About Camp Calvary

History

As times change, so has the camp over the last 50 years.  Camp Calvary began in 1960 with 26 acres of land donated by Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Coulter of the Willisburg Christian Church.  Today we have almost 400 acres and many dreams and ideas of what to do with it!  In 1963, Camp Calvary had 86 campers attend the first session at our current location.  In 2019 we had 1,056 in attendance.  Times may change, but our purpose, mission and message will never change:  That all may truly know Jesus!

Location

Camp Calvary, located in Washington County between Willisburg and Mackville, Kentucky, is a premiere retreat facility, youth camp and activity center.  Nestled in the backwoods of KY, we are away from it all!  If you want to get away from the distractions of the world, this is where you want to be!

Camp Sponsored Events

Throughout the year, Camp Calvary sponsors several events for all ages. These events include Hike Day, Camp Banquet and Fish Fry.  We also have a Ladies’ Retreat and Men’s Retreat every fall.  There is a retreat in the winter for Middle-High School kids, and in the summer, there are events for grades Kindergarten through College Age.   For the summer events, they have 2 locations:  Main Camp and Wilderness Camp. Camp Calvary also provides weekend retreats for individuals who are physically and /or mentally disabled. 

Summer Camp

Camp Calvary has all that you could ask for during the summer.  We provide camps for grades Kindergarten through College age and offer at least 2 choices per age group (only 1 for college). Grades 5-12 are eligible to attend our Wilderness Camp, located back in the woods.  We also have a Girls Only Wilderness, Field & Stream Wilderness (Boys Only), Angling & Aquatics (off-site for high school ages), College-Age week (off-site).   We have something for everyone! Besides our summer camp program, Camp Calvary is open year-round and is used for church retreats, fellowship meals, school field trips, and youth events of all sorts and sizes.

Winter Retreat

We don’t want kids to have to wait until summer to come to Camp Calvary, so we provide our winter retreat.  This retreat is specifically for Middle-High School Students and takes place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend.  This is a great chance for these kids to refresh and get closer to God in a slightly different atmosphere than the summer.  

Hike Day/Banquet/Fish Fry

The first Saturday in May is always Camp Calvary’s Hike Day.  This is the biggest event of the year, sometimes having up to 400 people in attendance.  This day is full of activities for the whole family, including fishing, basketball, hiking, carnival games, bouncy houses, and much, much more!  Every Spring Camp Calvary hosts a banquet for anyone who wants to attend.  The meal is free, and there is either a speaker or special music following the meal.  A love offering is taken up for Camp Calvary. Every Fall Camp Calvary hosts a fish fry for anyone who wants to attend.  The meal is free, and there is either a speaker or special music following the meal.  A love offering is taken up for Camp Calvary.

Ladies’ & Men’s Retreats

Our Ladies’ retreat is our second biggest event of the year, sometimes bringing in over 350 ladies!  This event happens on a Friday Night/Saturday Morning in September, and ladies are welcome to stay overnight, or go home and come back the following day.  Our Men’s retreat has changed a bit recently and is now in October on a Friday evening.

Adventure Camp

Our purpose for Adventure Camp is to provide an opportunity in a Christian atmosphere for the mentally and/or physically disadvantaged of all ages to experience an “adventure” that will always be remembered.  We provide 3 weekend sessions of Adventure Camp and are able to have a one-on-one faculty/camper ratio.  We are always looking for faculty to help with these sessions and take new campers as well.  Space is limited on these camps, so pre-registration is required.

Recreation

Camp Calvary’s recreation opportunities include an outdoor basketball court, volleyball court, playground, 9 square in the air, disc golf course, gaga ball, hiking trails, 4 square court, waterslide and lots of open space for games and activities.  Recreational equipment is available upon request for our retreats. Note:  Waterslide is seasonal.  Please check with a staff member to see if it’s available. 

Retreats

We are also available as a retreat center.  Since our facility stays so busy, and there are only so many weekends in the year, we only rent our facility to The Independent Christian Churches.  Our weekends in the spring and fall book up fast and need to be reserved ahead of time.  Unfortunately, because of our summer camps, weekend retreats are not available in the summer.  

If you schedule a retreat, you will be sent a retreat agreement that will need to be filled out, signed and returned to camp.  A refundable deposit is required.  

Please contact us at 859-375-4376 or kycampcalvary@gmail.com to schedule your next retreat.