Challenging youth
to know and follow hard after Jesus.

Camp Living Stones is a Christian outdoor recreation and adventure youth camp located near the beautiful Cherokee National Forest.  During the summer, we offer one week, gospel-centered, fully-programmed experiences that are designed to challenge students, grades 6-12, in a relationally-intentional, group-oriented environment to know and follow hard after Jesus Christ.  Additionally, we offer year-round retreat services.

Faith Statement

 There are a number of characteristics that we find essential to our Christian faith.

• First, we believe that the Bible is God’s Word, given by divine inspiration. God’s Word reveals his love and plan for humanity. God’s Word is all truth, without error, and applies to all people. God’s Word is the authority we will fall under.

II Timothy 3:16 reads, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting false teaching, and giving instruction for right living...”

• Second, we believe in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I Peter 1:2 explains, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.”

• Next, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God’s Son became man and was fully man and fully God. Jesus provides salvation to all people through his atoning death and bodily resurrection. Jesus died and conquered sin for all people. Salvation is received when one admits he is a sinner, repents of his sin, and places his faith in the death, resurrection, and life of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus intercedes for all believers and lives in all believers as our Lord.

• To continue, we believe that all have the opportunity to have a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Such a relationship is strengthened through a daily commitment of spending time in prayer and the reading of God’s word.

      Through the reading of God’s Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can better understand the life of Christ and how to live that life. We also believe that as Christians, we have the responsibility to share and explain our personal relationship with Jesus Christ with those we encounter through our daily lives. Our testimony is simply an overflow of joy we receive through our relationship with Jesus and the hope we have in Christ’s return.

      We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. All who believe in Jesus Christ are members of the church. Ephesians 1:22-23 reads, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him (Jesus) to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” We believe that it is necessary for all Christians to be a member of a local church; this provides believers with the opportunity to grow spiritually, hold one another accountable, worship corporately, and to carry the gospel into the community.

      Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. The relationship is with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship is a gift from God that cannot be earned by one and cannot be forced on another. This gift can simply be received by one, and as Christians, it is our responsibility to share with others the forgiving, loving, exciting relationship that we have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

CLS MISSION

The mission of Camp Living Stones is to strengthen tomorrow’s leaders, encouraging them as individuals to mature socially, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The CLS mission is built on the following beliefs:

• All people are created and loved equally by God.

• All have the need to develop as Christ developed – socially, mentally, physically and spiritually. (Luke 2:52)

• Experiencing God’s creation in a challenging recreational setting creates a unique opportunity for youth to be RE-CREATED, to become the person God intends them to be.

• A relationship with God requires a consistent daily commitment.  It is our hope that camp influences will become incorporated into the participants’ daily life after returning home.