lead them in activities such as arts, games, and Bible stories, all designed to reinforce the theme.
Afternoon and evening activities depend upon the location and culture of the camp. For example, if you attend GrandCamp on St. Simon’s Island (Epworth by the Sea), you and your grandchildren can play Marco Polo in the Olympic-size pool on one afternoon and compete in a scavenger hunt the next. Afternoons are spent on the lake in Minnesota (Karonis Camp), canoeing, paddleboarding, and relaxing in the sun. In Illinois (Camp Mennohaven), you have the opportunity to fish, boat, play pickleball, zipline, and tackle the challenge of a climbing wall. And you can hike in the mountains, swim in the indoor pool, play miniature golf or gaga ball, and spend an afternoon riding horses at the GrandCamp of the Rockies (Estes Park). For those of you who are adventuresome, you may want to attend one of the GrandCamps in Canada.
Evening activities are varied as well. One evening, you and your grandchildren will learn how to square dance; and the following evening, you will be invited to join in a hilarious and memorable game of shaving-cream-wiffle-ball. One camp even hosted a Clydesdale horse-drawn carriage ride!
As the sun sinks below the horizon, the evening activities come to an end. Grandparents and grandchildren retire to their rooms where grandparents lead personal family devotions using the Scripture passages, discussion questions, and prayers provided in their programs.
GrandCamp is a wonderful investment.
Testimony upon testimony attests to the fact that GrandCamp is a wonderful investment. It’s a place where hearts are transformed as grandparents and grandchildren draw closer to Christ. It’s a place where grandparents and grandchildren strengthen their relationship with one another as they try new adventures, share heartfelt stories, laugh aloud, talk honestly about God, and build a foundation of trust by “doing life” together. It’s a place where grandparents get to know the hearts of their grandchildren, and grandchildren get to know the hearts of their grandparents.
Sign up for GrandCamp today. It will be a memory both you and your grandchildren will cherish for the rest of their lives!
Our 11 year old grandson, Allen, will attend his 5th GrandCamp with Patti and me this summer, and I can tell you he is looking forward to it. There are other fun activities this young “tweener” could be involved in, at this time but his GrandCamp experiences over the years, have made it a priority for him.
All Christian grandparents should long for their legacy to their grandchildren to be a shared faith in Jesus Christ. It is not unusual for Patti and I to have conversations with Allen about issues of faith.
What greater blessing could there be than for this door to be open for us? Our Lord has used GrandCamp as a helpful tool in the building of our relationship with our grandson, and also in building his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Allen is a vocal advocate of GrandCamp to our other grandkids. His 7 year old twin cousins. Hank and Huck cannot wait to join us this summer.
You should try GrandCamp!!