Rebecca Davis
AFA Journal staff writer
February 2016 – Growing up in the inner city was tough. Not to mention the speech impediments Eli* struggled with daily. He didn’t have a father, not even a father figure. He lived in the South but had never heard the gospel … until he attended one of the Kids Across America Kamps, the nation’s largest family of Christian sports camps designed specifically for urban youth and youth workers.
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“KAA is a Christian summer sports camp for urban youth where we use athletics, musical arts, boats, zip lines, and many other activities as a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Avery Blue, director of KAA 2, told AFA Journal.
“Our mission is to empower, equip, encourage, and educate our campers and their community leaders to return home with the gospel of Jesus Christ to impact their communities.”
KAA Kamps grew from the well-known Kanakuk Kamps. In 1978, Kanakuk owner Joe White began reserving the last week of summer camp to meet the needs of urban youth. The need was so great that it eventually demanded the creation of an entire camp program just for urban youth.
The expanse of the KAA ministry is great but largely focused on an in-depth approach to the summer camp experience made available through four camps located in Southwest Missouri on the shores of Table Rock Lake.
More than camp
KAA seeks to develop and cultivate long-term relationships between campers and the community leaders who bring them to camp.
In order for a child to attend camp, he must come with a group under the leadership of a Kaleo, the term given to a youth leader who is part of the KAA ministry. Group leaders can easily register online at kaakamps.org. Through camp, Kaleos are also refreshed and strengthened for ongoing discipleship and mentoring throughout the year.
KAA Kamps are not a one-time experience but rather a starting point for accepting and developing a relationship with Christ. The goal of KAA is to change the heart of the camper.
The KAA Kamps are designed as building blocks for spiritual growth. KAA 1 is for ages 9-11 and is fun with a healthy dose of encouragement for young campers. KAA 2 is for ages 12-14 and allows campers to choose from over 30 sports and activities in which they can participate, all while learning about the love of Christ. KAA 3 (for ages 15-18) raises the bar athletically, spiritually, and relationally. This camp is designed to build a camper’s foundation in Christ.
In addition, Higher Ground is a servant-leadership camp that offers systematic biblical training for ages 15-18.
“This is offered when there has been an expressed need for advanced leadership development by a Kaleo for one of their campers,” Blue explained.
As part of Higher Ground, an ambassador program for younger campers includes a six-month systematic Bible study that helps participants connect their faith with daily life.
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Eli, who heard the gospel for the first time at KAA Kamp, gave his life to Christ that day and asked his Kaleo to disciple him.
“That day reinforced the fact that we are reaching the unreached here in America,” Blue said. “Being empowered by the Holy Spirit, [Eli] has the ability to shape his environment rather than his environment shaping him.” 
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Sponsor a camper
Each summer more than 7,000 urban youth and over 1,000 youth leaders attend KAA Kamps. A week at KAA costs about $800 per camper, but donors and sponsors help reduce the cost to campers to only $165. For more information, visit kaakamps.org or call 417-266-4000.
