Camp Uskichitto: Providing adventures since 1969
Published 4:47 pm Saturday, May 7, 2022
- Having time to reflect on and appreciate God’s many blessings could result in close contact with an amphibian, but it doesn’t have to. (Special to the American Press)
A 120-acre rustic retreat center near Kinder, bordered by a spring-fed creek, provides an ideal setting to unplug and reconnect, or even experience the joys of volunteer mission work close to home.
“We have more trees than people,” said Camp Director Craig Thibodeaux. Camp Uskichitto, a variation of the creek name, has been providing adventure for a range of ages and types of groups since 1969. In the summer, it operates a full service camp for second through 12th graders not specific to any denomination or religion. Weekend retreats are open to church groups or for special corporate events throughout the year. Activities offered are archery, tomahawk throwing, tower climbing, team building, swimming and canoeing. At youth camp, the Bible is studied in the morning and evenings are for chapel service.
“We believe that camp is more necessary today than it has ever been,” Thibodeaux said. “Modern technology might have made some forms of communication easier, but it and the pandemic have also left us more isolated. Camp is the opportunity for us to unplug from our phones and reconnect with each other and ourselves. When the clutter and noise of our busy lives subside, the gentle whisper of God can be heard.”
Camp builds relationships, according to Thibodeaux. Campers stay in cabins, participate in activities and reflect on what they’re learning.
“By the end of the week, this intentional design has created a community. Some of these relationships last a lifetime. It’s difficult to leave camp the same as when you arrived,” Thibodeaux said.
Thibodeaux said campers not only build relationships with each other.
“God’s love for us not only brings us to Him,” Thibodeau said. “It also brings us into new relationships with others.”
“It was a major transformation for my life when I attended as a boy,” Colin Black said. “Before camp I was ungrateful for my blessings, had no respect for my parents and had little interest in church. Camp helped shape me into a hardworking, grateful Christian who realizes how blessed I am.”
He still remembers nights at worship, how alive he felt in the Camp Uskichitto pavilion feeling God’s presence.
“I was also blessed with four great years of being a counselor and giving to campers what was given to me,” he said. “I am living my best life because of what God has provided me through Camp Uskichitto Retreat Center.”
Thibodeaux is one of the few paid employees for the retreat center.
“From washing dishes to cutting the grass, Camp Uskichitto can always use an extra volunteer,” he said.
Plan your church’s next mission trip right here at camp. We are always needing to fix, clean or build something.”
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To find out more about volunteer opportunities, the retreat center or how to help more youth experience the joys of unplugging and reconnecting at Camp Uskichitto, go to campurc.com or call 337-738-4218.
