Higher Ground Encampment is a unique, week-long Bible camp for teen girls.  It usually takes place the first full week in August at the Eternal Purpose Retreat Center, located in the beautiful mountains of Sedalia, CO.  Higher Ground is a work of the Bear Valley church of Christ in Denver, CO.  It began in 2009 with twenty girls from local congregations.  Now Higher Ground applications fill up quickly by girls from coast to coast!

There are several things that make Higher Ground special.  First, the camp is free.  Most of the girls already have Bible camps that they’ve been attending for years.  We didn’t want them to have to choose between their favorite camps and Higher Ground because of cost.  Even canteen is provided every day for free!  Especially as the camp continues to grow in number, we are very grateful to Bear Valley members for their faithful generosity in helping with grocery items and additional expenses.  The only money a camper will need is if she wants to buy a Higher Ground t-shirt.

Higher Ground is also special because of its splendid setting.  Quiet nature, majestic mountains, and beautiful wildflowers surround the lodge.  There are trails to hike and ponds to admire.  The weather is mild and the sky is close.  We think it’s the perfect setting for a week of spiritual growth and fun!

Higher Ground is special because of its staff.  Each year, my co-director, Teri Autrey, and I are always thankful for the quality of the women willing to give up a week of their time.  They are faithful, grounded, fun, and hard-working.  They are preachers’ wives, elders’ wives, deacons’ wives, and youth ministers’ wives.  Our teachers, counselors, kitchen staff, and camp Grandma are all dedicated and humble women who love the Lord and love the opportunity to work with teen girls.

Higher Ground is special because of its traditions.  Although we’ve only had four years of camp so far, we already have certain events that we look forward to every year.  From the Movie Campout to the much-anticipated Spa Night, it is very true that teen girls can certainly enjoy a lot of good, clean fun together.  And from the daily “Speaking from the Heart” activities to always singing “The Greatest Commands” after the awards on Friday night, it is also very true that teen girls certainly have tender hearts and spiritual minds.

Most importantly, Higher Ground is special because of its emphasis on the Bible.  Our number one goal is to grow closer to God by gaining a deeper knowledge of His Word.  We accomplish this by offering daily Bible lessons, Bible classes, Bible application classes, and Bible-marking classes.  Teen girls love to be challenged and love to dig into a text to discover the Truth for themselves!

For more information about the camp, please contact one of the directors:

Teri Autrey’s email is tautrey@bvbid.org

Kathy Pollard’s email is KPsalm18@msn.com

Or visit the website at:

http://www.bearvalleycofc.com/higherground/

Kathy Pollard is married to Neal, whom she met at Faulkner University.  Neal preaches for the Bear Valley church of Christ in Denver, CO.  They have three sons–Gary, Dale, and Carl.  Kathy has enjoyed several short-term mission trips to Ukraine, Tanzania, and Cambodia.  She’s an instructor in the Women’s Program at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, and one of the directors of Higher Ground Encampment, a Bible camp for teen girls.