Stories from Camp Asbury

Mackenzie’s relationship with Camp Asbury began through the Western Reserve Youth Retreat held at camp back in 2019. She found the retreat inspiring and came back to that retreat for several years because they were always led by other youth, people just like her....

Michael did not anticipate working at Camp Asbury this summer. His plans were to either jump into the manufacturing work force that he went to school for or to hang out with friends. Spending his time at Asbury never crossed his mind until he was here for Institute’s Mid-Winter Retreat. Michael is no stranger to Institute, he had been coming for a while, but at Mid-Winter this year he was approached by Dylan, one of Institutes leaders and a member of Camp Asbury’s Year-Round staff. “Dylan and I were talking,” Michael recollected, “and he found out that I didn’t have much planned for the summer. So, he handed me an application and said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’” Michael took the application and didn’t think much more about it. But Dylan knew Michael and had a feeling he would get a lot from his experience at camp, and kept reminding him to give it a shot, so Michael decided to take a leap.
From the moment he submitted his application, Michael knew he had made the right decision. He found himself excited with the new prospect laid out before him for the summer and to be on the other side of the camper/counselor experience. That excitement grew as the summer season got closer and closer and then Michael was able to finally make his trek to Asbury, to start this new journey. And what a journey it has been for him. “I didn’t know what to expect from the summer, I had been a camper here once before, but otherwise I was coming in unsure of what I was getting into. I did not expect to be as interactive with the campers. I thought, yeah, I’ll play a couple games with them, have fun, laugh a lot, but I never expected to build relationships with my campers like I have the last couple of weeks. It’s been very fulfilling. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and they have learned so much about themselves along the way.”
Michael has been seeing the impact that camp has had on his campers’ lives week after week, and often talks about that with the Directors and other staff. “It’s very humbling being on the other side of camp. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes and knowing what goes into making camp so fun for the campers, because I had only ever seen it from the visitor’s side. Now I’m here to help make sure everything goes smoothly, make sure everything is fun. So, it’s very humbling being on this side, realizing how much goes into making camp, camp.”
His time as a counselor this summer opened Michael’s eyes to new qualities about himself that he did not know he had. He’s learned the value of patience, both needing to work on his, but also that he possesses more than he gives himself credit for. He learned how to check in with himself so as not to push himself past his limits. But he also reconnected with himself on a spiritual level that he was not anticipating. “Being here in a very spiritually enriched environment all of the time helped me realize that I was missing this in my life. I needed this a lot more in my life than I thought I did. It has helped me kickstart revamping efforts in my life to stay more spiritually positive. I want to try and incorporate God more in my life then just going to church every Sunday.”
Michael knows this summer has had a life-changing impact on him, and it is something he will treasure. Although he doesn’t know what’s next, he is already discussing the possibility of coming back at least to volunteer at Camp Asbury for a week next summer. But for the time being he is going to hold his experiences, the relationships and bonds he has formed near to his heart and carry the lessons he has learned at camp with him saying, “I want to take the general positivity and good mentality of being here and keep that up once I leave this place. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to come out here this summer.”
It’s thanks to people like you that Camp Asbury can provide experiences like the one Michael describes year after year and create an environment that is “spiritually enriched”. Your continued generosity and gifts allow us to bring on staff and dedicate time and resources to creating a positive impact on the lives of our campers and staff every year.

Melissa Stiver doesn’t remember her life before camp. Now she has been married for ten years and has three beautiful children, Rylee, Emmett, and Asher, and Camp Asbury is still an essential part of her and her family’s spiritual and personal life. When Melissa was in junior high, the pastor at her home church, where she was very involved, gave her family information about summer camp. Melissa decided to come to Camp Asbury with two of her closest friends, and that is when fate was sealed; Melissa would be forever connected to Asbury.
Soon, spending part of her summer as part of the community at Camp Asbury became a yearly tradition. As she got older, Melissa attended the camp’s CIT Program before joining the summer staff from 2007-2009. Melissa noted that she is grateful that she was pushed outside of her comfort zone at Camp Asbury and opened her eyes to new experiences. Melissa states, “Camp has always been a home away from home for me, as it has been for so many of us over the years. I know I am not alone when I say that I don’t think I’ll ever lose the feeling of pulling into the parking lot and feeling my entire body sigh in a way that says, ‘I’m back home.’ It’s hard to pass up an opportunity to go back.” That is true for Melissa; she does not ever miss an opportunity to return home. Melissa is routinely involved with chrysalis flights at Camp Asbury and returns to lead pieces of training at Asbury’s staff training whenever asked, “I’ve come to associate camp with a deep spiritual connection to God.”
Melissa now sends her daughter Rylee to camp, “there was never a question of not sending her. I want her, and all my other munchkins once they’re old enough, to enjoy similar experiences to what I had.” Rylee arrived shy in her first summer at camp, clinging to the staff members she was familiar with, reluctant to jump into the group dynamics. As the week progressed, Rylee burst out of her shell and, by the end of the week, was excitedly asking to return to camp. Now, she attends week-long camp sessions, and Melissa notes the joy she has felt watching camp’s impact on her daughter: “She learned to become more independent while at camp. I think it has also helped her to become more open to meeting new friends. When we go to a park to play, she has no difficulty finding new friends to play with.” One of Rylee’s favorite camp activities is art; she chose the week Express Yourself because she is excited about the extra art time.
Because of Camp Asbury, Melissa made some lifelong friends, and she now hopes her children can make similar lifelong friendships through camp. Camp Asbury is where she had “rollercoaster experiences” where she laughed and cried with some of the most amazing people, and it is these experiences she hopes her children will get to enjoy.
Experiences like Melissa’s and Rylee’s make Camp Asbury such a special place—a place where real and meaningful spiritual connections are formed, lasting friendships are created, and a home is forever made. It’s with the help of people like you and your generosity that we can continue to provide a place like this for everyone who comes here.

We invite you to consider a financial gift to support the work of growing faith for campers like Colin, who consider Camp Asbury a second home. Colin’s first time at camp was the Friday after his birth. His baby blanket was crocheted together by each of the summer...

Steve had attended summer camps as a child, but as he got older, he found himself gravitating towards working summer jobs instead of prioritizing a camp experience. After visiting Camp Asbury during a winter retreat with the Mahoning Valley District Youth when he was...