Pine Lake Fellowship Camp

★★★★Lisa Esteves

I think It would be lot of fun staying together now worries don't be scared say how you feel feel free helping each other. Just have fun take your pills counselor will help you. By Lisa Esteves Blackwell Mississippi dimonid Head

★★★★★Claire Derise

I sent two of my children to Day Camp for the first time earlier this summer and they had a really great time. They both told me that they want to go back next summer. They spent plenty of time boating, swimming, ziplining and playing plenty of fun games. They each came back with lots to say about what their camp pastor spoke about each day. The week’s theme was about running the race for Christ. It was very clear that they took what was said to heart. We are certainly grateful for such a good experience and for the staff at Pine Lake!

★★★★★Lindsay Diener

My six year old just had his first experience at day camp at Pine Lake. He had an absolute blast! He said the days flew by, and he was busy with fun and engaging activities from drop-off to pickup. He enjoyed the zipline, swim time, and playing rec games the most, and he said he really liked his counselors. He learned so much from the song leaders and Bible studies, and even though he is only 6, I know those seeds that were planted will continue to shape him as he grows up. My family and I are so grateful for Pine Lake, and we can't wait to send our second kid as soon as she is old enough!

★Sarah H

Paid $190 for my 7 year old to attend day camp for a week. They do not provide any meals. We had to feed breakfast before dropping off and send her with a lunch each day. They had a nap time every day for the kids. The day camp is from 8am to 4pm and these kids are 1st grade to 4th. I'm not sure why a nap time is a part of camp. I called on day 2 to ask about this because my daughter also said the nap time goes on for a while and they're made to lay down on a very hard floor and not allowed to get up or speak. They also don't have any blankets or pillows for this nap time. When I spoke with the director she didn't sound like she wanted to be called out on this. Her voice and stumbling to explain made me think she knew what she was doing was meant to be "hush hush". She didn't really give a good explanation except to say the smallest ones sleep during that hour and it's during the hottest time of the day so it's something to keep them out of the sun. I have several issues with this. 1) it's not mentioned whatsoever in any way before camp as an activity. 2) parents aren't provided with an option to send their child with a mat or something to allow their kids to be comfortable during the hour. 3) they're not allowed to talk or interact during this time so they have to just lay there. My daughter said she was allowed to draw with her pencil but an hour of just laying quietly with a pencil is terrible for a kid who is excited to do camp activities. My daughter had 2 parts of camp she was looking forward to: swimming and zip line. After coming home the first day she told me she did neither and that the zip lines are broken. After the second day, she went swimming but no zip line. Her swimsuit was absolutely filthy. I have no idea how she managed to get so dirty. I've washed it 4 times and it's still brown. When I washed her hair that night, brown water came out of her hair even after 2 full washes. I'm not sure what's wrong with their lake but this is not normal. I understand some dirtiness but I've never seen anything like this and I've been to quite a few lakes. I had called that second day about the nap time (mentioned above) and also asked about the zip line situation because my daughter was incredibly disappointed at this point that she was just being told over and over that the zip lines are broken. The director told me they weren't really trying to announce it but the zip lines are needing to be repaired and the cord that came in wasn't the correct size. She said they're supposed to be fixing it this week but it may be next week. I had to explain to my daughter that she would not be going on a zip line this week as she had previously been told and of course she was really upset. Cried. A lot... Good job pine lake. My daughter brought her swim suit for the remainder of the week and never again was allowed to swim. On Wednesday and Thursday she was sure to explain to me that she got to go on the "boat" but was not allowed to touch the water. They must have really driven that in her head because she kept telling me she couldn't even touch it. When the director had previously explained the nap time situation to me she also had mentioned that it was a "filler" time because the kids are usually switching out of the zip line area at that time. That last day was the only day my daughter came home happy from her day at camp because she had fun. They let them have a water day with water balloons, shaving cream etc. They did not swim again. One of the motivating factors for us as her parents to go forth with camp was the Christian element. She was told to bring her Bible and notepad with pen. My daughter said they didn't really do any lessons or meaningful learning of scripture. Instead they were made to repeat the same verse over and over again until they memorized it as if it were a task, not a game or fun. That was the extent of the connection with God. I'm thinking the kids probably didn't get much time with God in nature either because of how little my daughter said she got to do in nature. Pine Lake... do better

★★★★★april dardar

This is a wonderful camp for kids in the summer, group and individual rentals during the year, hosting families, conferences, couples retreats, etc. my husband and I met here as 19 year old summer camp staff, as have many a couple over the decades. Founded by people who cared about intepersonal, spiritual, and diverse relationships, focusing on God, nature, and Living, Loving, and Learning together, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, status, or any barrier that could separate people ... Pine Lake exists to bring people together.