History of Pine Valley Camp

This place that many campers consider “home” was property set apart in 1961 to be used for the work of the Lord. The current ministry of camp began here in 1995. Many years before that time, the Lord planted on our hearts, when we were still children, a love for kids who may not have experienced the kind of family life that we were each blessed to experience. We had a desire to reach out to them and offer hope. Both Mr. Matt and I (Miss Susan) experienced camp in our growing up years and were deeply impacted by the power of camp in our spiritual journeys. Later, during the early years of raising our own 5 children, it grieved us even more that so many kids were not experiencing loving families. The Lord put the desire on our hearts to start a camp program for kids who normally could not afford to go to camp. No child would be turned away because of finances. We truly believed that if we could provide a camp for these kids that the Lord, through this place, would do a changing work in the children’s lives. We had no resources, just a call on our hearts from the Lord so it took a big leap of faith. The dream was to provide a safe, warm, and loving family atmosphere where people would pour out unconditional love and create fun, in order to build a bridge to the hearts of the kids and offer them the hope of the Gospel. For 20 years now this very thing is still happening. The greatest surprise of this ministry has not just been seeing the miracle of God providing, but also seeing how the Lord has done a changing work in the lives of those who serve here.

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We serve not just because kids need us but because of what happens in us when we serve. The good news is that God delights to use each of us, not so much in our areas of strength but even more in those times we are weak. God will use even the messy and broken parts of our story to connect us to a child who may be hurting. Pine Valley has become a place where children get a glimpse into an oriented family life and the love of their heavenly Father who made them and loves them and wants to have a relationship with them. Children may come down our lane in pain but our prayer is that they will go back out the lane with hope; the Hope of the life-changing Gospel.