It's a place where kids can come be kids.

Black Rock Christian Camp & Retreat Center, 1345 Kirkwood Pike, Quarryville, is constantly coming up with ways of providing life-changing experiences to children during their most formative years.

Executive director Peter Fiorello said Black Rock serves 25,000 people a year. The focus remains local children.

"Kids are our passion. That's how Black Rock was started 70 years ago," Fiorello said. "Every summer, we have kids from all over the greater Lancaster area come to summer camp. We have kids from other states, but most come from a two- or three-hour radius. Throughout the year we also run outdoor education programs where schools come on the property from either one-day programs to three-day programs. We serve 3,000-plus kids from schools in the region."

Kids participate in classes, creek studies, ziplines, and ropes courses. "Everything we do here, we integrate biblical truths and talk about Jesus," said Fiorello.

Black Rock also hosts church groups and retreats for youths, adults, and families. A golf event and bike event raise money to send kids to camp. Olympic gold medalist wrestler Kyle Snyder will headline the April banquet.

"A place like camp is really important for today's childhoods," Fiorello said. "Even as adults, we need time to pause and get away and reflect on life and our relationship with God."

Studies show that children's worldviews are largely formed by the age of 13, and the choices they make during this time can have a lasting impact on their spiritual journey. According to Barna Group, nearly 80% of people who follow Christ began doing so before the age of 18. This makes the time spent at a Christian summer camp crucial for shaping the spiritual lives of young people, as these camps offer an immersive environment for children to explore and deepen their faith away from the distractions of daily life.

Summer camps, eight weeks of day camp and overnight camp, run from mid-June to early August. Black Rock is continuing to expand its summer sports camps and has added leadership programs called Surge and Surge Launch.

"What we've learned is there's really not a lot of opportunity for kids ages 12 to 14 to develop leadership skills," Fiorello said. "So we provide that opportunity at camp. We invest in them, and then they help teach kids to help develop those skills."

Surge is a two-week discipleship initiative for ninth-graders and older. "They come, they do fun activities like canoeing and hiking, and they serve," Fiorello said.

For more information about Black Rock and its camp offerings, visit http://www.blackrockretreat.com.

Fiorello said Black Rock's "rich tradition and history" make it a worthwhile camp experience. "Kids have been coming here for 70-plus years, which is really pretty cool," he said. "We have counselors who are authentic and care for the campers. We have counselors from all over the world, which is a really awesome experience, from Madagascar to South America, New Zealand, and England. This is a place where kids can come be kids. A place where they're not connected to technology. They're able to get out in nature and hear God speak. It's just a special time for kids to get away. The food is great. The activities are great. That's all the bonus stuff. Kids get to play, which is so important to them."

Campers and their parents have left rave reviews: "It really helps you to go back to God, and it's a whole different world without technology," one camper said. "It's also really fun, and you bond with other Christian friends."

One parent said, "When you go pick up your child and his face has a smile ear to ear and he says, 'This year was even better than last!' you know as a parent, God is present."

Black Rock is not content to rest. "Black Rock is continuing to grow and expand," said Fiorello. "We're excited about our summer programs. We're going to continue to be creative and grow those programs in the future, providing more opportunities for more kids to come to camp."

1/28/2025