Welcome to Moose River Outpost, Families!
Welcome!
Here at camp, our aim has always been to foster vibrant Christian communities located in awe-inspiring outdoor settings where young people are spiritually transformed through Christ-centered relationships. As we look forward, our mission is more critical than ever before. In a culture that is filled with conflicting philosophies, we believe that the historic Christian faith reflects the truth. We desire for Moose River Outpost to be a place where young men and women encounter Jesus in a real and tangible way, grow in their understanding of a Christian worldview, and gain life skills that will help them flourish in any community.
The reason parents choose Moose River Outpost is that their kids change here. A camper at MRO often comes initially for the fun activities or because they have a friend that is already registered. We tell them on the very first night that our hope is that they will take the next step in their spiritual journey here. If that is to find out who Jesus is and that he died for us, we want that to happen here. If they already profess faith in Jesus, maybe they decide to read their Bible on a regular basis. We don’t do “altar calls,” we live authentic lives as Christians together invested in the “long game” of the Christian life. Parents tell us that their kids come home from camp better people, more helpful, more invested in their faith, and better students.
One important thing to recognize is that MRO is remote, but that distance is one of the best things about the camp. How many places are left in the United States where you can look up at the night sky and see planets, shooting stars, and even the haze of the Milky Way overhead? Where else can a counselor lead his campers out the door of their cabin and directly onto a hike up a 3,600-foot mountain? How many camps stare across their lake and see nothing. No homes. No boats. Just uninterrupted shoreline and perhaps a passing loon. For that matter, what other camp can truly call their lake, their lake—187 acres of glassy stillness in the morning, and 187 acres of sailing, sailing, paddling, and swimming until the sun dips low.
When you stand at the shore of MRO’s lake you know you have separated from your normal life. Being that separated from your norms creates a new feeling of home. The property is special because it feels like a home-away-from-home, but a bit different. MRO is a home where cell phones don’t really work, so we don’t carry them; where we don’t have cable or internet at our fingertips, or even at all; a home where connecting with people happens all the time; where social interaction is truly social; a home where it’s easy to connect with God. We purposefully remove ourselves from the norms to help us take that next step in our spiritual journey.
We have “PQT” (personal quiet time) in our schedule every day, we have chapel and cabin devotions, we take time to debrief our days together and we find that we grow. The remoteness of our camp isn’t the secret ingredient that makes this all happen, but it helps.
The “secret ingredient” at Moose River Outpost is the staff. We hire the best young adult Christians we can to put in cabins. We train them to take care of and look after your kids. We invest in them and their spiritual development so they can, in turn, invest in your kids. The MRO staff are eager to meet your son or daughter and “Seek Christ, Build Community, and Embrace Adventure” with them. Your son or daughter might find a new home-away-from-home in the middle of nowhere in Maine this summer!