How does a young boy grow into a man? A man of values? A man of principle? A godly man? In a world ripe with confusion and conflicting messages, the pathway to manhood is anything but easy to navigate.
While we certainly can’t correct all of the spiritual and social woes in a single four-day weekend, we can strive to come alongside fathers who want to do everything possible to make the most of the fleeting years of boyhood.
In a Nutshell
For those of you who just want the facts, here goes.
Four-day camp: Fathers and sons or daughters begin arriving Thursday afternoon. The camp concludes Sunday at noon, just after worship.
Location: Father and Son Camp East is located in Southwest Pennsylvania, just outside of Waynesburg, on the beautiful rolling Strath An Dé Farm, owned by Jim and Barb Butler.
Age of Sons: New rule starting in 2025. We have decided to have a minimum age of 6 years old prior to each camp for both sons and daughters.
Camping: A camping spot, complete with firewood, is provided. Dads bring their own tent and camping gear.
Food: While three evening meals are provided, Dad is responsible for preparing breakfast, lunch and snacks for him and his sons or daughters. Each campsite has a fire ring for cooking and a picnic table will be in close proximity. (Meal details are located on our FAQ page.)
Program: What do we do for 4-days? A lot! We begin and end each day with a special message forfathers-sons-daughters from a Christian speaker, bringing an encouraging, challenging message to each. Then, there’s activities such as hiking, disc golf and archery, not to mention, water slide, zip lines, clay pigeon shooting, a rifle range and knife throwing!
Cost: There is not a set cost for the camp. Instead, it is by “donation only.” While there are expenses for putting on a camp such as this, we never want cost to keep a father from bringing his son/s. (For those who do want to donate, it is estimated that the camp costs approximately $70 to $80 per person for the food/program and $90 for each campsite for the full camp.). See "Donate" in the menu bar for a full FAQ section relating to our costs.
Registration: It’s very important to pre-register online so that we know exactly how many campsites to have prepared and how much food to purchase. If you’re an extra nice sort of chap, you might even give us ample notice by signing up early! (Registration is encouraged for our July camp by early June, and for our October camp early September.)
What to do next? Pray about it, talk with your family, and then, register online. We also ask you to pray and consider if there’s another man in your life who may need encouragement as a dad. Why don’t you consider inviting him and his son/s or daughter/s.
Lead Speaker/Teachers Father and Daughter Camp East 2025
Sarah is the founder of Bright Lights, a discipleship ministry designed to equip young ladies to use the years of their youth fully for Christ. She is the author of Speak Truth in Your Heart, Before You Meet Prince Charming and the coauthor (with her siblings) of Making Brothers and Sisters Best FriendsAndrew majored in Christian Ministry and Bible. He also has a Masters of Divinity in Christian Education and a Doctorate of Education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been active in youth ministry, college ministry, and young adult ministry in church, para-church, and academic settings.
Harold and Rebekah Mally have been involved in Christian work since 1970. They began homeschooling in 1990, with the desire to see their children become a team to serve the Lord together. Their children, Sarah, Stephen, and Grace, and two sons-in-law, Andrew and Josiah, continue to work with them in ministry to strengthen families in the Lord and equip the next generation to speak boldly for Christ. In addition to being an elder/teacher at Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel, Harold spends his time discipling men, evangelizing the lost, and leading the Tomorrow’s Forefathers ministry. Rebekah is the encourager who takes care of countless practical needs behind the scenes. A new joy in their life is spending time with their little granddaughter, Hosanna.Lead Speaker/Teachers Father and Son Camp East 2025
For the upcoming Father and Son Camp East we welcome Todd Pearage as our lead Speaker/Teacher.
Todd was born and raised in Scranton, PA. He attended Cairn University in Langhorne, PA where he met his wife, Lynda. They have been married for 28 years and have three amazing children: Brianna, Caleb, and Addyson.
Todd has served the local church as a senior pastor, and then a youth pastor for over 26 years. He and his wife currently serve as Shepherds with Standing Stone Ministries and together created a ministry specifically for youth pastors and spouses called The Youth Leader Oasis.
