1 Buddy Camps are for a child and an adult to attend together. $216 is the total cost, not a per person cost.
Registration for members of a church within the Diocese of South Carolina will be open Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 9am through Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 5pm. Registration will re-open for all applicants on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 9am.
Verifiable need-based scholarships available.
New for 2013 Camp fees now include canteen. All campers will be allowed a maximum of 3 food/drink items per day from the canteen at no additional cost.
Outdoor Encounters Adventure Camp is an “extreme” camp experience. Campers will stay in tents on site for 4 nights. Activities will include: hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, low ropes course, campfire meal preparation, devotionals/Bible study, and campfire sing-alongs! This year we will offer two of these style camp sessions: June 25th-29th (for grades 7-9) and July 8th-12th (for grades 9-12). Space is limited to 15 campers per session.
Registration Dates
Registration for members of a church within the Diocese of South Carolina will be open Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 9am through Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 5pm. Registration will re-open for all applicants on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 9am. Online applications or downloadable registration forms will be available on the website. We operate strictly on a first come, first served basis. Please note that sessions fill up quickly, so plan to apply early for the best opportunity of getting your first choice.
Membership in the Diocese of South Carolina
In order to register at the earlier date of January 16, the camper applying, their parents, or grandparents must be members (i.e. in regular, weekly attendance) of a church within the Diocese of South Carolina. This does not include the Upper Diocese of South Carolina, or churches of any other denomination (i.e. Baptist, Presbyterian, UMC, etc.) Any applications received from non-members before February 1st will be rejected.
Grades
Apply for sessions according to what grade the child is currently completing, not according to what grade he/she will be in next school year.
Family Camp
For more information or to book a reservation for this program, please download a registration form here or call the Conference Center at (843) 768-0429.
Buddy Camp
This program is for younger campers, graduates of K5, 1st, and 2nd grades only. Buddy Camp gives children a chance to see what camp is all about by participating in a shorter session, with an added level of comfort – their Buddy. Camp runs from 9:00am on Friday to 5:00pm on Saturday. Campers attend with a same gender parent, older sibling (must be 18yrs. or older), or family friend. The cost for the adult “Buddy” is included in the session fee.
Outdoor Encounters Adventure Camp
This program is for campers who want to truly “camp”. Sessions are five days/four nights. The cost of the session is $450. Opening day registration for these sessions is conducted the same as standard sessions - in the Multi Purpose Building. Closing services for these sessions are to be determined.
Start Time
Except for Buddy Camp, camp sessions begin with registration from 1:30–2:30pm on the first day of the session. Please do not arrive before 1:15pm, as this hampers our efforts to get ready. Buddy Camp registration is from 9:00–10:00am on Friday morning. All registrations take place in the Multi Purpose Building.
Closing service
Sessions 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 will end with a closing service on the final day of the session beginning at 9:20am in the Multi Purpose Building. Sessions 1 & 5 will end with a closing service at 1:20pm on the final day. Parents, family, friends, clergy, children’s ministers and youth ministers are encouraged to attend this service. Camp is not over until the closing service is over. Please do not leave with your child until then. Buddy Camp ends at 5pm on Saturday afternoon.
Full Session Attendance
Campers are accepted for the entire camp session and must attend the session in its entirety. Please select a session that does not conflict with school, family vacations, or sporting events. To do otherwise is unfair to fellow campers, staff and those on the wait list.
Multiple Campers within the Same Family
When completing the online application, add all prospective campers in a family to the application before submitting the application and payment. If you are a grandparent applying for grandchildren from different families, please complete separate applications for each family of grandchildren. If applying by mail, we request a separate application and payment form for each camper to insure proper credit of the account.
Applications
Our preferred method of application is online. This saves both time and money, two precious commodities for a non-profit organization! Please go to www.stchristopher.org to apply. If you do not have access to the internet and wish to fill out a paper application, you can request one from the Student Ministries Office by calling (843) 768-1337 or you may download one from our website. These forms will be available on January 16th. Please note that applications received in the mail are at a disadvantage as we receive our mail after 1pm most days.
Acceptance & Wait List
If you successfully complete the online registration and pay the application fee, your child has been accepted into the session selected. No acceptance emails will be sent. However, an automatically generated statement of account activity will be sent via email at the time of registration.
