Welcome to the 2025 Holidays at the Swamp (hats) Retreat
We are so excited to welcome you to Camp Swamp’s 2025 Holidays at the Swamp! We have a great weekend planned, full of fun activities, thoughtful devotionals, and plenty of free time, so come ready to play and learn.
We are here to play, connect with each other, and set our minds on Jesus. Our theme is “Fail-a-Bration,” and we are focusing on how to fail well, which requires reflecting and learning from our mistakes and not giving up. We will dig into the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs to understand how our words, our reactions, our fear, and our upside priorities can interfere with growing in wisdom and stature. We are planning times for cabin discussions to process the lessons and to practice the examen together – how we can start to pay attention to our days, how we are showing up in them, and where we see God at work.
Please join us in praying for safety for our weekend, with our campers being teenagers and lots of driving to and from camp.
Good to Know Before You Arrive
Health & Safety
- -Please do not come if you or your child has had a fever or vomiting within 72 hours of check-in.
- -Medical personnel will be available on-site Saturday and Sunday. All medications should remain with and be administered by dads.
Arrival & Departure
- Check-in: Monday, December 29 beginning at 4:00 PM in the Dining Hall.
- Once you arrive, follow the signs to the large gravel parking lot.
- You do not need to bring all your belongings into the Dining Hall for check-in.
- Bring your medical form completed and any medications,
ready to turn into Nurse Nina at the medical cabin behind the dining hall.
- If you plan to arrive after 10:00 PM on Monday, please call 706-351-3092 so we can keep the gate open for you.
- Check-out: Thursday, January 1st, at 12:30p.m.
- We are eating brunch and then cleaning up from the weekend. Plan on having an overly tired teenager who will
immediately fall asleep on the car ride home.
- We are eating brunch and then cleaning up from the weekend. Plan on having an overly tired teenager who will
As Steve always says, this is a soft landing on Monday afternoon. We will have supper together that night at 6 pm, so if you are going to be late for check in, please communicate so we can hold a plate.
📍 Directions
Use this address for Google and Siri:
1400 Maxeys Road, Union Point, Georgia
A Weekend to Unplug and Be Present
As is our tradition at summer camp, this is a phone-free retreat. We request that all phones either go home with a parent or be given to the counselor for check in. We store all the checked in phones in our locked office. There will be plenty of photographs taken over the retreat, so there is no need for our cellphones to enjoy our time together. Steve and Rachele will be available on their cellphones for any emergencies. For many, this will be a great opportunity to detox from all the extra time they have been tied to technology over winter break.
Packing for the Weekend
The cabins are heated. Pack bedding, whether a twin sheet set and blankets/quilt or a sleeping bag and don’t forget your pillow. Remember there are no bathrooms in the cabins, so your camper needs to plan on a short walk to the Bathhouse. The weather is projected to be COLD, so remind your camper to plan accordingly. Because several of our weekend events will be outdoors, please include a coat, hat, and gloves. Since we have a tradition of dressing up for New Year’s Eve for dinner and pictures, encourage your camper to pack appropriate clothes for the occasion. Plan on bringing cash to buy Canteen goodies, a water bottle to stay hydrated, and a flashlight to lead the way on dark winter nights.
Here’s a more detailed packing list to help you with what to bring. Packing List: What to Bring printable PDF.
(Note: This list is based on our weeklong summer camp — please use it as a general guide.)
Meals & Snacks
Our kitchen team, led by Scott, has planned a delicious menu for our retreat! The Snack Shack will also be open throughout the retreat — so bring a little cash if you’d like to enjoy some snacks.
We can’t wait to see you soon! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Steve or Rachele.
— Steve & Rachele Gibson & the Camp Swamp Staff

