Kayak camp is one of our favorite weeks of the year! Located on the beautiful Niangua River, this is a great chance to disconnect from the world's craziness and connect to God in nature and community. Open to students who have finished 6-12th grade, this will surely be a great week of spiritual growth.
The Particulars
When: June 8-13, 2025
Be at Christ's Community by 1:00pm to load trailers on Sunday, June 8th. We will leave the church once fully loaded. Don't be late, because we won't wait! We will arrive back to the church between 12:00- 1:00pm on Friday, June 13th.
Where: Niangua River Oasis, near Lebanon, MO
Cost: $250 (scholarships are available for Christ's Community Youth - see registration form). Early bird registration is open from March 1st to March 31st and is $230. Early bird pricing only applies if paid in full or before the March 31st deadline. There is a required $50 registration fee for each camper, which goes towards their total camp cost.
Contact Info: (cell service is not always reliable while at camp)
Niangua River Oasis Campground: 417.532.6333 (NRO staff can get messages to camp staff)
Executive Director - Pastor Chris Sloan: 417.439.0623
High School Director - Logan Floyd: 417.483.8449
Middle School Director - Pastor Ty Walkenshaw: 417.439.0532 / Johnny Lindsay: 417.456.8626
Christ's Community: 417.781.8701
What to Bring
- A willingness to grow in the Lord
- Bible, journal, pen, highlighter
- Anything you will need for a campout. Warm clothing for the evening, sleeping bag, flashlight, soap, toothbrush, clothing, bug repellant, skunk repellant, bear repellant, big hairy spider repellant, towel, pillow, cot, shoes (dry shoes, creek shoes, hiking shoes).
- Modest swimwear and camp clothing (No butts, guts, or coconuts need to be seen. No bikinis or crop tops.)
- Sunscreen and hat
- Refillable water bottle
- Your own life jacket, if you have one. If you do not have one, the camp will provide one for you.
- Small amount of spending money for camp store. All snacks and food will be provided
- 3-man tent or bigger (if you need/want to tent with someone, let Logan know)
- A cot to sleep on (it's the Ozarks... the ground is hard and rocky)
- A lawn chair or camp stool
- Fishing poles for free camp time - we will be on a trophy trout stream!
- Bedding and a sleeping bag - it gets cold in the evening
- $5 for fuel for the counselors who are driving and pulling trailers
- CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED PACKING LIST
What NOT to bring...
- Electronics or phones (Most won't have service anyway. The point of camp is to focus on God, His creation, and our community. Any cell phones brought will be confiscated and locked away until we get back to the church.)
- Drugs, alcohol, weapons, or anything else that might upset our (un)stable counseling staff.
- Anything very valuable (unless it's a gift for the directors)
- Energy drinks (They're like battery acid and poison mixed. Don't bring them.)
Important Notes
- We will camp each night at the NRO campground in Lebanon, MO.
- The Niangua River is a Class I-II river.
- There is a camp store, two shower houses, and a beautiful camping space.
- There will be morning devotions with counselors and evening vespers at night.
- Students must wear lifejackets at all times while in a canoe/kayak. It's state law, and that's why it's a good idea for them to have their own. The camp will give us lifejackets to borrow, but they aren't the most comfortable.
- Please send any medication your student may take in a daily pill organizer with instructions on how to take it. These meds can be turned in to the check-in table on Sunday before we leave and will be given to the medical staff. They will distribute medications throughout the week.
- Make sure swimwear and clothing are modest and appropriate for our setting. Remember, we hold our identity and integrity in Christ. This is church camp. (No butts, guts, or coconuts need to be seen)
- We ask that ladies wear quick-dry athletic shorts over their swimsuit bottoms. This is for modesty and to prevent burns and other injuries that may occur from regular swim bottoms. There is a lot of movement, getting in and out of kayaks, sliding, and jumping.
- Students are expected to complete daily chores that are assigned to their small groups or "families." They will complete these things as a group, and vary each day from cooking/cleaning breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This includes clean-up when back at the church on Friday. No one goes home until released by directors.
- If your student wears glasses, please send a waterproof glasses sports strap. This is super helpful for when your student tips their kayak and we have to retrieve their things. The waterproof sport traps will float.
- All food and snacks will be provided, but students are encouraged to bring snacks they may want in the evenings. These need to be in resealable bags and put back in their totes. Don't pack anything that would melt. Remember, we are outdoors... raccoons can and WILL get in tents and totes if they are left out, especially if it's something that smells good.
- For an extra $50, we can lose your child in the woods for the rest of summer. They usually find their way home by the first snowfall.
Rules of the Water - 2025
- Don’t be dumb.
- Don’t mess with the wildlife.
- No phones - you weren’t supposed to bring them. Any phones that are found will be locked away until we get back to the church.
- Anything you brought that you shouldn’t have (vapes, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, etc) need to be given to your counselor by the end of Sunday night and you’ll have a clean slate. Anything found after Sunday will result in you being send home.
- Stay in the tent assigned to you, on the appropriate side of the camp. Don’t get out of your tent at night.
- Any student who destroys another tent will be sent home.
- Listen for the call to gather, and come quickly.
- Be at each morning devo, evening vesper service, and prayer for each meal.
- If you miss grace, you miss the meal.
- When in worship and devotion time, be respectful. No playing around or talking.
- You will take turns on chores, like cooking, cleaning, water detail, etc.
- Do not go far from camp without another person and the permission of an adult.
- Check with a counselor before you go to the store. No store till after dinner.
- Maintain modest dress—no butts, guts, or coconuts. Boys have to wear shirts at camp, and keep swim trunks at appropriate place. Girls have to wear shorts with their swim bottoms, no bikini tops.
- No longer showers. Keep it 6 minutes or less. Shower during your groups scheduled time. Only one student in each shower space at a time.
Water Rules -
- Never, ever swim without a counselor present.
- Never, ever canoe/kayak without a life jacket.
- Never pass the lead kayak.
- Never be behind the last kayak.
- Don’t jump off any rocks or structures without getting the “all clear” from a counselor who has checked the area for rocks and debris.
- Listen closely to instructions when on the water. There will be spots where your counselors will give you specific instructions to get through spots.
- If you are a weak swimmer, please tell your counselor. You will need to swim with a life jacket on.
- Do not leave any trash on our stop points or in the water. Grab a water trash bag before leaving in the morning. They are with the kayaks at the spot we will take out of.
Registration and Payment
Click here to access registration. There is a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Registration payment can be made here. Select "Kayak Camp Registration Fees" for the budget and type the name of your student in the note.
Camp Cost - $250
Early Bird Cost - $230 (open from March 1st to March 31st)
Scholarships - $100 scholarships are available to Christ's Community Youth students. Please select if your student needs a scholarship in the registration form.
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Have Questions?
Do you have any questions or concerns about kayak camp? Contact our youth minister, Logan!
