Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes, Inc.
Proclaiming Christ...Providing Care
Special Friends Camp provides an exciting, safe, well-supervised Christian camp experience for individuals with mentally handicapping conditions. Camps are held each July at Camp Carson and Camp Linden.
Sponsored primarily by the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, the annual camp was created out of the need of many Tennessee Baptists to provide an enriching camp exeperience for their loved ones. Special Friends Camp was established by the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1983, and has been a ministry of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes since 1996.
A day at Special Friends Camp begins with Bible study right after breakfast. The day's activities include music, swimming, arts and crafts, drama, sports and games. After supper, campers gather for a time of worship and praise. They sing and hear a short message from the camp pastor. The final event of each day is "fun spot", during which campers have opportunity to express their talents and gifts.
In addition to providing a great experience for the campers, Special Friends Camp is a wonderful opportunity for young people to work on the camp staff. Each summer, about 60 young people invest two weeks to work as Special Friends Camp Counselors. With a staff to camper ratio of 1 to 3, they form lasting bonds with campers and learn that they receive through selfless giving to campers who need their help. Counselors grow closer to God and to each other as they tap hidden resources they didn't know they had.
Registration is open between February 1 and July 1 each year. Capacity at each one-week camp is 144 (72 females and 72 males).
To request a Camper Application or Staff Application, check the appropriate application below and complete the information requested.
