November 3, 2026
Capturing Glimpses of God’s Glory: An Interview with Nature Photographer Kenneth Keifer
Landon Shuman
Ministries & Organizations
Retreat Center
Restoration Movement ministries, missions, colleges and organizations.
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Independent Christian ChurchTHE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat CenterTHE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center serves students, churches, schools, and retreat groups through…Independent Christian Church · Missions
THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center
THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center — Organization Profile THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center is a nonprofit Christian camp and retreat ministry in Indiana. The organization exists to create communities of grace everywhere God leads…
THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center — Organization Profile THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center is a nonprofit Christian camp and retreat ministry in Indiana. The organization exists to create communities of grace everywhere God leads and describes its ministry as Bible-based, Christ-centered, discipleship-directed, and mission-minded. Its public materials state that THE ARK began in 1948 as a summer camp for children and teens and continues to serve through camps, retreats, internships, missions, schools, and year-round programming. THE ARK is located in Converse, Indiana, between Marion and Kokomo, and serves children, teens, families, churches, schools, retreat groups, volunteers, and ministry partners from the surrounding region and beyond. Its campus provides space for youth formation, outdoor learning,…
THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center — Organization Profile
THE ARK Christian Ministries Camp & Retreat Center is a nonprofit Christian camp and retreat ministry in Indiana. The organization exists to create communities of grace everywhere God leads and describes its ministry as Bible-based, Christ-centered, discipleship-directed, and mission-minded. Its public materials state that THE ARK began in 1948 as a summer camp for children and teens and continues to serve through camps, retreats, internships, missions, schools, and year-round programming.
THE ARK is located in Converse, Indiana, between Marion and Kokomo, and serves children, teens, families, churches, schools, retreat groups, volunteers, and ministry partners from the surrounding region and beyond. Its campus provides space for youth formation, outdoor learning, team building, spiritual retreats, and group gatherings. The ministry’s stated purpose is to reach and teach the next generation while serving its community with a Christ-like attitude.
The organization’s core focus is summer camp and year-round discipleship programming for students of all ages. Its camp schedule includes programs for elementary, middle school, and high school students, with options such as Quest, Connect, Huddle Up, Extremes, Jungle Huts, S.T.E.M. ’N Nature, Switch, Edge, Thai Huts, wilderness camps, Encounter, Pathway, and Mephibosheth. Camp experiences are designed around community, worship, Bible study, outdoor activities, and age-appropriate opportunities for students to grow in faith.
THE ARK also operates as a year-round retreat and conference center for churches, schools, families, organizations, and guest groups. Retreat facilities include a Conference Center with meeting space, dining support, dormitory lodging, a gym-style multipurpose room, lobby, fireplace, and commercial kitchen. Additional lodging and gathering spaces include The Cave, Lakeside Cabins, Cottages, and the Dome, with options for large groups, smaller leadership teams, retreat speakers, and personal sabbatical use.
Beyond camps and retreats, THE ARK offers school programming, internships, missions opportunities, volunteer roles, and special events. Its school options include resources for homeschoolers and public or private schools, while its internship ministry includes summer and two-year pathways for developing young leaders. The ministry also provides ways for people to serve through summer camp volunteer faculty, kitchen volunteering, maintenance volunteering, and Program 365 volunteer opportunities.
People can engage THE ARK by registering for camp, booking a retreat, volunteering, applying for an internship, supporting the ministry financially, attending events, using school programming, or contacting the camp office for more information. Churches and families can also connect through camper registration, retreat rentals, missions opportunities, alumni events, and donations that support the ongoing work of the camp and retreat center.
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Independent Christian ChurchCrossing CampCrossing Camp serves children, students, churches, and guest groups through Christian summer camps, retreats, worship, small…Independent Christian Church · Missions
Crossing Camp
Crossing Camp — Organization Profile Crossing Camp is a Christian camp and retreat ministry connected with Crossing Church. The camp’s mission is to help people, children and adults alike, find an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its programs are…
Crossing Camp — Organization Profile Crossing Camp is a Christian camp and retreat ministry connected with Crossing Church. The camp’s mission is to help people, children and adults alike, find an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its programs are designed to create a safe, focused setting where children, students, churches, and guest groups can learn about Christ’s love, grow in faith, build community, and enjoy outdoor camp experiences. Crossing Camp is located in Rushville, Illinois, about four miles southwest of Rushville on Highway 24. It serves students and groups connected with Crossing Church campuses across Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, including communities such as Hannibal, Jacksonville, Keokuk, Kirksville, Lima, Macomb, Monmouth, Mount Sterling, Pike County, Quincy, and Wever. The camp…
Crossing Camp — Organization Profile
Crossing Camp is a Christian camp and retreat ministry connected with Crossing Church. The camp’s mission is to help people, children and adults alike, find an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its programs are designed to create a safe, focused setting where children, students, churches, and guest groups can learn about Christ’s love, grow in faith, build community, and enjoy outdoor camp experiences.
