Joy El Camps and Retreats

What Joy El Camps and Retreats does

Joy El Camps and Retreats, legally organized as Joy El Ministries, is a nonprofit Christian camp and retreat ministry founded in 1974 and based at 3741 Joy-El Drive, Greencastle, Pennsylvania. The organization operates on a 20-acre facility in south-central Pennsylvania and serves youth, families, church groups, and public school students through a portfolio of seasonal and year-round programs.

Its programming is structured around four core ministries: summer/overnight camps and day camp (operating over an approximate 8-week summer season); retreat hosting for church and community groups; the Bible Adventure/CIA program, a Released Time in Religious Education initiative delivered to public school students; and the 4.12 Leadership Training program for teen leadership development. Operations are supported by an active website, online registration via CampWise, social media outreach, and structured fundraising that includes a Legacy Society for planned giving.

Joy El generates revenue through camp and retreat registrations supplemented by charitable donations and fundraising appeals. With a staff of approximately 9 employees, it operates as a small, regionally focused, mission-driven nonprofit whose economics are tied to seasonal program fees and donor contributions.

Name

Joy El Camps and Retreats

Legal name

Joy El Ministries

Website

https://joyelcamps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Joy El Camps and Retreats is a nonprofit Christian camp and retreat ministry founded in 1974 in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, serving youth, families, churches, and public school students in south-central Pennsylvania through camps, retreats, and Bible-based educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Camps and Retreats

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Christian summer camps
• Youth retreat programs
• Day camp services
• Bible adventure programs
• Group retreat facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Greencastle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Camp and Retreat Registrations: Fees collected for overnight camps, day camps, and retreat experiences. Registration through CampWise system for various programs including summer camp, leadership training, and group retreats. Pricing is tiered by program type and duration.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: Multiple donation streams including general donations, campership fund (financial assistance for campers), Bible Adventure/CIA program support, missionary giving, projects, legacy society, and summer staff scholarship fund. Donors can give online or through various giving programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Joy El Camps and Retreats operates a Christian camp and retreat ministry on a 20-acre property in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, offering overnight summer camps, day camps, guest retreats, Bible adventure programs, and leadership training for youth, families, and church groups. Founded in 1929, the organization runs four distinct ministry arms (Camps, Retreats, Bible Adventure, and 4.12 Leadership Training) and serves individuals, families, schools, and church organizations.

Product overview

Joy El Ministries operates as a unified camp and retreat ministry with four distinct programmatic offerings: Summer/Overnight Camps (overnight programs for grades 1-12), Day Camp (eight weeks of summer day programs for K-5), Guest Retreats (customizable group retreat experiences on 20 acres in Pennsylvania), and Programs including Bible Adventure, CIA, Leadership Training, and Kick Off Rally. These products are unified by their Christian mission to connect people to God's Word and facilitate life change through personal encounters with God.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Overnight Camps
• Day Camp
• Guest Retreats
• Bible Adventure
• Christians in Action (CIA)
• 4.12 Leadership Training Program
• Group Facilities and Activities

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: Young Life is a national youth ministry that operates summer camps, club programs, and outreach for adolescents. It overlaps with Joy El on faith-based youth camps but operates at substantially greater scale across the U.S.
• WinShape Foundation: WinShape Foundation runs WinShape Camps and related faith-based programs on a large multi-site basis. It shares Joy El's faith-based camp and retreat model but at materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Cru: Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) is a national interdenominational ministry with summer missions and student programs. It shares Joy El's Christian youth-development mission and donation-driven funding model, though operating at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Hume Lake Christian Camps: Hume Lake operates Christian summer camps, retreat, and conference programming in California. It is comparable to Joy El as a faith-based camp and retreat operator serving youth, families, and church groups across a similar age range.
• Forest Home Christian Camps: Forest Home operates Christian camps, conferences, and retreats across multiple Southern California sites. It matches Joy El's combination of youth overnight camps, group retreats, and faith-based programming for churches and families.
• Kanakuk Kamps: Kanakuk is a long-established Christian youth camp network in the Branson, Missouri region. It directly mirrors Joy El's model of faith-based overnight and day camps for elementary through high school students, with similar mission-driven positioning.
• Pine Cove: Pine Cove operates a network of Christian summer camps and year-round family programming across Texas and the southern U.S. It is highly comparable to Joy El in faith-based overnight camps, day camps, and family retreats serving youth and church groups.
• Sandy Cove Ministries: Sandy Cove is a Christian conference and retreat center on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is comparable to Joy El as a faith-based retreat and camp operator serving East Coast church groups and families with overnight lodging and programming.
• Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center: Mount Hermon is a Christian conference and retreat center in Santa Cruz, California, offering camps, retreats, and group accommodations. It overlaps directly with Joy El's retreat-hosting and youth camp programming on an owned campus.

Regional players

• Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship Retreat Center: Calvary Chapel retreats provide faith-based retreat and conference lodging outside the Northeast. While serving a different regional base, it overlaps with Joy El's church-group retreat model and customizable group lodging offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joy-el-camps-and-retreats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Joy El Camps and Retreats