Category Archives: PYOCA

Pyoca Confirmation Retreat March 3rd – 5th, 2023

Confirmation RetreatSave the date! We’re kicking off our 2023 program season with our annual Confirmation Retreat, open to youth in grades 6 – 12 and their mentors. This retreat focuses on building strong bonds between youth and their mentors, as well as helping confirmands learn the tools they will need on a lifelong journey of faith. This year’s retreat keynote speaker is Rev. Carrie Winebrenner, Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Learn more today.

Pyoca Summer Camp Registration 2021

Pyoca staff are working hard to ensure a safe return to summer camp programs this year. Please check out the Pyoca website for regular updates.

When does summer camp registration open?

  • Camp registration opens Monday, February 8th.
  • Click here to set up or update your account in the registration portal.

My church registers our children and youth for camp, rather than parents or guardians registering them, is there anything I need to know?

  • With reduced cabin capacities, meaning fewer campers on-site each week, Pyoca is introducing waitlists this year.
  • If you are hoping to have your children/youth registered all together during the same week, you are encouraged to register them early.

What information will I find on the website?

We hope that this information helps you determine if in-person programming is right for your church youth and/or family this summer.

Pyoca Update

PASTORAL RESPITE

Pyoca is on a path to re-opening our doors, beginning in mid-July.

Our soft opening will start with overnight respite for Presbytery of Ohio Valley and Whitewater Valley Presbytery ministers and chaplains. Each pastor (immediate family is welcome to join) will be housed in their own cabin, either the Poplar Apartment or Oak/Cedar cabins. Guests will be responsible for their own meals. Dates and cabins will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Stays are of no cost to pastors, made possible with the generous support of both presbyteries.

Pyoca is following enhanced cleaning procedures set fourth by the CDC, and additionally, air purifiers have been installed in all cabins.

Call Pyoca at (812) 358-3413 or email molly@pyoca.org for more details and to reserve your visit today.

A Message from Mike & Molly:
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of camp in this season. It has been incredibly strange for us to be at camp without hearing the melodious sounds of campers laughing, singing, and lifting up their prayers to God.

That said, working on Camp to You has been such a joy. We have loved seeing pictures of campers and their families opening their boxes, making their tie-dye shirts, and getting a bit of camp at home.

In total, we were able to send out nearly 300 boxes to campers and alumni with this program. We are incredibly grateful to our four summer staff Eli, Ethan, Kari, and Abigail who were able to help us make this program a reality.

We are still at work with our board discerning how to open safely in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are committed to staying connected virtually through all of our social media platforms.

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel,
Pyoca Camp and Retreat Center, where you can watch devotionals that go along with this summer’s camp theme, craft and outdoor cooking tutorials, silly songs, and more.

This Summer of Sanctuary is unlike any other we have had in 68 years, and it is one we are likely never to forget. You are missed. You are loved. We can’t wait to see you.

The peace of Christ be with you,

Mike Davis, Senior Director
Rev. Molly DeWitt, Program Director

Pyoca Summer 2020 Updates for Congregations

To our presbytery and congregational partners,

We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from you and our greater camp community upon our announcement to cancel 2020 summer camp programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While this decision deeply saddens us, we know that it is the best one we could make for our community as a whole.

This is also a historic decision, as this is the first time in 68 years that we will not have on-site camp programming. We are looking to move forward with new ways to engage safely with our campers and greater community in the weeks to come.

As we move forward we want to keep you all updated, as so many of you support your camper families through generous mission dollars. Information regarding registrations from this summer and our new outreach program Camp to You can be found below.

No Risk Registration: Updated Information for Churches
We remain committed to our No Risk Registration policy. As previously stated, families and churches have the following options regarding their camp registration fees:

  • Donate all or a portion of your camper fees to the ministry of Pyoca,
  • Hold all or a portion of your camper fees toward a future Pyoca program,
  • Or, receive a full or partial refund of paid camper fees.

Churches that have paid all or a portion of 2020 camper fees will receive a follow-up email to determine how you would like to move forward. For families who have registered without paying a deposit or fees, no further action is required at this time.

To help Pyoca through this difficult time, we are asking our church partners to prayerfully consider covering the cost of your anticipated camper fees for this summer. We know this is also a trying time for congregations and appreciate your consideration. Your continued support this summer will allow us to provide transformative camp experiences for years to come.

Have additional questions? Feel free to call our office at (812) 358-3413 or email program@pyoca.org.

Camp to You
Camp may not look the same this summer, but a little bit of camp is coming to our campers! We will be connecting with all of our campers this summer through our free Camp to You program.

Campers will receive a box full of camp activities focusing on this summer’s theme, Bible study resources, and a camp t-shirt.

All campers registered for the 2019 camp season and eligible for the 2020 season, as well as new campers registered in 2020, will be receiving a free box.

If covering the cost of camper registration fees is not feasible, we are asking churches to consider covering the cost of providing Camp to You for their children and youth. This program will also be available for purchase if additional youth from your congregation are interested in participating in the program. Please let us know if you would like to place an order and we can have them delivered to your church.

Camp to You will also be available in an alumni version, full of camp swag! Each purchase of an Alumni Camp to You box will cover the cost of one camper box. These will be available for purchase June 1st and shipped out in early July.

More information will be available concerning Camp to You pricing and availability later this month.
_____

Thank you for your unending support of this ministry. We are incredibly grateful to have such wonderful congregational partners.