Crossing Camp is located in Rushville, Illinois, about four miles southwest of Rushville on Highway 24. It serves students and groups connected with Crossing Church campuses across Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, including communities such as Hannibal, Jacksonville, Keokuk, Kirksville, Lima, Macomb, Monmouth, Mount Sterling, Pike County, Quincy, and Wever. The camp also hosts guest groups looking for a retreat setting in west-central Illinois.
The camp offers summer programs for students in grades K–12. Its Crossing Camps are designed for specific age groups so children and students can participate in age-appropriate teaching, worship, activities, and small-group relationships. Campers are placed in small groups with other students their age and paired with adult leaders who help guide the camp experience. The camp describes its summer youth programs as opportunities for students to encounter Jesus, have fun, build teamwork, and participate in community.
Crossing Camp also offers guest group opportunities for churches, ministries, schools, and other groups planning retreats, conferences, and events. The camp works with leaders to understand each group’s goals and help shape the schedule, spaces, environments, and activities around the event. Guest group facilities include lodging, food service, meeting space, recreation areas, and staff support.
The property includes 29 acres of retreat space with an auditorium, gymnasium, lodge, barn, station, marriage retreat center, café, cafeteria, pavilion, shower house, pool, lake, disc golf, field games, soccer, playground, and other camp activities. The facilities page notes capacity for groups up to 390 people, with an auditorium seating 325, a cafeteria seating 204, climate-controlled lodging, ADA-accessible spaces, and recreational areas designed for both structured programming and free-time activities.
People can engage with Crossing Camp by registering students for summer camp, booking a guest group retreat, volunteering, applying for summer staff, supporting the scholarship fund, inviting students to attend, or contacting the camp with questions about programs and facilities. Scholarship donations help children and students attend camp, and volunteer and summer staff opportunities provide practical ways to serve during the camp season.
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Leadership: Not publicly listed.
Independent Christian ChurchChile MissionChile Mission serves families, children, youth, and churches in Chile through Dulce Refugio medical housing, Campo…Independent Christian Church · Missions
Chile Mission
Chile Mission — Organization Profile Chile Mission is a Christian mission serving in Chile with a stated purpose of being sent out by the church to reach people, especially children, with the love of Jesus so they may know and…
Chile Mission — Organization Profile Chile Mission is a Christian mission serving in Chile with a stated purpose of being sent out by the church to reach people, especially children, with the love of Jesus so they may know and follow him. Jack and Janine Swanson began missionary preparation in 1992, arrived in Santiago, Chile, in November 1993, and the ministry later developed as an organized mission entity through the purchase of a ministry site in La Cisterna, Santiago, in 2001. The mission is based in Santiago, Chile, with ministry also extending to middle rural Chile, between Chillán and Concepción. Its work serves Chilean families, children, youth, adults, local churches, and people who travel to Santiago from other parts of…
Chile Mission — Organization Profile
Chile Mission is a Christian mission serving in Chile with a stated purpose of being sent out by the church to reach people, especially children, with the love of Jesus so they may know and follow him. Jack and Janine Swanson began missionary preparation in 1992, arrived in Santiago, Chile, in November 1993, and the ministry later developed as an organized mission entity through the purchase of a ministry site in La Cisterna, Santiago, in 2001.
The mission is based in Santiago, Chile, with ministry also extending to middle rural Chile, between Chillán and Concepción. Its work serves Chilean families, children, youth, adults, local churches, and people who travel to Santiago from other parts of the country for medical treatment. Chile Mission also connects with Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Chile and with supporting churches and individuals in the United States.
One of Chile Mission’s main ministries is Casa de Acogida “Dulce Refugio,” or Sweet Refuge House. This ministry provides temporary housing with emotional and spiritual support for parents of hospitalized children and adults receiving medical treatment in Santiago. The residence operates on the mission property in La Cisterna, where families from other parts of Chile may stay while facing burns, cancer, transplants, and other long-term medical situations.
Chile Mission’s other major ministry focus is Campo Vivo, a developing Christian children’s and youth camp and retreat center on a 90-acre rural property in middle Chile. The project is designed to provide a Christian camp setting for children, youth, adults, church retreats, marriage encounters, pastoral restoration, seminars, and future community outreach. The land was purchased in 2019, and development has included planning, infrastructure work, roads, fencing, and preparation for future buildings and ministry use.
The mission has also been connected with community ministries such as English Club, a pre-evangelistic English-learning outreach, and teaching at La Casa del Alfarero, a Christian live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men. Some of these ministries are described as dormant or dependent on additional Spanish-speaking team members, but they show the mission’s broader approach of building relationships, meeting practical needs, and sharing Christian teaching.
People can engage with Chile Mission by praying for the monthly needs shared through its updates, giving financially, contacting the mission about serving, helping with Campo Vivo development, or participating in cross-cultural service opportunities. The mission also notes its need for Spanish-speaking missionaries or couples with skills such as counseling, construction, cultivation, animal-raising, and ministry support in Santiago and rural Chile.
