The Wilds Christian Association
Encyclopedia
The Wilds Christian Association, Inc. is a Protestant Christian
organization that operates The Wilds Christian Camp/Conference Center (commonly referred to as "The Wilds") in Brevard, North Carolina
and The Wilds of New England
in Deering, New Hampshire
. Its corporate office is in Taylors, South Carolina
, a suburb of Greenville
. The Wilds Christian Association is supported by more than 300 churches, and more than 250,000 campers have attended its summer camp
programs. The Wilds has a year-round staff of forty and a summer staff of about 270.
The Wilds is a conservative
, fundamentalist
, Protestant organization. Although not affiliated with any denomination
, many sponsors are Independent Baptist
and Bible churches.
The Wilds' mission statement is succinctly stated in the camp verse: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31) The Wilds seeks to evangelize
non-Christian campers and encourage spiritual growth among Christian campers by combining Bible study, personal discipleship, and religious services with recreational activity.
(with a mailing address in Brevard
). The camp property contains approximately 1000 acres (4 km²) of land through which Toxaway Creek flows. Four main waterfalls on the Toxaway are on The Wilds' property and are common hiking destinations for campers.
, Walter Fremont
, Joe Henson, and Carl D. Blyth Sr., who knew each other from their association at Bob Jones University
. In 1967, the group discovered the property in Transylvania County, North Carolina
, and first incorporated as "Hemlock Hills Christian Association" because of the abundance of hemlock trees
on the property. Then someone recalled Socrates
' death from drinking hemlock
, and they decided to call the camp "The Wilds", a reflection of Jesus having urged His disciples to rest awhile in a secluded place. (Mark 6: 31)
The campsite facilities include staff residences, an inn and chapel, dormitory and craft shop, cabins, dining hall, main office building, and a large multi-purpose building (used as an indoor basketball
venue and a 1,300 seat auditorium). The property includes a man-made lake, Toxaway Creek and waterfalls, basketball courts, and athletic fields. There are also several leisure activities available such as a water slide
, land trolley
(zip-line), and a 65 feet (19.8 m) "Giant Swing."
The Wilds' section of Toxaway Creek has several waterfall
s, which are numbered going downstream.
and operated near Rabbit Ears Pass
and Muddy Pass
until it was closed in 2004 due to community issues. The Wilds sold the property to longtime supporters Jeff and Linda Peotter, and the property became a residential development.
, near Meredith
, but securing permits was difficult and "the property, though beautiful, was near enough to the town to bring a number of disadvantages." In 2009, the Meredith property was sold, and The Wilds assumed the mortgage of another camp property in Deering, New Hampshire
. In 2007, the Board appointed Rand Hummel
, Assistant Director of The Wilds in North Carolina, as the director of The Wilds of New England.
produced by camp staff.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
organization that operates The Wilds Christian Camp/Conference Center (commonly referred to as "The Wilds") in Brevard, North Carolina
Brevard, North Carolina
Brevard is a town in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. The 2005 population estimate by the United States Census Bureau was 6,643. It is the county seat of Transylvania County....
and The Wilds of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in Deering, New Hampshire
Deering, New Hampshire
Deering is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,912 at the 2010 census.-History:First settled about 1765, the town was incorporated on January 17, 1774 by John Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire...
. Its corporate office is in Taylors, South Carolina
Taylors, South Carolina
Taylors is a census-designated place in Greenville County, United States. The population was 20,125 at the 2000 census. Taylors is the Greenville/Spartanburg area's largest suburb although it is not incorporated as a city. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan...
, a suburb of Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. The Wilds Christian Association is supported by more than 300 churches, and more than 250,000 campers have attended its summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
programs. The Wilds has a year-round staff of forty and a summer staff of about 270.
Beliefs
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
, fundamentalist
Fundamentalist Christianity
Christian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
, Protestant organization. Although not affiliated with any denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
, many sponsors are Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist
Independent Baptist churches are Christian churches generally holding to conservative Baptist beliefs. They are characterized by being independent from the authority of denominations or similar bodies. Members of such churches comprised three percent of the United States adult population according...
and Bible churches.
The Wilds' mission statement is succinctly stated in the camp verse: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31) The Wilds seeks to evangelize
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
non-Christian campers and encourage spiritual growth among Christian campers by combining Bible study, personal discipleship, and religious services with recreational activity.
North Carolina
The Wilds Christian Camp/Conference Center is located near Rosman, North CarolinaRosman, North Carolina
Rosman is a town in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 490 at the 2000 census. The northern terminus of U.S. Route 178 is less than one mile northwest of Rosman on U.S...
(with a mailing address in Brevard
Brevard, North Carolina
Brevard is a town in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. The 2005 population estimate by the United States Census Bureau was 6,643. It is the county seat of Transylvania County....
). The camp property contains approximately 1000 acres (4 km²) of land through which Toxaway Creek flows. Four main waterfalls on the Toxaway are on The Wilds' property and are common hiking destinations for campers.
