Several important improvements are underway as part of the Lilly Endowment Inc. Phase II Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps. These projects include major improvements to the recreation area, upgrades to the camp pond, and a new bathhouse! Each update reflects our ongoing commitment to steward the facilities that support camp ministry.

Breaking Ground on the New Bathhouse!
Located in the Camp Wildwood area near the youth cabins, the project is a complete "start-from-scratch" endeavor. We're tearing down the existing structure to build a modern facility that improves overall functionality and privacy.

Designed for Community and Comfort
The new layout is a major upgrade from our current facilities:

• Enhanced Privacy: particularly with the shower stalls; each stall will have its own walled-off dressing area entrance.
• Expanded Capacity: Both Ladies and Gentlemen sides will have 8 individual showers, 8 individual bathroom stalls, and 8 individual sinks. Plenty of room for summer campers and weekend retreat guests alike.
• Year-Round Access: For the first time, this area will be fully winterized and open all year long!

Did you catch that last point?! We’re thrilled!

Because the new building will be fully climate-controlled, the Camp Wildwood area is no longer limited to spring and summer. Families and ministry groups can now enjoy stays during the peak of fall colors—or even for a winter retreat.

The new facility will be ready for use just in time for Summer Camps this year.

Stewardship in Action
Providing clean, reliable, and accessible facilities is a core part of our Christian hospitality.

This important improvement was made possible by the generosity of the Lilly Foundation Youth Camp Initiative. We're grateful not only for the funds awarded by The Foundation, but also for you—our community of supporters who love these grounds as much as we do. Thank you for partnering with us to steward this land for God’s glory.

This project is one of several improvements currently underway as we continue strengthening the facilities that support camp ministry at Wabash Park.

Keep an eye out for progress photos soon!

Something powerful happens when the body of Christ comes together to care for the land…
All 50 acres—woods, trails, and cabins—of Wabash Park are meant for ministry. It’s time to get them ready for all that God has planned this year!

Join us for our 2026 Spring Workdays on May 8–9 and May 22–23.

Stewardship with Purpose
The mission is simple: to provide Christ-like hospitality so that everyone who visits our grounds can experience the love of Jesus. That means trails are safe to walk, windows are clean, and our facilities are welcoming and easy to use.

Clearing brush and refreshing buildings helps remove the subtle distractions that so easily pull our attention from God, making room for His still, small voice.

Hands-On Service
We have projects designed for all skill levels and ages:

• Outdoor Maintenance: Clearing fallen branches, pulling weeds, laying fresh mulch - the usual spring-time stuff!
• Facility Care: Deep cleaning, washing windows, light building touch-ups - things to freshen up the indoor spaces.
• Special Projects: Organizing equipment, small repairs… anything that comes up!

Serving Together
Serving is an important part of our walk with Christ—and it’s best done together. These workdays are a great chance for youth groups to earn service hours, families to serve as a team, or anyone to reconnect with the grounds they love.

Mark your calendars! And bring your own tools. No RSVP needed, just drop in!

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Learn more about Volunteer Opportunities

Camp season is right around the corner - woo hoo! And there’s a growing buzz around the grounds as we prepare to welcome staff and volunteers for the summer.

A Summer That Stays With You
Most people who have served at camp can pinpoint a moment from camp they still remember years later—a cabin conversation, being surrounded in prayer, or watching a student realize God loves them in a real way.

Those moments don’t just happen at camp. They happen because someone showed up to serve.

The Ripple Effect: Why Your Summer at Wabash Park Matters
Serving in camp ministry is an experience like no other. It offers a rare, front-row seat to the way God moves when people step away from their daily routines and into the stillness of His creation.

And the impact doesn't stop with the campers. When you step into a leadership role at Wabash Park, you’re stepping into a season where God will open and grow your own faith as well.

We often find that our staff and volunteers walk away with their own faith more profoundly impacted than they ever expected.

Join the 2026 Summer Team
As we prepare for the upcoming season, we’re inviting people to step into the following roles:

• Camp Wildwood Counselors 
• Camp Wildwood Volunteers 
• Camp Pastor - Explorer Camp II (4-6th grade) July 6-11
• Kitchen and Canteen help- Camp Wildwood & Family Camp 
• Family Camp Medic
• Family Camp Young Adult leader

Calling all Counselors!
As a counselor, you are the primary hands and feet of Jesus to our students, guiding them through every activity, conversation, and breakthrough. It’s a unique calling—you’ll lead the games and the laughter, but you may also be the one sitting on a cabin porch helping a student process what God is doing in their heart. It’s an experience that profoundly impacts your own faith as much as it does theirs.

