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3150 Maplecrest Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46815Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Registration opens in January(260) 555-0103
Fireside Day CampFort Wayne, Indiana
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Summer day camp in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Summer days with games, stories and a morning devotion

Fireside is a day camp for ages 5 to 12, run by a retired pastor and our congregation's volunteers on the church grounds. Six weeks in June and July, with a story, a song and a prayer each morning and a lot of time outside. Families from any church, or none, are welcome.

Register for a sessionWhat we teach
  • Ages 5 to 12
  • Six weeks, June and July
  • Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Two campers walking arm in arm along a wooded path with a counselor beside them

What we teach

A story, a song and a prayer each morning

Every camp day opens with about thirty minutes of devotion in the fellowship hall. The rest of the day is games, crafts, the woods and lunch.

  • Families of any church, or none, are welcome

  • A child who would rather listen than sing or pray may just listen

  • We never ask where your family worships

What we teach, and what to expect
Log benches set in a half circle in a clearing among trees, empty before the afternoon circle

A camp day

A day that starts with a story and ends in a circle

Mornings are outdoors, where it is cool. Lunch and a quiet hour are inside. Each day opens with a short devotion and closes with a song on the back lawn.

Summer

Monday

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Arrival and lawn games

    Front lawn

    All ages

  • 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

    Morning devotion: a story, a song and a prayer

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

    Crafts and building

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Field games

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

    Lunch from home, then quiet reading

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

    Open play on the lawn, with a water break

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

    Fireside circle: the closing story and song

    Devotion · Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Pickup at the door

    Front entrance

    All ages

Tuesday

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Arrival and lawn games

    Front lawn

    All ages

  • 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

    Morning devotion: a story, a song and a prayer

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

    Nature walk in the woods behind the church

    Trail

    All ages

  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Music and singing

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

    Lunch from home, then quiet reading

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

    Garden work and the pinecone table

    Garden

    All ages

  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

    Fireside circle: the closing story and song

    Devotion · Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Pickup at the door

    Front entrance

    All ages

Wednesday

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Arrival and lawn games

    Front lawn

    All ages

  • 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

    Morning devotion: a story, a song and a prayer

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

    Relays and team games

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Crafts: the week's story in clay and paper

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

    Lunch from home, then quiet reading

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

    Quiet games and cards for neighbors

    Classrooms

    All ages

  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

    Fireside circle: the closing story and song

    Devotion · Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Pickup at the door

    Front entrance

    All ages

Thursday

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Arrival and lawn games

    Front lawn

    All ages

  • 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

    Morning devotion: a story, a song and a prayer

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

    Skits: acting out the week's story

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Field games

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

    Lunch from home, then quiet reading

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

    Sprinkler play on hot days, open play on cool ones

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

    Fireside circle: the closing story and song

    Devotion · Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Pickup at the door

    Front entrance

    All ages

Friday

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Arrival and lawn games

    Front lawn

    All ages

  • 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

    Morning devotion: a story, a song and a prayer

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

    Service project

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Song practice and games

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

    Lunch from home, then quiet reading

    Fellowship hall

    All ages

  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

    Lawn games and a Friday snack

    Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

    Fireside circle: the closing story and song

    Devotion · Back lawn

    All ages

  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Pickup at the door

    Front entrance

    All ages

Sample classes.

Blocks change from week to week with the story. A snack and a water break fall inside each morning block.

Summer

Six weeks, one story each

Book the weeks that fit your summer. Every week runs Monday to Friday, with the same day and a new story from the Bible.

See every week
Summer
  • First week of JuneOpen

    Week 1: God made the world

    The creation story, with a walk in the woods and a leaf and bark rubbing at every stop.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Second week of JuneOpen

    Week 2: Joseph and his brothers

    A story of a family that argued and found its way back, with a skit on Thursday.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Third week of JuneWaitlist

    Week 3: The Psalms, sung and spoken

    A week of songs, with a sing-along on the lawn and a rhythm circle after lunch.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Fourth week of JuneOpen

    Week 4: The neighbor on the road

    The Good Samaritan, and a service project: cards and bread for neighbors.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Second week of JulyOpen

    Week 5: Ruth and the harvest

    A story of loyalty and gleaning, with garden work and a lunch of what we picked.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Third week of JulyOpen

    Week 6: Letters from Paul

    A story of friends who wrote letters, and a week of writing and mailing our own.

    • Ages 5 to 12
    • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sample sessions.

Weeks open, fill and gather waitlists as families register. Our enrollment page has the latest.

Safety and notice

How the camp day is looked after

What the state says about us, how many counselors are with each age group, and what we do about the sun, the weather and pickup.

License

Fireside Day Camp is a day camp run by a congregation. It is not licensed as child care.

Adults to children

  • 1 adult to 8 children

    5 to 8 years

  • 1 adult to 10 children

    9 to 12 years

  • Capacity

    80

  • Ages 5 years to 12 years

Staff checks and training

  • Background checks
  • CPR and first aid
  • Mandated reporter training
  • Medication training

Safety routines

  • Sign-in and pickup

    An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the door, and we ask for ID until we know you. A camper goes home only with someone on that list, and we call you if a different adult comes.

  • Allergies, medicine and illness

    Tell us about allergies and medicine at registration, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home. If a camper feels ill at camp, we call you and an adult stays with them until you arrive.

  • Sun, shade and water

    Camp is outdoors for much of the day. There is shade on both lawns, water at every block and a break between blocks. Send your camper with a hat and sunscreen already on, and we remind campers to put more on after sprinkler play.

  • Heat and weather

    When the day is very hot or a storm is near, outdoor blocks move into the fellowship hall and the classrooms, and we text families before camp starts.

  • Devotion, for campers of any faith

    Morning devotion is part of every day. A camper who would rather listen than sing or pray is welcome to sit and listen, and we never ask about your family's church.

  • Fire and storm drills

    On the first morning of every week we walk each group to the exits and the shelter spot, so every camper has done it once before it matters.

Sample details.

From parents

What parents tell us

“I knew what to pack before the first day, and someone was at the door every morning to sign my son in. The weekly sheet told me what the week's story would be.”

Jerri K.Parent of a seven-year-old

“We don't belong to the church, and I wondered how the devotion would go. The sheet explained it, and my daughter told me she was welcome to just listen. Nobody asked us anything.”

Stewart P.Parent of a nine-year-old

“A hot Thursday moved inside, and the text came before we had left the house. That is the kind of plan I want from a camp.”

Blythe T.Parent of two campers

Sample reviews.

The summer at a glance

From registration to the last picnic

All the dates
This summer
  1. Applications open

    Registration opens

    January

    Families register on our enrollment page. Weeks open in the order families register, and full weeks have a waitlist.

    Register
  2. Open house

    Information evening

    April

    Coffee in the fellowship hall, a walk around the grounds, and time to ask the director and the counselors anything.

  3. Event

    Counselor and volunteer weekend

    May

    Counselors and volunteers meet to walk through the day, sign-in and pickup, and what to do when the weather turns.

  4. First day

    First day of camp

    First week of June

    Doors open at 8:30 a.m. on the front lawn, and each camper finds a group.

  5. Closed

    Closed for Independence Day week

    Early July

    Camp takes a week off, then starts again with Week 5.

  6. Event

    Last day and picnic on the lawn

    Late July

    The last Friday ends with a picnic for campers and their families.

Sample dates.

Save a place for the weeks you need

Registration opens in January. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask the director about the day, the devotion or pickup.

Register for a sessionCall the camp