The iconic view from the lodge balcony AKA the back deck.
I was nervous about returning to Bedford. It had been around seven years since I was last there as a camper! But it was just perfect. Honestly perfect. It just felt right. I was so dang happy all week! The campers were wonderful; my fellow counselors were amazing; the directors and staff were fantabulous!
This is probably the best spot in camp for getting that "Alleluia! Heaven breaks though!" pic. Several of us at camp had theories about this kind of light as children ranging from "God peeking down" to "souls ascending to heaven" lol
I know Peace Interns probably aren’t supposed to say this, but my home camp really IS the best!
It’s not that other camps aren’t amazing—they are! 100% And it’s SO obvious to me that everyone LOVES their home camps. And I think that’s part of the reason that for me, there’s no place like Bedford. It’s the best camp for me. It just feels like home. At Bedford, there’s juuuust the right mixture of absurdity, hilarity, chaos, structure, love, and holy space. Camp Bedford is the perfect storm—in a good way!
I could go on and on about my home camp, so I’ll try to keep it brief.
The campers were amazing! I mean the campers are always the best part of any church camp (at least that’s been the case for me this summer), and my point is that the Bedford campers were no exception! First off; they’re hilarious! I credit this at least in part to years of careful tutelage from the counselors and staff, who are equally hilarious, and have years of experience as comedic wizards under their belts. I often found myself doubled over in laughter while at camp.
Kevin Loomin’ Large
But the campers at Bedford were more than just funny, they were also curious. They didn’t just come for fun; they came for the churchy stuff too. They really dug into the material. They asked really insightful questions and gave good thought to the questions we posed. They also had a bunch of great questions of their own! I had some excellent conversations with campers over the week ranging from “What does it mean to be a Christian today?” to “Is this world real or a simulation?” :D
I also loved how respectful the campers were with each other. A lot of stuff gets brought up at church camp, and shockingly, not everyone agrees on everything. Sometimes it can get kinda ugly, though. I felt like it didn’t get ugly at Bedford. I mean there’s always stuff that crops up at every camp, and I felt like the things that did come up at Bedford were pretty mild. (This is only from my perspective, of course.) I just felt like there was a real intention among campers to keep things open and loving.
The Craft Cabin AKA The Craft Barn AKA The Old Lodge AKA The New Old Lodge AKA...
I was also impressed by the bravery I saw over the week. People came to myself and others with questions they were nervous to ask. They were all good, normal questions, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary to ask them. Overall, there was a trend at the camp to ask questions when knowledge was lacking. I love to see that! I saw many instances of people of differing opinions coming together and talking openly about stuff. Many of these moments were UNSTRUCTURED and not even counselor initiated!! It made my heart soar! It was just so great to see everyone back at the camp they loved, myself included! I hope Bedford Christian Church Camp continues on for many, many years!
Some people struggle to see the river from the balcony because although it is the WHITE river, it's really more of a dirt brown color lol. So here is a 'proof of river' pic.
The camp was accidentally double-booked on the evening when the staff showed up, so we ended up staying in a nearby Holiday Inn Express for the night. We successfully took over the lobby with a pizza party and probably disturbed the guests adjacent to billy's room with our late night counselor campfire planning.
My room had a balcony that overlooked....THE INDOOR POOL. An interesting design choice.
And on that note, a shameless plug about the new camp renovations and a potential vacation/retreat opportunity for my readers! For those of you who don’t know, Camp Bedford recently underwent a camp-wide renovation. And let me tell you, they are FANTABULOUS!!! The cabins were SO air conditioned—it was honestly almost too much! (But that’s on us for not turning down the temperature, which you can easily do with handy dandy remotes!) The cabins are also heated now, so if you wanna get away in the fall or winter, NO PROBLEM! The new craft lodge is really nice! They kept the old fireplace, which is a beautiful limestone affair, and they’ve even set up this nice gas fireplace in it, so there can be ACTUAL FIRE!!! Cozy evening in the craft lodge, anyone?? And the COTTAGE! WOW. It is straight up LUXURIOUS in there! It’s so FANCY! It looks like it should have a glossy spread in a tiny homes magazine! SO NICE. If you want a nice weekend getaway spot, that cottage is the place! (I think it sleeps around 6, and it’s handicap accessible!) Okay, that’s the end of my plug. But seriously. If you’re looking for a nice place for your next retreat, consider Camp Bedford! Also, if you’re ever in the area and you need a place to spend the night, consider renting the cottage instead of opting for a hotel. If you’re traveling with more than a roomful of people, it could potentially be cheaper to rent the cottage. Aaaaand the money will go to a good cause; keeping my beautiful home camp up and running!
The new and much improved cabins!" They're essentially still the same cabins, same size, look, beds, and cabin symbols, but now with walls that don't *squish* and *bend* when you push on them! Also new lighting, windows, and doors.
The new cabins also have POWERFUL air conditioners. They don't make ANY noise, and they do a great job of keeping out that "camp damp." These units are also capable of HEATING the cabins!! ooooooohhhh~
https://campbedford.com/ —the camp homepage
https://campbedford.com/camp-facilities/cottage-in-the-woods/ —info about the cottage specifically
https://campbedford.com/pricing/ —Pricing Info