1965       A group of churches had a need of a summer camp facility. Men searched Southern Ohio and felt God's leading in the purchase of a pay lake site 8 miles north east of Wheelersburg in Scioto County, Ohio. Thus was born the name Scioto Hills Baptist Camp.

 

1977     Although the camp saw great summers and many come to Christ through the summer camp ministry, the financial situation of the camp was less then desirable. With a thirty-five hundred dollar note over-due twice, a twenty-seven thousand dollar mortgage, and no income until the following summer registration, the board made a bold and timely move to bring in a full-time staff couple, Gary and Nancy Storm.

 

1989     Much work went into the organization and facilities in these short twelve years. Camper attendance reached over eight hundred and the winter retreat program was beginning to be well established. The one-man staff had grown to include a general director, program director, maintenance director, and a building director.

 

1995     The camp organization made another major move by positioning another administration position of Camp Director.

 

1997     The camp staff grew amazingly that year with the addition of two more maintenance positions and fulfilled a long empty position for the food service. With the summer camp attendance well over fourteen hundred and the retreat season seeing over twenty-five hundred campers, the camp sought to implement another bold and timely move by initiating a new strategic plan.

 

1998     Scioto Hills made another major transition with the Executive Director (Gary Storm) of 22 years seeking to lessen responsibilities. He communicated in September of 1998 that he would be moving himself from the position of Executive Director to enhance the camp from different positions as a project manager, advisor and in external relations. During this period, Matt Pearson, son-in-law and Camp Director (8 years) and previous Program Director (3 years), moved into the position of Executive Director.

 

1999     As the summer attendance grew; Scioto Hills sought to maintain an effective and purposeful ministry. To preserve small camper/counselor ratios, Scioto Hills made its first major move to introduce multiple programs that included up to four separate camps per week.

 

2002     Scioto Hills grew to eleven permanent staff families, a summer attendance of over 1800 campers, and retreat season of over 4000 campers. The completion of the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center) marked the largest camp project.

 

2005     Chuck Morgret joined the camp staff as Executive Director in April 2005, along with his wife Kari and two sons. He served Scioto Hills until December 31, 2005.

 

2006     The Board hired Scott Bruns, Christian school administrator from Colorado, in March 2006 to fill the vacant Executive Director role. The Bruns family began their ministry at Scioto Hills Camp on July 1. With their arrival, the permanent staff includes six families. The camp is continuing to build upon the rich heritage established over the last forty years by strengthening relationships with local churches and improving our facilities and programs. Our aim is to “Love the Past—Live the Future.”

 

2007    The camp invested $120,000 and many hours into remodeling projects to give Scioto Hills a needed facelift. The main areas of emphasis included an addition to the Nurse’s Station, new kitchen equipment, air-conditioning in the Dining Hall, directional signs throughout the camp property, and two new sound systems. Various other projects helped to make Scioto Hills more efficient, cleaner, and safer for guests. Also in 2007, new programs were launched including The Avalanche, a triple zip line, adjacent to The Summit climbing wall. Additionally, TeePee canvases and platforms were purchased and/or constructed to allow for 9 campout sites during the summer.

 

2009    Another log cabin and shower house was completed to be used by New Frontier campers. With the completion of Rincon cabin, 20 additional campers can attend Scioto Hills each week. Also, under Scott Bruns direction, a new theme “Designed for Life Change” was established. This theme encompasses Scioto Hills’ desire to provide purposeful programming and professional training as the camp meets the needs of local churches. Moreover, Scott introduced 7 new retreats since his arrival; Scioto Hills has an event for everyone in the church family. Scioto Hills believes the current state of our culture provides great opportunities for people to benefit from Christian Camping.