If applying for the Wait List, we will contact you via email notifying you for which session(s) your camper has been wait-listed. The maximum number of children allowed on a wait list is 25. If the wait lists are full for all sessions selected, we will notify you accordingly. When we receive cancellations for a full session, we notify children on the wait list in the order of application and require an application fee payment in order to secure a spot.
Cancellation Policy & Changes to your Application **Please read carefully**
All cancellations and changes to applications must be made in writing. Either e-mail us at or write to us at Summer Camp, St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center, 2810 Seabrook Island Rd, Johns Island, SC 29455. Please do not request changes over the telephone.
Once a camper has been successfully registered for a session, there is a two week grace period from the time of application to request any changes or cancel without financial penalty. If cancellation is made after the two week grace period, the application fee becomes non-refundable. If cancellation is made after April 26th, refunds of any additional money paid will only be given if the created vacancy can be filled. Exceptions can be made in the case of documented medical emergencies or illness. Refunds must be requested within a month of the end of the camp session for which the child was registered. Refunds will only be issued to the parent/guardian named on the application within a month of the written request.
Payment
When registering, an application fee is required. The fee is $100 for all sessions except for Buddy Camp, which is $50. The remaining balance must be paid by April 26th (or within two weeks of your acceptance if applying after April 12th). If payment is not made by April 26th, a $20 late fee will be assessed for each camper. There is also a risk of losing the child’s place to someone on the wait list. Please contact us at if there are legitimate challenges in meeting this deadline and we may be able to grant an extension. Note: No application fee is required for waitlisted campers.
Fees
Camp fees include room and board, program expenses, canteen, and a summer camp t-shirt.
Credit & Debit Cards
Credit and debit cards are accepted. There is a $3 charge per application assessed to final balances paid by credit card. Please check card numbers and expiration dates carefully. If a card is rejected for payment online, the application will be denied until a successful payment is made.
Checks
If a paper application is submitted and payment is made by check, the check will not be deposited until the camper has been accepted into a session. If a paper applicant is put on a wait list, the check will be shredded. If a check is returned, the camper registration becomes pending until a replacement payment is received. If payment is not received promptly, the application will be cancelled. If final payment is made by check, the $3 credit card fee will be waived.
Scholarships
Limited scholarship help is available from the James L. White Scholarship Fund. Generally St. Christopher can provide up to 1/3 of the cost for those with a verifiable demonstrated need. This assistance also asks the home church to provide 1/3 of the cost, and the camper’s family to provide the remaining 1/3 of the cost. The first step is to make application to the desired session, paying the $100 application fee. After successful registration, a completed scholarship application may be submitted. If we are not able to provide the necessary financial aid, the full application fee will be returned. Scholarship applications are due by April 26th and will not be accepted after this date unless you are registering after this date. If applying after April 26th, the scholarship application must be received within 14 days of the date of application.
In addition, we are asking all applicants and their families to prayerfully consider making a contribution to our scholarship fund. Please note a new scholarship gift option has been added to the checkout cart. Also, note the opportunity to decline or increase the giving level on the online application.
Medical Forms
Medical forms must be postmarked by April 26th (unless registration is made after that date). If medical forms are not postmarked by April 26th, a $20 late medical form fee will be assessed for each camper. There is also the risk of losing a camper’s place to someone on the wait list. Schedule an appointment for a physical exam with the child’s doctor ASAP. Doctor’s Care or Medcare Express can usually process camp physicals and forms in a short time if necessary. A recent signed physical (April 1, 2012 or later) for the Physician’s Authorization portion of Health Form Part B can be submitted. Please contact us at to request an extension if there is a legitimate problem with the deadline. Medical forms are only accepted by mail – faxes and emails will not be accepted.
Homesickness
While we do our very best with homesick campers, we will contact you if we believe that a camper’s homesickness is proving to have a negative effect on the overall experience for other campers. Under normal circumstances, campers are not allowed to call home for the duration of the session; they may, however receive and send mail daily.
Cabin Mate Requests
We will not accept cabin mate requests on the application. The first page of the health forms (Part A) includes a space to record a request for two cabin mates. We will only consider mutual requests that are received by the April 26 deadline for medical forms. There is no guarantee, however we will do our very best to place your child with at least one camper of their choosing.