Apply to be a New Counselor in Training (CIT), a Senior Counselor, or a Returning Senior Counselor.

Make it Count
If you’re looking for a summer that counts—not just for others, but for your own walk with Christ—we invite you to prayerfully consider serving with us.

Fill out a Volunteer Application, or contact the Camp Office if you want to chat about an opportunity.

Several important improvements are underway as part of the Lilly Endowment Inc. Phase II Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps. These projects include major improvements to the recreation area, upgrades to the camp pond, and a new bathhouse! Each update reflects our ongoing commitment to steward the facilities that support camp ministry.

Upgrades Begin at the Pond
When the pond was first added to Wabash Park in 2021, we knew it would bring something special to the grounds. What we didn’t fully realize was just how quickly it would become part of camp life.

Over the past few years, the pond has quietly become one of the most loved and utilized places on the property. Boat races, raft floating, and, of course... fishing!

But more importantly, it’s become a backdrop for prayer and reflection, and for several campers and guests, it’s been the place where they stepped into the water to be baptized.

Tucked beside the RV and tent camping area, the pond brings a peaceful rhythm to that corner of the grounds. It’s a small feature—but one that has already become a meaningful part of camp life.

So What’s Next?
This year, several improvements are scheduled to solidify the pond as a safe and lasting part of Wabash Park. These upgrades will help us better care for both the space and the campers who enjoy it.

Upcoming projects include:


By installing stable docks, organizing gear, and improving safety around the pond, we’re supporting a space that has quickly become an important part of camp life.

Looking Ahead
Work on the pond upgrades is scheduled to begin this month! With everything ready for the start of the Summer 2026 camp season.

Along with other Phase II improvements taking shape around the grounds, these updates help ensure the pond continues to serve campers safely and meaningfully for years to come.

MOORESVILLE, IN - Wabash Conference of the Free Methodist Church of North America has received a $1,000,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Capital Project  Initiative for Residential Youth Camps.

With the grant, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center (WPC&RC) will make enhancements and upgrades to recreation and play areas, waterfront and aquatic facilities, infrastructure and lodging, and accessibility improvements. Together, these projects will strengthen the camp’s ability to welcome more youth, enrich their experiences, and ensure that the facilities remain safe, inclusive, and sustainable for generations.

“Securing the Lilly Endowment [phase 2] grant is a tremendous blessing for our camp and for the youth we serve. This investment moves us closer to expanding our capacity to reach more students, develop young leaders, and support the ministries that shape our conference and the Kingdom at large. We are honored by the trust the Lilly Endowment has placed in our vision and excited for what God will do next.” — Deana Hayes-Black, Executive Director

This is one of 68 approved grants totaling more than $77 million to help residential (overnight) youth camps in Indiana enhance and expand their facilities, which are integral to their work to provide high-quality programming and experiences that contribute to positive outcomes for youth.

The grants, which range from $750,000 to $1.5 million, will help organizations that run residential youth camps in 44 counties across Indiana improve cabins, dining halls, outdoor
recreation spaces, chapels, and technology and utility infrastructure, among other upgrades.

The Endowment is making the grants through its three-phase Capital Project Initiative for
Residential Youth Camps.

Earlier this year, WPC&RC, applied for and received a phase 1 planning grant from the Endowment, designed to help assess facility needs and prepare proposals for phases 2 and 3 funding. WPC&RC phase 1 funds were applied to infrastructure and architectural analysis, site planning, camp consultant services, capital campaign planning, and a digital camp management platform.

In phase 3 of the Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps, eligible organizations can apply for large-scale grants to help them partially fund the construction of new facilities, major facility upgrades, new land acquisition to expand camp properties, or similar large projects. In this phase, the Endowment will make available grants ranging from up to $2.5 million to up to $10 million, depending on the average number of youth served by the camps,  and other factors.

WPC&RC is preparing its phase 3 proposal. The deadline to submit proposals for these large-scale competitive grants is January 12, 2026. More information about this initiative can be found on the Endowment’s website here.

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About Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center
For 95+ years, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center has been a place where youth, families, and communities gather to encounter life-changing experiences of faith,  leadership, and belonging. Located on 50 acres in Clay City, Indiana, the campus is a hub for Christian camping and retreats, serving over 700 youth annually. Owned and operated by the Wabash Conference of The Free Methodist Church of North America, the camp welcomes participants from across Indiana and Illinois, with particular emphasis on youth from underserved rural communities.

About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.