One of the major reasons the Kings wanted to buy property for the expansion of Raleigh’s Place was to create a summer camp program for children in foster care and relative placement and for children who have been adopted. The vision was to offer a traditional summer camp for these children that placed a large emphasis on having fun but, most importantly, learning about Jesus. Summer camp also has secondary effects including rest for foster parents and a chance for separated siblings to spend time together. The plan was to build the “Big House” first then immediately begin building cabins and other camp facilities.
The construction process for camp facilities was nothing short of amazing. God was able to show off in many different ways as He provided so many times, often leaving us all speechless. Our first projects included 4 cabins, 2 pavilions, and a firepit with amphitheater. Not only did God provide the financial resources to get these projects done, He also brought in the workforce. We were so blessed to have hundreds of volunteers call Raleigh’s Place home during their time of service. We had churches from all over Alabama brings groups to work and even had one or two from Mississippi. We also had a huge group of Campers on Mission come to do so much work. It was an exciting time for everyone involved.
Our first year of summer camp was in 2012. The first summer was about getting our bearings in order. We had two weeks of camp and just over twenty campers. We wanted to figure out how to best use our facilities and what a camp week would look like. It went well enough that we decided to keep going!
After the summer of 2012, we gave our camp program a name: Camp 1:27. The 1:27 comes from our founding Bible verse James 1:27, which says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Camp 1:27 continued to grow every summer since 2012 and continues to grow today.
We formed two specific goals for Camp 1:27: 1) every camper would know and experience the love of Christ, and 2) every camper would have the best week of their life. We share Christ with our campers through chapel services, devotionals, and godly staff members who model Christ’s love to them. Campers have the best week of their life by experiencing things for the first time and simply being a kid for a week. These goals shape everything we do at Camp 1:27.
Over the years Camp 1:27 has grown tremendously. Our facilities have been forced to grow to keep up with the demand we receive each summer. We now have 4 cabins, 1 pavilion, 1 shower house, a craft hut, an archery range, plenty of playground equipment, Gaga ball pit, low ropes course, 18-hole disc golf course, 2 pools with bathhouse, beach volleyball court, and a large dining facility that includes a commercial kitchen, dining room, worship/recreation area, and bathrooms. We are positioned to comfortably serve over 200 campers each week of Camp 1:27!
We saw tremendous growth each year of Camp 1:27 and were anticipating hitting the 200 camper mark in 2020 but, of course, Covid-19 had other plans. We were able to have camp in 2020 but it was severely limited. One great benefit, however, is that we were able to train our new Camp Director, Raquel Jones, who assumed duties after the summer of 2020.
This year was two major milestones for Camp 1:27: 1) we celebrated 10 years of camp ministry and 2) we welcomed our 1,000th camper to our campus!! We are pleased to know that the Lord is continuing to use Raleigh’s Place in such a unique way to minister to the fatherless. We are praying for many more years of fruitful ministry.
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As we plan for 2022, we are already planning for expansion. Camp 1:27 will include 6 full weeks of summer camp. The first week will include a week of staff training, which will be followed by 5 consecutive weeks with campers. We will have 3 weeks for elementary age campers, one week for junior high campers, and one week for teenagers. We are so excited for what God is going to do next summer!
There are a lot of ways to partner with us as we prepare for next summer.
1) Financial contributions are needed. There are a lot of costs associated with summer camp. Insurance and utilities are two of our highest costs with staff costs running a close third place. There will also be some projects that we will need to get done before next summer, as well as, purchase new equipment or materials. Giving financially is easy! Simply send a check to Raleigh’s Place at 346 County Road 1028 Clanton, AL 35046 or give online by clicking the button below. All contributions are tax deductible too!
2) Camp 1:27 is nothing without its staff. We need to hire 16 counselors and at least 20 junior counselors (click the links for more info!). You can help us recruit by sharing this email with others, tagging them to our page on social media, or connecting them to our website. For us to fulfill our goals for Camp 1:27, we need a full staff so we do not have to turn campers away. We are also more than happy to recruit at your churches, schools, small groups, or businesses. Contact us today about speaking to your groups.
3) Sponsor Campers. Camp 1:27 is FREE for our campers. For us to be able to continue doing that we need camper sponsorships. This is such a unique way to Live the Gospel by Loving the Fatherless as you or your family or church commit $100 to send one camper to camp. It is an opportunity for you to directly impact a foster child’s life as they go to a safe place where they will have blast and hear the Gospel, maybe for the first time. Please consider sponsoring campers for next summer!