Seventh-day Adventist camps


The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates youth summer camps, and camp meetings for all ages, internationally. Each local-area "Conference" in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists is in charge of running and operating their own camp. The ages of campers range anywhere between 7–18 years old, depending on the week at the camp. Each camp varies in the activities they manage but most have archery, swimming, horses, arts and crafts, nature, high ropes challenge course, and many other common activities found at non-Adventist camps. In addition to regular camps some have specialty camps, or RAD camps, which vary from either a week of surfing, waterskiing/wakeboarding, rock climbing, golf, skateboarding, whitewater rafting, paintball, mountain biking, cycling, basketball, BMX, and many others.

History

Camp meetings in the Adventist church trace back to the preceding Millerite movement led by William Miller. These in turn had influences from the existing Methodist camp meetings.
The Millerites held more than 130 camp meetings from the earliest in summer 1842, to prior to Autumn 1844; with an estimated combined attendance of over half-a-million people. Media campaigns surrounding the camps extended their influence further.
Joshua V. Himes had a major role in the camps. He also pioneered the use of a tent for meetings. This tent could seat around 4,000 people, and was apparently the largest tent of its type up to that time in the United States.
This history may relate little to the youth camp program of Adventists. It relates mainly to their camp meeting program.

Camp locations

In Australia, camp meeting is commonly known as "Big Camp".
Camp meetings are held in Townsville, Brisbane, Yarrahapinni, Perth and Elmore annually.

United States

Some Seventh-day Adventist camps in the U.S.: