Christian Camping
The Idaho Panhandle is a mecca for many looking for recreation, outdoor beauty and relaxation and we have it in abundance. Skiing, watersports, waterparks, hiking, a theme park — this and more draw hundreds of thousands to our area every year.
Other attractions that are not as visible are the many Christian camps spread throughout this area. Most of the camps are associated with a specific denomination but there are also some that are independent and operate as a separate ministry.
A camp in this category is Cocolalla Bible Camp, located on the shore of Cocolalla Lake. We had an interesting interview recently with Dirk Darrow, who has been the executive director of the camp for the past 12 years. We wanted to learn more about the camp and what it offers to families in the area.
Dirk, first of all, give me your description of the camp and what the mission of the camp is.
Our ministries of the camp are devoted to preaching the Gospel of Christ to all ages and make disciples of Christ. We are a camp that is dedicated to providing a God-centered environment for Biblical teaching, evangelism and missions. Of course, our camp is located in beautiful North Idaho on the north end of Lake Cocolalla and surrounded by trees and an ideal place to put down your phones, get away from distractions of life in a wonderful setting to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
Can you give me a snapshot of the camps you have during the year?
We start off with a camp for teens, then for those 11 and 12 years old, then for those 9 and 10, and another for 7 and 8. Each camp is nearly a week and we finish with a family camp. We also offer backpacking adventures for teens in the early summer. We also hold winter camp for teens, retreats, men’s retreat and a variety of women’s retreats with quilting camps, scrapbooking and stamp camps. Our year is jam-packed with something for everyone. We also have other churches and groups rent our camp when it is available.
What are the benefits of taking time for a camp for young people and families?
Our culture does a great job distracting us from what is important. Social media, video games, TV, and the culture in general keeps from interaction with others and developing family time. We need to have a retreat that encourages prayer, Bible reading, fellowship along with outdoor skills. It is much more than fun and games. We believe there is a lasting impact of spending an extended time in a special environment.
We also bring in some outstanding speakers and musicians to our camps.
Dirk, you are full time as camp director and this must require a lot of planning for the camps each year.
We train our volunteer teens during the year, meeting once a week to prepare them as leaders for the next summer. We have 50 teens involved in this year’s leadership training that will be working with up to 140 campers at each camp. We want to train our staff to create an environment that every camper will be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also have wonderful adult volunteers that help in our kitchen and other areas to make our camp a success.
Obviously there are going to be many looking for a week to attend camp as a family or for their children. The men’s and women’s retreats sound great and then the backpacking adventures for teens give a lot of choices. If folks are interested in more information, how do they get in touch with you or the camp?
Our phone number is 208-263-3912 and you can go to our website at clbcamp.org or email us at ddarrow@clbcamp.org. The camp is located at the north end of Cocolalla Lake, 1/4 mile west from U.S. 95 on North Cocolalla Loop Road.