A Christian family camp in Haddam, CT along the Connecticut River
In a world of limited vacation time and relentless summer schedules, we’d like to propose a truly radical thought: consider coming to the banks of the Connecticut River to experience the historic charm and simple fellowship found during our annual Camp Meeting Week, usually held the first week of August.
What is a “Camp Meeting”?
The term “Camp Meeting” originally referred to meetings first held in the mid-to-late 19th century in which people gathered in tents and temporary dwellings for a short period of time to worship and fellowship, particularly in rural areas and natural settings. Eventually, faith communities sought and obtained permanent locations and cottages were built where the tent sites were once located. Camp Meetings drew people from far and near for several weeks, usually toward the end of the summer. Today, “Camp Meeting” might better be described as a time devoted to moving from busyness and productivity to setting apart time for genuine “sabbath” rest. Think of it as the opportunity to have a week to engage in spiritual “self-care”.
Announcements
Camp Week 2024 on YouTube
Recordings of Camp Bethel’s 2024 Camp Week are up on our YouTube channel. If you couldn’t attend this year, or just missed a session, check out our YouTube channel and get caught up! Youtube: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhhPP7naLyCkunGQXHMe0xIizZpJNmz96...
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Thank You to Community Foundation of Middlesex County
Camp Bethel would like to thank the Community Foundation of Middlesex County for their generous support in putting on Elder School here at Camp! We appreciate the CFMC helping us keep our piece of history...
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You don’t have to be a member.
When you come a Camp Meeting at Camp Bethel, you’ll be welcomed as a part of our community. You don’t have to become a member of the Camp Bethel Association to attend. Some count their attendance each summer in terms of decades, others have recently found Camp Bethel through friends who insisted that they come along and experience it for themselves. Some return with their young families for the first time since they were children. No one is a “stranger” here for long. Camp Meeting is an intergenerational event , with participants from across the country and around the world. While we invite and celebrate membership in our Association, and we’ll be all too delighted to tell you all about it, we want you to feel comfortable experiencing Camp Bethel for yourself with no pressure or strings.
Volunteer
Camp Bethel is made possible by countless volunteers. We work together as a community to make the grounds look as beautiful as they are, to make behind the scenes run smoothly, and to create our annual summer Camp Meeting. We are always in need of people to lend a hand.
You’ll experience the natural beauty of the ecosystem and wildlife of the Connecticut River Valley.
Few settings in the United States provide more accessible natural beauty than the lower Connecticut River that leads to the mouth of Long Island Sound. Few places on that river provide a better vantage point to experience the stunning work of our Creator than Camp Bethel. Camp Bethel is home to nature and wildlife not commonly seen or experienced in urban settings. Scores of migrating and native birds make their home here. We are regularly visited by the acrobatic Ospreys or diving Cormorants. Buzzing hummingbirds war for color-filled daylilies along the bank. Prehistoric looking Great Herons, or the giant Pileated Woodpecker can both be heard AND seen if you know where to look. Finally, the majestic American Bald and elusive Golden Eagles are sighted, surveying their domain.