Holston Presbytery Camp & Retreat Center

06/16/2026

A little glimpse into part of our morning worship!

06/11/2026

Let’s open up our Day Camp Diary. Turn to this week’s page as this camper walks us through her day!

06/09/2026

Flip test gets them every time

06/08/2026

Welcome to Monday Funday! In this series we visit some of our camp activities and walk through why they’re important for our campers and counselors.

This week we dive into boating with Tanner😎

06/01/2026

Today was a beautiful day connecting with our neighboring Presbyterian churches! 🤍

This morning, Arbor Dale Presbyterian Church commissioned our 2026 summer staff, prayed over them, and welcomed them with a delicious breakfast as we prepare to welcome campers tomorrow.

This afternoon, we joined Banner Elk Presbyterian Church for their Creation Care Outdoor Series. After sharing lunch and fellowship, we hiked to Beacon Heights, one of the trails our campers will explore this summer, and learned more about the incredible plants, wildlife, and ecosystems of our mountain home.

As camp begins tomorrow, we are grateful for these churches and their faithful support of Holston Center. We invite our camp families, friends, and community to join them in praying for our staff, campers, and the summer ahead.

What a gift it is to have two neighboring Presbyterian churches that love Holston Center so well!

05/20/2026

We’re wrapping up an incredible Leadership Staff training and preparing to welcome the rest of our 2026 summer staff this week. Please join us in praying for these amazing young leaders! Prayers for peace in the busy moments, confidence in their calling, assurance in who God created them to be, and strength for the summer ahead. Pray that they would lead with humility, serve with joy, love campers well, and help make Holston Center a place where every person feels seen, safe, welcomed, and deeply loved.

05/01/2026

From big projects to meaningful progress, a lot has been happening at Holston Center! Take a look to see how our generous supporters helped make a big impact as we prepare for Summer 2026!

If you had visited camp at any point in April, you might have wondered if you had stumbled onto a construction site. There were days filled with the sounds of chainsaws and hammers, the movement of heavy equipment, and the hum of projects in progress. Everywhere you looked, there were people showing...

04/30/2026

We were truly honored to host the Campfire Collective Board of Directors at Holston Center this past week.

It was a joy to welcome such thoughtful leaders as they spent time in meaningful conversation, discernment, and visioning for the future of their work. We are grateful for the care, wisdom, and stewardship they bring to the Campfire Collective and the broader camp and retreat ministry community.

Thank you for your presence, your fellowship, and the opportunity to share part of what makes Holston special. We loved having you here and hope your time on the mountain was both fruitful and refreshing.

Your Campfire Collective Board of Directors met on April 27-30 at Holston Center. This member site is located in Banner Elk, NC. The board discussed our membership dues and ways to encourage more leaders to attend the Annual Conference in November. For the majority of the meeting, they worked with Dave Sherry of the Sherry Group (our Business Member and Annual Conference Exhibitor) as he facilitated a conversation on the future of the Campfire Collective. The board also went on a tour of Holston and met with their staff. We would like to thank these staff members for their hospitality during our visit (including the amazing food!). If you would like to learn more about our host site, you can check them out at https://holstoncenter.org.

04/18/2026

What an incredible week & weekend at Holston Center!

Before Holston Helpers even began, we were already being surrounded by incredible love and support. A volunteer group, Mariners In Mission, spent the entire week at Holston Center painting cabins, replacing ceiling fans, sewing curtains, and pouring so much care into this place. Even more than the work they accomplished, they shared stories, laughter, and genuine connection that meant just as much. We are so thankful for Mariners In Mission, and happy to have more friends in the Holston Center Family!

Then came Holston Helpers!

This weekend alone:
•Mulch was spread all around camp
•Signs were cleaned and a new welcome sign installed
•Solar lights now glow around the swing circle
•Benches at Wildcat Lake worship area were replaced
•Fresh sand was spread at the beach
•Rustic was restocked with dishes
•The craft hut was organized and prepped for campers
•The camp store was cleaned and stocked
•Songbooks and staff manuals were assembled
•Coolers were cleaned and ready for summer use
•Our office archives were sorted and staff spaces refreshed

One of my favorite moments was when our Worship Point sign was hung back up! After being repainted by Evie Holland, restored with new lettering by Richard Hamby, and the foundation for the sign reset by David McKinney & crew, it was placed back at the entrance of Worship Point today and it looks absolutely beautiful. What a full circle moment for a place that means so much to so many.

We also had a team clearing storm debris from our challenge course areas that had been buried since Hurricane Helene, serving as another reminder of how far we’ve come.

More than anything else, this week and this weekend were about people.

Alumni, families, friends, and now Mariners In Mission, new friends who already feel like family. People who love this place and who believe in what happens here. I was reminded again and again, Holston Center doesn’t just exist because it always has, it exists because people keep showing up.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. For your time, your energy, your generosity, and your love for this place. Because of you, we get to continue sharing the love of Christ, living in God’s creation, and creating space for others to do the same.

03/14/2026

If you didn’t pre purchase tickets- no worries! Everyone is welcome to stop by for brisket chili & cornbread! No ticket needed, just come enjoy a bowl and consider donating to support camp scholarships!