• YCFC End-of-Year Update

    As a ministry, we praise God for every opportunity to serve summer campers and retreat guests. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder of how truly grateful we are for each of you. We received the following encouraging comments from camper evaluations: “We continue to be blessed by CWS and CWR! Thank you for persevering through some crazy months and working so hard to make this camp week possible. We are grateful for you all!” “This camp has always surpassed my expectations as a parent. Thank you so much for what you do for these children and the lives you touch. Our family and our community is a better place…

  • December Update

    A Word from our Executive Director A painted ceramic tile made by our son, Thad, when he was in the 3rd grade has become the centerpiece of the fall decorations in our home. Thad is now 14 years old and in the 8th grade, but his tile (pictured) is a timeless treasure to us. Thad painted this fall scene and listed that he was thankful for God, Jesus, CWS, CWR, family, sports, and even Batman! What a sincere and simple reminder of giving thanks.   At CWS and CWR, we are thankful for summer campers and retreat guests. We are grateful for opportunities to share the Gospel and serve others.…

  • A Camp Need and a Request for Support

    Hello Camp Family: Thank you for your support of this ministry through the years by attending summer camp or a retreat, serving on summer staff, or giving financially. This year has been unlike any year we have ever experienced both in our personal lives and in the life of camp. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially impacted camp and we want to share our need with you. This year, we will have a budget shortfall as our operating revenues will be down 62%. This is a result of the spring retreat season being canceled due to COVID-19. Summer camp, which is our primary source of revenue, operated at less than 50%…

  • #givingtuesday

    This #GivingTuesday we are raising money for Youth Camps for Christ | Camp Willow Springs & Camp Willow Run and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500! On GivingTuesday Dec 3, Facebook will match a total of $7 million in donations first come, first served. You can give using the button below or visit campwillowsprings.org or campwillowrun.org to give to dormitory construction or DJJ camper sponsorships. Thank you for your support!

  • Celebrating 50 Years!

    Throughout this year we have had the privilege to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Youth Camps For Christ, Inc. and its Christian camping and retreat ministries of Camp Willow Run (CWR) established in 1968 and Camp Willow Springs (CWS) established in 2014. In June, we hosted a 50th anniversary celebration event for staff alumni. Over 550 staff and guests attended! J.D. Greear, pastor of the Summit Church and a former CWR summer speaker, challenged us from Psalm 126 as he talked about faith and sacrifice. He defined faith as the audacious expectation that God will do something, against even incredible odds and shared that this is the kind of faith…

  • LKG Gazette-Observer: Celebrating a Hard Fought Legacy

      “Two families celebrate the act of changing sorrow into joy. Years of hard work culminated in a celebration marked with superheroes and fun Saturday when the Alana and Chrissy Memorial dedicated their dorm building at Camp Willow Springs at Lake Gaston.” [continue reading at www.lakegastongazette-observer.com]  

  • “Camp, an iPad, and Jesus”

    As we prepared to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, my son, Thad, was given a school assignment to write a paragraph about the things for which he is thankful. Thad wrote: “I am thankful for a lot of stuff.  Here are some things.  I am thankful for my family, my dog, a house, food, Camp Willow Run and Camp Willow Springs, a bed, an iPad, legos, friends, God, and Jesus.  The thing I am most thankful for is God and Jesus because God made me and Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.  Those are the things I am thankful for.” – Thad Harris, 4th grade  What…

  • An Update from YCFC, Inc.

    This past summer we received an encouraging note from a young woman who attended camp as part of our outreach ministry to the NC Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).  The note said: I attended your camp a long time ago, and it absolutely changed my life.  I was a young teenager incarcerated at a juvenile detention center and was given the opportunity to go to Camp Willow Run for good behavior.  I still to this day have some of the most vivid, beautiful, and inspiring memories of my time there.  It truly changed my life.  The music, the fellowship, the pure joy of life I felt in that one week…