Keep It Spiritual, Make It Fun!
Camp Lu-Jo Kismif celebrates 50 years of Christian camping during the summer of 2012! Campers, Staff, former campers, former staff, and Lu-Jo supporters are asked to donate $50 in honor the 50 years of Camp Lu-Jo Kismif. You can be a part of Lu-Jo’s 50 for 50 Campaign by selecting Donate/Support and make your donation! These funds will be used to finish hot water improvements for both dorms, add needed sidewalks, and improve the important flagpole area.
What Matters Most
If you are new to Camp Lu-Jo and/or this website, WELCOME! And perhaps you are asking yourself this CRITICAL and VALID question: “Why should I (or my child) attend Camp Lu-Jo?” OK, you asked for it! So SIT TIGHT guys and gals (and Moms and Dads), cause the Top 25 Reasons are right here…
#25: the Hiking: Camp Lu-Jo now spans over 200 acres for hiking and sightseeing. And you too will be happily surprised (as everyone is) that Camp has an amazing variety of terrain and habitats. There are carpet-like meadows on our eastern boarder, a gradual ascension (seemingly to the horizon) up the Western hill, a lush creekbed with towering trees and water, rugged tallgrass and dry ravines to the north (with great views of the neighboring Wichita Mountains), an enticing canyon on the South side and a seeming forrest on the Southeast part of Camp. Indeed, LuJo has plenty of places for exploring and seeing all that the southwest has to offer!
#24: the Special Guests: Each year, Camp Lu-Jo plays host to special performers and guests who captivate and inspire Lu-Jo campers and staff. These include musical groups, drama teams and inspiring speakers. Camp Lu-Jo’s intimate setting provides campers to get close and get to know our guests as well, providing even more opportunities for discovering a diverse set of role-models.
#23: Get Crafty: Camp Lu-Jo isn’t only about having fun….campers also create the fun. Wood, ceramic and other crafty projects give our campers the chance to use their minds and express their individual creativity.
#22: New Facilities: Lu-Jo stands tall when it comes to facilities. The new boys dorm and the dining hall were just completed in 2002!
#21: Uber-Fun Games & Sports: At LuJo there is plenty of time for softball, basketball and sand volleyball to go around. Camp Lu-Jo’s activity coordiantors also mix in new games and memorable functions to pile on the fun!
#20: Look out fellas, it’s Saodi Hawkins Day: In honor of the ladies, who each have the opportunity to “catch” their favorite fella!
#19: Location, Location, Location: LuJo caters to campers typically from within a 300 mile radius, and is centrally located in the heart of Southwest Oklahoma. Camp Lu-Jo is only minutes from Lawton, Duncan, Wichita Falls, Oklahoma City and Altus, and only a short drive (3 hours or less) from Tulsa, Wichita, Lubbock, Amarillo, Fort Worth, Dallas and ALL places in between!
#18 Canopy Cool: For those early summer days when the Sun can get hot, LuJo utilizes a huge canopy of large oak and pecan trees as a natural shady, cooler area.
#17 “Zoo-Jo”: Camp Lu-Jo is very much part of nature when it comes to the other local inhabitants of the camp grounds. Lake Lu-Jo (ok, so it’s really a pond) and Pecan Creek boast plenty of sunning turtles and jumpin’ fish. The trees and tallgrass are filled with singing Meadowlarks, Scissortails and Woodpeckers, while an occasional deer, wild turkey, or owl can be spotted during early morning or dusk hours.
#16 Collegiate Connections: For High Schoolers, each week brings recruiters from the country’s best Christian colleges and universities who are looking for quality prospective students. Some of the first friends our campers meet in college are the guys and gals they’d met through Camp Lu-Jo!
#15 “Liquidation”: 46 years and not one “Where’s the Pool?” question. And who needs one when the water balloons, hoses and the southwest’s largest home-made water slide provide plenty of cooling off on the warmer days!
#14 Canteen Can-do!: Always a hit! Here campers and staff congregate, enjoy a snack and a drink, and build those relationships in a Christian environment.
#13 the, errr, “Unsuspected” Events: What IS a Quiet Lunch, anyway? You’ll have to discover for yourself, because surprises and exciting moments (at some of the least likely times) are a huge part of Lu-Jo tradition…and continue to be the consistent culprits of fond memories!
#12 Personal Times with God: Camp Lu-Jo believes that we all are not only to worship God and study his Word, we are also to use our time to begin, renew and grow our own personal relationships with Him. These galvanizing and encouraging quiet times help each camper realize and understand that our Father is very real and can have an instant impact in his/her life whenever he/she turns to Him.
