Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp: Sharing the Gospel Through Nature and Service
Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp has, for over 25 years, dedicated itself to sharing the gospel with children, particularly those who might not otherwise experience it. Welcoming all children, Sagrada focuses on serving those who cannot afford traditional summer camp experiences. Nestled in an idyllic setting on the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, the camp offers a week-long nature-based program designed to help children begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Since its founding in 1997, Sagrada has relied on a network of dedicated volunteers who staff important roles, provide camper transportation, and support the camp's overall mission. These volunteers are essential to the continued development of the Sagrada property and its facilities.
What to Expect as a Staff Member
At Sagrada, the primary goal for every staff member, regardless of their specific role, is to share the gospel with the campers. Whether serving as a counselor, cook, office worker, maintenance worker, or camp grandparent, interactions with the children are intentionally gospel-centered. Counselors and helpers reside in air-conditioned covered wagons or cabins, spending their time directly with their assigned campers. Activities include swimming in the lake, hiking, a low ropes course, target range, and field games. Support staff members sleep in air-conditioned rooms and are encouraged to interact with the children as much as possible after completing their assigned tasks.
Who Can Be a Camper?
Sagrada welcomes any child to participate in its program. The camp is affiliated with Angel Tree Ministries, providing opportunities for children with incarcerated parents. Additionally, Sagrada serves children from other at-risk situations, such as foster care, as well as children from healthy, loving homes. The camp maintains an open-door policy, ensuring that any child who desires to attend is welcome.
Who Can Volunteer?
Any individual who is a child of God and is mature in their faith is welcome to volunteer at Sagrada. Recognizing the importance of sharing the Gospel, the camp carefully selects spiritually mature individuals to serve. Since 1997, Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp has focused on sharing the gospel with children whose parents are in prison or who are otherwise at-risk.
Camper Numbers and Counselor Ratio
Sagrada typically hosts 20-30 campers each week, maintaining a 2 to 1 camper to counselor ratio, ensuring that each camper receives the attention they deserve. On average, a counselor and helper are responsible for four campers.
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Gender Separation
To minimize distractions, Sagrada separates camps by gender. This approach allows for a more focused and comfortable environment for all campers.
Staff Accommodation
Counselors and helpers sleep in wagons and cabins alongside their campers. "Off-week" staff members stay in designated male and female dorms.
Camp Dates
The camp dates are as follows:
- Boys 1 - June 10-14
- Girls 1 - June 17-21
- Boys 2 - June 24-28
- Girls 2 - July 8-12
- Boys 3 - July 15-19
- Girls 3 - July 22-26
- Senior Boys Fish Camp - July 29-31
- Senior Girls Fish Camp - August 1-3
A History of Impact
Since 1997, Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp has welcomed over 4,000 campers to its 90 acres of woods and beachfront on Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. The camp creates an experience free from electronic distractions and media, allowing children to focus on the Word of God and their camp experience. Campers enjoy outdoor activities and recreation while they are here and sleep in open-air covered wagons and trapper cabins. Sagrada is a camp for children whose families cannot otherwise afford it. We are also associated with Angel Tree Ministries and provide camp for children who have incarcerated parents. The camp relies on dedicated donors to provide financial support and on volunteers who come to serve the Lord and fulfill important roles.
Goals and Values
Sagrada's primary goal is to provide a safe, secure, and loving environment where the gospel of Jesus Christ can be taught. This is accomplished by providing a Bible to every camper and faithfully teaching them about the Lord. A secondary goal is for the staff to provide each camper and volunteer with an excellent example of how a faithful disciple of the Lord should live each day and through all circumstances.
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Camper Cohorts
Each year, Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp welcomes between 120 and 300 campers. Juniors and Seniors attend camp simultaneously but follow different schedules. To be eligible for Senior camps, campers must have attended one previous Junior camp or obtain prior approval from the Camp Director.
Staff Training
A week-long staff training is conducted from June 1-5 to equip volunteers to better serve at Sagrada. All volunteers also attend a condensed training every Monday beginning at 10:00 in the morning. Attendance at one of these training sessions is required for serving at Sagrada. Volunteers serving multiple weeks only need to attend one training event.
Financial Information
Sagrada Scholarship Bible Camp files various forms, including Form 990, Form 990EZ, or Form 990PF. These filings include organization names, addresses, officer information, tax schedules, and other relevant data. Form 990 documents are available as XML files for electronically filed documents.
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