Todd's unwavering dedication to youth ministry is a testament to his commitment. While he may no longer be ordering pizzas or attending lock-ins, his passion for supporting, coaching, and caring for youth pastors across the country remains as strong as ever. He firmly believes that healthy youth pastors are the cornerstone of healthy youth ministries.
He is a PACT Ministry certified ministry coach and author of over 100 resources for Download Youth Ministry. He speaks at churches, camps, and training events throughout the year and co-hosts the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast.
When Todd is not working with youth pastors, you can find him spending time with his family and cheering on his beloved teams from Pittsburgh.
Youth Speaker/Teacher Both Camps 2025
Aaron Butler, our Youth Speaker/Teacher's background as a winning football coach, educator and high school principal will be active again at this fall's camp, drawing fathers and sons together and motivating them to continue being teammates forever. We look forward to his messages and the challenging teamwork mini-projects. We'll see what comes this year after last years Armour of God lessons.
Matt Stewart, Lead Vocalist for The Soldiers and Sons Christian Music Group is leading us in 2024. Solders and Sons performs regionally and at national christian music festivals. Matt is also the Worship Leader and band director for Waynesburg Bible Chapel.
I became interested in music at a young age. My mother and father were a huge influence in my life. They saw early on that God had given me gifts and talents to play and sing. They encouraged me to use them for His glory. I remember very vividly being in my dad’s hospital room and telling him that I had decided to work on music full time. I enjoy sharing music because it not only is a form of worship but it can inspire us in a way words can’t do alone.
He is a PACT Ministry certified ministry coach and author of over 100 resources for Download Youth Ministry. He speaks at churches, camps, and training events throughout the year and co-hosts the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast.
The Word of God is our rule for faith and practice. All aspects of our ministry are based on our understanding of God's Word.
While believing the above and not diminishing the importance of sound doctrine, we hold that the basis for fellowship between believers is not doctrine, but a mutual faith and love in Jesus Christ.
We understand that this camp belongs to God. It is His and not ours. We are privileged to use it to bring Christ-centered healing, renewal, and joy to fathers and their children.
Finally, we believe that all campers are drawn here by the Holy Spirit. Ours is not a chance occurrence but a God ordained connection. So, all families are welcome, those with a long history of following Christ and those who have not made the acquaintance. We are all on the journey together.
We earnestly and prayerfully commit to:
Do all for the glory of God.
Encourage all campers to receive God's gift of His Son, and make him their Savior and Lord.
Provide a genuine retreat, limit outside distractions, and dedicate our time to focus on relationships, within the family and with our Lord.
Experience Christ-centered healing, renewal, and joy in the relationship between fathers and their sons and daughters.
Combine inspiring worship with exciting outdoor activities that create memories for a lifetime.
Equip fathers to understand and embrace their role as spiritual leader in the home.
Understand how God's plan for the family may conflict with our secular culture.
Learn from each other how to live out an authentic, Christ-centered life. We are on this journey together.
It all started in 1995 when a 3-year old, named Max, asked his father if he could take a camping trip for his birthday, with “no girls allowed.” Four other men and boys went with Max and his father camping. Since that first camping adventure, the numbers for the original “Father and Son Camp” have grown to more than 600 fathers and sons gathering each year in central Illinois for a time of growth and instruction.
Inspired by the stories of the fathers and sons and the vision of the original “Father and Son Camp,” a new camp, “Father and Son Camp East” was birthed in 2012 with the vision of bringing a similar experience to fathers and sons on the East coast.
Though completely separate and autonomous, the new camp holds the same Biblical vision for authentic manhood and is based upon the same Scriptural principles.
Today, the “Father and Son Camp East” is thankful for the legacy of Godly leadership that was established by the faithful men who founded the original camp.
After each camp, we ask for feedback from our participants. We use this feedback to improve our activities and schedules to make the best experiences possible.
Click through the feedback to see testimonials from previous campers.
These are some mementos created by campers