#11 Classes with Teeth: No soft lessons at Camp Lu-Jo. Camp Directors and teachers challenge their campers to look first to God and his Word to help change their lives for Him. Each week of Camp has a central theme that is emphasized in the campers’ classes. You can read more about these in the Sessions section of the site…
#10 Indescribable Flagpole Devos: Nothing is better than an early morning or late night devotional time at the flagpole. With the dawning skies or star-scaped nights, these times of worship bring chills to the spine and evoke a knowledge of God’s presence all around.
#9 Ropes Course: We can’t keep the campers away from it! Kids are ALWAYS ready to have fun and discover they can have it & build unity within their group! Led by experienced instructors, this new development on camp has instantly become a camper favorite!
#8 Lifelong Friendships: It shouldn’t amaze anyone, but it always does. Every week of camp we see God at work as we watch the relationships between campers grow and flourish. On Sunday, many begin as stand-alone strangers, but by the end of the week, all have become lifelong friends. It is truly a gift from God and a blessing to everyone who attends.
#7 KISMIF Capers: Each night the kids participate in their own skits and stand-up routines to cap off a great day—the greatest show on red earth!
#6 The Singing: Praising God is one of the things Lu-Jo campers and staff enjoy the most. Each year new songs are introduced from the college campuses around the country as well as the traditional songs and hymns of the church.
#5 Fabulous Food: While eating is a longstanding and highly-regarded ritual at Camp LuJo, it’s the chefs who make the biggest difference! And why? Because all of LuJo’s delicious meals are prepared by staffs hand-picked by each Camp Director.
#4 Majestic Skies: Beyond everything else that is scenic, nothing LuJo offers is more inspirational and compelling to the eye than a LuJo sunrise, sunset, and the vast array of the galaxy which unfolds every night!
#3 Caring Staff: Camp LuJo seeks to provide staffers who love the Lord and show it in their actions and interactions with the campers. Camp directors are experienced in leading the camp and committed to serving the Lord in this capacity. Camp Counselors and staff are prayerful and mindful that each child deserves their all.
#2 Changing Lives for Christ in 6 Days or Less!: At first glance, the baptistry at Camp Lu-Jo seems to be nothing more than a simple, metal, cattle-tank that sits on a hillside. But to those of us who know, it stands as a wonderful monument to the hundreds of kids who have, in the course of a week, taken off the old and put on the new…all at Camp Lu-Jo!
#1 To Learn About God’s love for us, that we are to serve Him, and HOW we can go about doing just that!: Camp Lu-Jo KISMIF is dedicated to the training of young people — spiritually, mentally, socially, and physically — in the example of Luke 2:52, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and statue and in favor with God and men.”
We have selected and awarded the Camp Lu-Jo KISMIF scholarship to Oklahoma Christian University. The latest new recipient is Kaleb King. He joins Kaila Smith who is in her third year of the scholarship. The applications were reviewed by a panel of Camp board members independently. They were very impressed with the quality of all applicants and stated that, while the evaluation process was enjoyable, the decision was very challenging. Multiple factors were considered including academics, past and present, financial need, reference letters and other factors included in their applications. All on the committee are extremely proud of the applicants and encourage them to apply again if another scholarship opens up while they are enrolled at Oklahoma Christian University. The scholarship is for $5000 this year and renewable for up to four out of five years for a total of $20,000. All recipients will be asked to supply a yearly update that will serve as a reapplication for the scholarship. We ask them to review the criteria for retaining the scholarship and notify me of any questions they may have. We also are pleased that they will be spending at least one camp session every summer following the academic year they receive the scholarship per the scholarship agreement. We look forward to working with them in future camp sessions and, if the Lord wills, other capacities related to Camp Lu-Jo KISMIF.
For this 50th Anniversary Celebration, the decision was made to continue upgrading some of Camp’s facilities. Two structures at Camp are typically mentioned when talking about Lu-Jo; the bridge and the flagpole. Several years ago the bridge was replaced and now it is time to “upgrade” the flagpole area. The present plans are to enhance the existing pond and at the same time build a better “pad area” to accommodate the present flagpole.
With this plan in mind, we are asking as many as possible to join us on July 16, 2011 at 6:00 PM at Camp for a Chuck Wagon Feed and an evening of visiting, worship and celebration. At this gathering we will be unveiling detailed plans for the “Flagpole Project” and seeking funding for the project. We are also planning to allow those that would like to extend their visit to stay the night at Camp and have breakfast and a worship time on Sunday, July 17, 2011. We will need to make sure we have accommodations for you so visit so click here to RSVP for the Dinner and/or Stay Overnight for worship Sunday morning.