May Christ’s peace be with each and every one of you.

Mike Davis, Senior Director
Rev. Molly DeWitt, Program Director
Pyoca Advisory Council

Pyoca Summer Camp Registration (COVID-19 Update)

A message from Pyoca Camp & Retreat Center:

It is critical to our mission as an organization that welcomes and serves all to be able to make camp a possibility for as many pwoplw as we can Although we are living in a world that is changing day to day, we promise our camp families this moving forward:

  • No Deposit is required to register your child(ren) for camp for the remainder of the 2020 season.
  • Scholarships, as always, remain available to all families who request them.
  • No child is turned away due to financial need.

In the event any camp programs is canceled or rescheduled due to COVID-19, families have the option to:

  • Donate any/all of their fees to Pyoca.
  • Apply any/all deposits or fees to a future Pyoca program, or,
  • Receive a refund of any/all deposits or fees paid.

We thanks you for your support of this life changing ministry.

For any questions, please email program@pyoca.org, or call our office at (812) 358-3413.

For more information about Summer Camp, or other Pyoca Programs, please visit the Pyoca Camp & Retreat Center website at: http://pyoca.org/

Pyoca News: Registrations for Summer Camp and Confirmation Retreat are Open!

Summer Camp

Camper registration is officially open and families may notice a few changes, as our registration system has gotten a bit of a facelift. We hope you find registration to be easier, more informative, and more efficient. For information regarding what you will need to register, head on over to our website.

Be sure to check out our new programs! Both You & Me Camp and C.I.T. Camp (Counselor in Training) were introduced in 2019 with great success, and we want to make sure families get to know these fantastic programs in 2020. We also have a brand new environmental program for Discover age campers!

Confirmation Retreat – March 2020

All 2020 PC(USA) confirmands and their mentors are welcome to join us as we connect with confirmands across IN, KY, and OH. Learn about what binds us together, not only as Presbyterians, but as a universal church. Come ready to make new friends and start your statement of faith!
Each year, our goal is to connect youth to a wider Christian community beyond their local congregation.

We believe it is especially important for youth to build a supportive faith network of peers with the support of their pastors and mentors. This retreat will place youth into house churches that will build their own churches through team building, low ropes, high ropes (weather permitting), and developing a church statement of faith outlining their church’s understanding of Christian discipleship. We will also explore PC(USA)’s understanding of discipleship through the Matthew 25 initiative.

We highly encourage confirmation mentors to join their youth. Mentorship in the church is a key factor in continued youth engagement and faith formation. The cost per person is $110 for the weekend. This includes all meals, lodging, adventure activities, and programming. Registration forms available here.

9-27-19 is the Registration Deadline for Pyoca Fall Youth Conference!

Register now for #FYC2019!

Can you believe it? Pyoca’s Fall Youth Conference is just two weeks away!

Check out the information below to complete your youth group’s registration. The registration deadline is this Friday, Sept. 27th, so be sure to register soon!

Have questions regarding registration? We’re here to help! Feel free to email Program Director Rev. Molly DeWitt at molly@pyoca.org for registration assistance, or call the Pyoca office at (812) 358-3413.

How to Register:

FYC registration is by church, rather than by individual. Each church must designate a Youth Registrar, most often a Youth Director or volunteer youth leader.

If you have individual youth looking to join us, but do not have a full group, let us know and we can assist in pairing you with a partner church!

Step One: Please indicate to the Pyoca office your intent to join us by submitting the Group Pre-Registration Form and Youth Leader Registration Form via email to Molly DeWitt (molly@pyoca.org) no later than Friday, Sept. 27th, 2019. That way, we have a general estimate on how many youth and adults will be joining us.

Step Two: Have each youth participant fill out the FYC Youth Registration Form and return them to the Registrar. Youth forms can be sent via mail or email to Molly DeWitt. If needed, youth forms can be brought to the conference on Friday, Oct. 4th.

  • After the registration deadline, one?for?one substitutions of the same gender may be made.
  • Additional registrations will be accepted if space is available.

For substitutions or additions, contact Molly DeWitt at molly@pyoca.org or (812) 358-3413.
Additional information and all conference forms can be found here.

We are delighted to welcome Rev. Shelly Wood and Matthew Black as this year’s keynote speaker and worship leader. We would also like to welcome Justin Wade, Executive Director of Young Actors Theatre in Indianapolis, as the guest speaker for our Saturday evening vesper service.

This year’s theme is A Light in the Darkness. We know that youth are not immune to darkness and times of struggle. They deserve to have a space that is open for them to talk about their fears, anxieties, and what challenges them.
When we are able to talk about the darkness around us we bring light to difficult situations. We find hope that God is right alongside us in our darkest places moving us into the light.

This year’s theme will focus on the story of Zacchaeus and what it means to see, be seen, and share the light of Christ with others.

The conference is open to any youth group and their youth leaders. Youth in grades 6-12 are welcome. Small groups will be split by age group, 6th-8th grade and 9th-12th. Individual youth without a group attending are encouraged to group up with another church to register.

Be sure to check out our flyer!

All general conference information (fees, registration, etc.) can be found in the FYC Church Group Information sheet.

We look forward to having you with us in a few short weeks and will be praying for your youth and congregations!

If you have any questions at all about the Fall Youth Conference, or any other Pyoca programs, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Molly DeWitt
Program Director

If you have any questions regarding Pyoca programs, please email program@pyoca.org or call (812) 358-3413.