Campers will arrive Sunday, July 1, and depart Sunday, July 8. A fun-filled week of activities and social time await our campers, all in a godly environment. Last year, 91 campers and 40 staff gathered from around the country to make new friends and be reunited with teens from previous years’ camps, and we’re anticipating these numbers again this year. Dorms are grouped by age.

Activities are varied, ranging from many indoor activities (Christian Living, dance and strength training) to the more active outdoor activities (basketball, gaga ball, horseback riding, softball, skeet/archery/riflery, speedaway and volleyball). In addition, everyone enjoys the ropes course (high and low elements) and a half-day lakefront activity on nearby Lake Worth. Water-skiing, tubing, swimming, kayaking and lounging on the shore with their brother or sister dorm is a popular activity. The oldest boys’ dorm and oldest girls’ dorm experience a few extras such as a golf class on a nearby course and rappelling at the 65-foot tower. Also, campers may choose to seek proficiency awards in basketball, pamper pole, strength/fitness, one-mile swim, volleyball and water-skiing.

Camp Carter offers many opportunities to visit with fellow campers at meals, joint swimming sessions and dance classes, the lakefront activity, evening activities (including dorm team-building games on some nights) and snack time as well as on the Sabbath and at the two dances—one early in the week and the other the final night. On Friday night, the staff puts on a special dinner for the camp. As far as meals go, all lunches and dinners include a full salad bar.

Christian Living classes, daily Compass Checks, Bible Q&A sessions and group Bible games and activities—facilitated by the ministerial staff—provide a solid base of biblical instruction as well as discussion of the yearly camp theme. Additionally, campers and staff are given the opportunity to sing in the choir during Sabbath services.

All of this takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, on a beautiful 300-plus-acre country property amid the rolling Texas hills. Large oaks and sycamore trees provide lots of shade, which is nice to have even though we schedule most of the active outdoor activities in the morning and the indoor and water activities in the afternoon.

Transportation

If you plan to fly to camp, transportation to and from DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field will be provided free of charge. Please schedule your flight’s arrival between noon and 3 p.m. on July 1 and your departure between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on July 8. This will allow us time to schedule our airport runs so you arrive near the beginning of check-in—which starts at 3 p.m.

If you are traveling by private vehicle, plan to arrive between 3 and 5 p.m. on July 1 and depart at or shortly before 10 a.m. on July 8. Please note: We will not be able to accept campers before 3 p.m. on July 1, since we need the time on both Saturday night and Sunday to finish our staff training before campers arrive. We want to provide the best quality staff team to care for our campers, so thank you in advance for your cooperation in this regard.

Staff

The YMCA staff runs the ropes course, rappelling, archery, skeet/riflery, swimming pool, horseback riding, as well as providing the meals. We will need counselors and assistant counselors, plus staff for all other activities, including certified lifeguards for the lakefront activity and nursing staff for the health center.

Precamp staff training is an important factor in making sure we serve the campers effectively at our youth camps, so we’re asking all staff members to arrive in time for afternoon services in Fort Worth on the Sabbath of June 30. The brethren have been wonderful in providing a meal for us each year, after which we’ll move into the facility and undergo training sessions Saturday night and Sunday before campers arrive.