History
The Wilds was founded in 1969 by Ken HayKen Hay
Kenneth Edward Hay is the founder of The Wilds, a fundamentalist camp and conference center.-Biography:Ken Hay, a native of California and a graduate of Oregon City High School, is the son of a Baptist pastor who took his sons to camp settings "as soon as we were old enough to walk." Hay, who was...
, Walter Fremont
Walter Fremont
Walter Gilbert Fremont, Jr. was dean of the School of Education, Bob Jones University and “a seminal force in the inauguration and development of the Christian school movement.”-Youth and Education:...
, Joe Henson, and Carl D. Blyth Sr., who knew each other from their association at Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
. In 1967, the group discovered the property in Transylvania County, North Carolina
Transylvania County, North Carolina
Transylvania County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 33,090. Its county seat is Brevard.- History :The county was formed in 1861 from parts of Henderson County and Jackson County...
, and first incorporated as "Hemlock Hills Christian Association" because of the abundance of hemlock trees
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
on the property. Then someone recalled Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
' death from drinking hemlock
Conium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
, and they decided to call the camp "The Wilds", a reflection of Jesus having urged His disciples to rest awhile in a secluded place. (Mark 6: 31)
Facilities
The camp is one of the largest Christian camps in the United States. During the summer, the camp averages between 1,100 and 1,200 campers each week. Throughout the rest of the year the camp hosts specialized retreats that attract 21,000 attendees annually.The campsite facilities include staff residences, an inn and chapel, dormitory and craft shop, cabins, dining hall, main office building, and a large multi-purpose building (used as an indoor basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
venue and a 1,300 seat auditorium). The property includes a man-made lake, Toxaway Creek and waterfalls, basketball courts, and athletic fields. There are also several leisure activities available such as a water slide
Water slide
A water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size...
, land trolley
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
(zip-line), and a 65 feet (19.8 m) "Giant Swing."
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, which are numbered going downstream.
- "The Shoals"
35°4′43.2"N 82°52′17.5"W - First Falls
35°4′40.4"N 82°52′27.3"W - Second Falls
35°4′41.7"N 82°52′32"W - Third Falls
35°4′39.9"N 82°52′36.6"W - Fourth Falls
35°4′35"N 82°52′39.5"W
Colorado
The Wilds of the Rockies opened in 1987 near Kremmling, ColoradoKremmling, Colorado
Kremmling is a Statutory Town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,578 at the 2000 census. The town sits along the upper Colorado River in the lower arid section of Middle Park between Byers Canyon and Gore Canyon...
and operated near Rabbit Ears Pass
Rabbit Ears Pass
Rabbit Ears Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States.The pass straddles the continental divide at the southern end of the Park Range along the boundary between Grand and Jackson counties...
and Muddy Pass
Muddy Pass
Muddy Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States.The pass straddles the continental divide along the boundary between Jackson and Grand counties. The pass separates North Park and the headwaters of the North Platte River with Middle Park near the...
until it was closed in 2004 due to community issues. The Wilds sold the property to longtime supporters Jeff and Linda Peotter, and the property became a residential development.
New Hampshire
In 2007, camp operations began at The Wilds of New England at rented facilities. The Wilds purchased land by Lake WinnipesaukeeLake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
, near Meredith
Meredith, New Hampshire
Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 6,241 at the 2010 census. Meredith is situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee. It is home to Stonedam Island Natural Area and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad...
, but securing permits was difficult and "the property, though beautiful, was near enough to the town to bring a number of disadvantages." In 2009, the Meredith property was sold, and The Wilds assumed the mortgage of another camp property in Deering, New Hampshire
Deering, New Hampshire
Deering is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,912 at the 2010 census.-History:First settled about 1765, the town was incorporated on January 17, 1774 by John Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire...
. In 2007, the Board appointed Rand Hummel
Rand Hummel
Dr. James Rand Hummel is an American author, preacher and camp administrator. He has worked for many years as Assistant Director of The Wilds Christian Camp/Conference Center in Brevard, North Carolina and in 2007, he was named Director of THE WILDS of New England in Deering, New...
, Assistant Director of The Wilds in North Carolina, as the director of The Wilds of New England.
International
CampsAbroad is a worldwide consulting program used by The Wilds to assist the cause of Christian camping around the world. The program is designed to help already established camps, as well as churches who want to start new camping ministries. Training and materials are provided to ministries at no charge, but The Wilds name is not used by these camping ministries outside the United States.Products
The Wilds produces Bible study guides, topical studies, songbooks, recorded music, and books of activity ideas for church youth groups. The Wilds is noted for its recordings of conservative Christian musicChristian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
produced by camp staff.
Further reading
- Ken Collier and Ken Hay, All to the Glory of God (Taylors, SC: The Wilds Christian Association, 2009)
- The Wilds official website
- The Wilds (North Carolina) map
- The Wilds of New England
- Camps Abroad