Our Mission
Carolina Bible Camp seeks to create a community of campers and volunteer staff who are dedicated to knowing and sharing the love of Christ.
We want our campers to create and deepen a relationship with God.
We prioritize creating strong relationships with peers and mentors, providing meaningful worship experiences, learning the Bible together, and having a great time outdoors and unplugged.
We believe now more than ever that kids need to be together. A week at CBC is an opportunity for the friendship, mentorship, and connection that has been lacking over the last 2 years of marked isolation.
Who We Are
Carolina Bible Camp (CBC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported and run by the churches of Christ, meaning we love acapella singing and learning the Bible together.
All CBC staff are background-checked volunteers! Directors, counselors, cooks, teachers, and all staff positions are filled by Christian volunteers who are dedicated to the mission and experience of CBC. Many are former campers returning to further the mission. Others are youth ministers, teachers, or preachers who have seen God’s hand at CBC in the lives of loved ones.
We monitor all persons coming onto our campus during our Bible camp sessions. All visitors must check in at the security station when entering.
We have many outdoor opportunities for campers and volunteers during free time including: swimming (boys and girls at different times), basketball, softball, sand volleyball, tennis, disc golf, gaga ball, and crafts. All camp activities are on CBC campus unless noted otherwise in registration documents.
The mission of Carolina Bible Camp is:
To provide the opportunity for spiritual growth by teaching God’s Word.
To grow Christ’s church through teaching and fellowship.
To provide the best and safest possible summer camp experience.
To provide ample opportunities to build memories for the future.
To provide the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships.
To sustain the facility for generations to come.
To show forth the spirit of Christ in all things.
Campers are accepted without regard to race, creed, or nationality.
Our History
Carolina Bible Camp began with a meeting in the basement of the Broad St. Church of Christ in Statesville, NC in 1956. In those days churches of Christ in the Carolinas were few and were often separated by distances. Opportunities for young people among the congregations to gather and fellowship were virtually non-existent. A group of men – H.R. Butler, C.W. Bradley, Ed Hill, Doug Gunselman, O.P. Baird and T.A. Isaacs — had a vision for a Bible camp for the young people of the Carolinas, and thus, CBC was born!
The first encampment was held in 1957 at Camp Thunderbird just south of Charlotte, NC, with 125 campers. The first weekly director was Doug Gunselman. Other weekly directors in those early years were T.A. Isaacs, Johnny Sewell and Bill G. Smith. However, it was the emergence of H. R. Butler as the weekly director for a period of almost 30 years that saw the camp grow and expand its weeks.
In 1962 the camp moved to Camp Hanes, a YMCA facility, near King, NC and remained there through the 1976 season. CBC experienced significant growth during its tenure at Camp Hanes, reaching a capacity of 200 campers each of its two weeks. During this period CBC was unable to accommodate more growth at that location so Christians from South Carolina formed Palmetto Bible Camp, having their first encampment in 1967.
In 1976 the YMCA board decided to use Camp Hanes exclusively for its own purposes in the summer months and CBC was forced to look for another location. From Camp Hanes it moved to Camp Kanata near Wake Forest, NC from 1977-79. Other locations included Camp Robert Vaughn near Walkertown, NC, in 1980; Camp Susan Barbour Jones near Westfield, NC., 1981-83; Camp Schaub, located in the mountains near Clyde, NC from 1984-85; and the Woodmen of the World Camp in Asheboro, NC from 1986-91.
In 1990 a 68-acre tract of land was purchased just outside Mocksville, NC. Finally, we had a place for a home of our own! CBC began the first year at its new home in 1992 with three weeks of camp and it wasn’t long before it expanded to its current format of seven weeks of Christian summer camp and a weekend of Winter Camp! Through the years thousands upon thousands of lives have been profoundly touched because of a vision acted upon in 1956! And across the years the shout continues to be heard, “CBC is the place for me!”