You can find a day camp for just about anything. What about one focused on forming faith and friendships?
Grow brings the powerful experience of camp ministry to local churches. Packed with activities that contribute to learning new skills and building Christian community, the focus throughout is for each camper to grow deeper roots in their faith (grow spiritually), in their ability to work as a team (grow socially), and in self-confidence as a loved child of God (grow individually).
We know how to have fun – our passion is forming faith in the process. We put 100 years of experience into creating an environment where every moment – whether in morning chapel or 20 feet up a tree – is about practicing faith in Christian community.
2025 LOCATIONS
We’re setting up camp at 19 locations across the North Georgia Conference in 2025. Register Today to give your camper a week of faith-forming fun this summer!
St. Luke UMC (Augusta)
Save The Dates: June 30-July 4
More details and registration coming soon…
Thomson Area
Hosted at White Oak Campground in Appling, GA
July 14-18
Rising 1st-6th
9-5:30 (Mon-Thu)
9-12:30 (Fri)
$170
Our Mission
SPIRITUAL GROWTH – develop deeper roots in your faith
SOCIAL GROWTH – learn to work as a team
INDIVIDUAL GROWTH – gain self-confidence as a loved child of God
Summer Theme
Grow is designed as experiential faith formation. Counselors plan each day’s activities with the theme of the day and week in mind – from chapel and Bible story time to archery and field games and everything in between. Each summer’s theme is based on professionally developed camp ministry curriculum that is age appropriate, based on scripture, and respectful of creation.
Staff & Counselors
Each site is led by college-age site directors and high-school-age counselors. This on-site team is supported by Grow’s roving program interns and co-directors. Extensive staff training includes Grow programming and the UMC’s Safe Sanctuaries child safety policies. Site directors also receive training from professional vendors on ropes course facilitation and First Aid+CPR.
Grow counselors hail from its sibling ministry, ELI, a leadership development program for rising 11th-12th graders. Participants apply, interview, and are accepted into the two-part program that begins with intense leadership training and culminates in serving as counselors at Grow sites.
MORE ABOUT ELI
“Elementary kids need help in strengthening their faith, developing their self image, and learning that you can worship and learn about God and have fun at the same time. Grow is THE best program I have ever seen that accomplishes those goals.” – Grow Host Church
Two counselors and 4-12 campers (grouped by age) build relationships while experiencing camp together. All of camp is together for certain events such as chapel and lunch, then campers experience activities as a living group the rest of the day.
While most activities are open to all ages, only rising 5th-6th grade campers will participate in belayed tree climbing (pending tree availability). Certain activities are also subject to weather conditions in order to ensure safety.
Each of our Grow sites is customized to its particular church site and surrounding community. Dates, times, rates, contact info, available activities and “Water Day” experiences vary from site to site.
For answers to common questions about registration and camp policies, view our FAQs page.
“My children loved this camp. The counselors were amazing.
We are so grateful! It was truly the highlight of their summer!”
– Grow Parent
CONTACT
For questions about a particular Grow site, contact the site coordinator listed by location above. For questions about registration, email Autumn (below) or call the North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries office at (706) 864-6181.
Autumn Kuykendoll
Program Director
Autumn began her camp ministry journey as a Glisson camper in 2005. She went on to participate in ELI and Crew. In 2016, Autumn served on Summer Staff as a Village counselor and a Site Director for Grow+ELI+Shoreline from 2017-2019. Autumn graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Leadership and Psychology. She returned to North Georgia Camp and Retreat Ministries in 2020 as a Program Intern focused on Grow+ELI, then joined our year-round team as Retreats Coordinator and Grow & ELI Administrator in 2021, and shifted to her current role of Grow & ELI Program Director in January 2025.
Griffin Stewart
Program Intern
Raenah Barton
Program Intern
Stephanie Gaines Lloyd
Director of Summer Camps, NGCRM
Stephanie joined the year-round NGCRM team in 2015 after having served on summer staff with Glisson’s summer leadership team (’09, ’10, ’12, ’13) and then as a program director for Grow and ELI (’14, ’15). Stephanie’s role with NGCRM includes coordinating summer programming for our family of ministries, including Grow Day Camps, the Experiential Leadership Institute, and Glisson’s Village, Outpost, and Sparrowwood programs. Stephanie, her husband, Ian, and their daughter, Hadley, live in Dahlonega, and enjoy every opportunity to get out and explore God’s Creation.
Cameron Jones
Communications & Program Advancement, NGCRM
After multiple summers as a camper and then counselor at Grow’s sibling ministry, Glisson, Cameron came back to camp in 2008 and never really left. What began as an internship has since morphed into various roles and an amusing amount of job titles. His latest is “Director of Communications & Program Advancement” for NGCRM’s family of ministries. It’s a bit long-winded, but so is Cameron. He’s hoping this title might last longer than the others since it captures what he’s been up to all along: sharing camp’s story and dreaming up ways to help make camp even more impactful and possible for more people in more places. Prior to his full-time role at camp, Cameron served in youth ministry and worship leadership roles at United Methodist Churches while studying at UGA (Psychology & Religion), and then later Georgia State (MPA). He and his wife, Britt, live in Decatur with their two kiddos. When not working or parenting, he’s probably making music somewhere.