Christian camp promises adventure and experience

Kanakuk Kamps, one of the largest Christian sports camp in America, held a recruitment meeting Wednesday, Jan. 26 to raise interest for prospective staff. The Missouri-based camps house over 14,000 campers each summer. Through sports and outdoor activities, camp counselors have the opportunity to minister to campers in many ways.

Kanakuk’s sports camps range from seven to 28 nights, and are broken up into two main age categories — ages 7 to 13 and ages 13 to 18. Kanakuk also has camps that host entire families.

Junior Parker Spencer, a Liberty club triathlon team member, had his first experience with Kanakuk as a counselor in the summer of 2010. He worked primarily with triathletes ages 13 to 18.

Spencer said that the high school camps are pretty serious and often include visits and training with professional athletes. Spencer said that the coolest part of camp is the time at night in the cabin with the campers.

“It is so rewarding seeing God use my life to impact the campers,” Spencer said.
Kanakuk provides opportunities for clinics in traditional sports such as football, golf, wrestling and gymnastics, as well as canoeing, sailing, diving, rock climbing and many others.

Kanakuk hires roughly 2,500 college students each summer, most of which are athletes, although being an athlete is not a requirement for hiring.

Students can work in the positions of counselor, kitchen staff, maintenance, office staff or video and photography, according to Lindsey Frye, senior International Relations major and Kanakuk Kamp counselor. Internship credit can also be earned in these positions.

“There were so many times during the camp summer that we (the staff) stop and think ‘we can’t believe we are getting paid to do this,’” Frye said. “I was changed by the two summers I spent at camp. Spiritually, I learned to rely on Christ like never before.”

If interested in working at a Kanakuk Kamp, contact Parker Spencer at pjspencer@liberty.edu or Lindsey Frye at lsfrye@liberty.edu to get an application and to schedule an interview with a director.

For additional information about Kanakuk Kamps, see Kanakuk.com.