Mississippi College Summer Camps Return in June

President Blake Thompson always welcomes summer campers each year.

Mississippi College leaders will extend a warm welcome to as many as 3,500 kids from across the Southeast for the 2021 summer camp season.

Canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a diverse variety of MC camps are scheduled to begin on June 14. Activities for church kids, athletes, budding musicians, cheerleaders, and more will happen in June and July on the Clinton campus.

The scene will look different in 2021 to meet health protocols ensuring the safety of all participants.

“We intend to utilize masks and physical distancing as well as cohort groups for meals and small group activities,” says Ken Gilliam, director of continuing education. “We will have smaller multiple worship services as opposed to a big one.”

Adults joining the camps as chaperones will need to be vaccinated and/or have a negative COVID-19 test three to seven days prior to the start of activities.

Gilliam, who oversees the camps each summer, and his staff are working on a variety of assignments to make the 2021 summer a big success.

Typically, Mississippi College summer camps attract more than 5,000 youngsters from over a dozen states every year. But since the pandemic is continuing, the numbers of campers are being reduced.

“At this point, the keyword is re-imagine as we look forward to re-imagine what camp looks like,” Gilliam said.

Over the years, the MC summer camps built the faith of thousands of campers – from Corinth to the Gulf Coast – and across state borders. In a number of cases, campers discover Mississippi College for the first time and later become students at the Baptist-affiliated university.

Some of the highlights for the upcoming camp season:

·      The first (four-day) Fuge and cheerleader camps begin June 14.

·      The second Fuge camp kicks off on June 21.

·      The university’s innovative music camp starts June 21 and wraps up June 25. MC music professors serve as instructors.

·      Super hoops camp begins June 20.

·      Lady Choctaws hoops day camps start June 21.

·      Super hoops team camp is set for June 24-26.

·      The third round of Fuge camps runs from June 28-30.

·      Girls volleyball camps are scheduled for July 6-8.

·      Attracting teens from Baptist churches statewide, Super Summer camps run from July 12-16.

For more information, contact Ken Gilliam at 601-925-3264 or gilliam@mc.edu.