The Beginnings of Camp Kaio

The story of Camp Kaio introduces a growing weekend of study and fellowship designed to set young hearts on fire for God’s Word.

By Stephen Bartholomew

Read Time: 4 minutes

For decades, our Christadelphian community has enjoyed and benefited from various study weekends, fraternals, Bible schools, kids’ camps, and youth conferences. They all have their unique structures and benefits for all attendees, and they have become memorable events that encourage us as we learn more about God and His ways, and in the fellowship we share around His Word.

Joining the ranks of those special events is a growing interest in a weekend affectionately called Camp Kaio. Kaio is a Greek word meaning “to set on fire,” and the weekend is designed to set our hearts on fire for the things of God!

It all started when I was listening to a class by Bro. John Martin, who made a side comment about doing Bible study on the beach with another brother while their children played by the ocean. On hearing this, an idea began to form: vacations often ended with a feeling of “Okay, I’m ready to go home and get back into routine again.” But what if we had a vacation where typical laziness and indulgences were replaced by diligence in profitable pursuits for both mind and body and relationships? That sounded like a win all around!

My wife Debbie and I brought up the idea with my sister and her husband, Sarah and Tim Osborn, who have four children of a similar age to ours, and all get along well. Everyone was excited about the concept, and planning started. We planned a weeklong getaway at Quadra Island, where we rented a house large enough for the two families. The concept was that there would be eight hours of personal study interspersed with two recreation periods each day. The first study period started early in the morning, and the last one was after the younger kids had gone to bed, so there was plenty of family time left each day. We made sure each recreational activity was planned, and they often involved excursions that we still have fond memories of so many years later. The children loved the new sights and sounds experienced at the ocean, searching for crabs, feeding seals, and exploring amazing parts of God’s creation. We did one of the daily readings after each meal. The mothers did a lot of prep work, and each study session, the kids worked on special projects on various Bible topics suitable for their ages. You know how kids can get bored so easily? That didn’t happen this week! The week turned out better than we even imagined, and we committed to making this an annual event. For our two families, the vacation became very affectionately known as “Quadra,” regardless of where we ended up.

Seeing and experiencing the success of this vacation concept, Bro. Tim and Sis. Sarah, along with Bro. Tim and Sis. Hadassah Styles, took it to a larger audience, and Camp Kaio came into being. Among many things, they created a website that is a helpful resource for how to start a Camp Kaio (campkaio.com).

Here is a sample schedule to get a sense of a typical day at Camp Kaio:

6:00 am—Personal study time
8:00 am—Breakfast
8:30 am—Bible reading

9:00 am—Personal study time/children’s class
10:30 am—Recreation

12:30 pm—Lunch
1:15 pm—Bible reading
1:45 pm—Personal study time/children’s class
3:00 pm—Recreation
5:30 pm—Supper
6:15 pm—Bible reading
6:45 pm—Family activity
8:00 pm—Kids’ bedtime / Personal study time
9:00 pm—Fellowship
10:00 pm—Lights Out

There are so many options for what to do in personal study time sessions! Listening to audio classes, getting a jump on a Bible Class series, working on a Kids’ Camp or Youth Conference workbook, Bible-marking a class we haven’t got around to, reading a book that has been on the list for years, etc. Whatever you choose, come prepared! Kaio has been a jump-start for many studies, motivating us to use our time better and even creating habits of getting up earlier to start the day with productive things.

One area that is challenging to organize as a group, but that each individual should consider, is devoting specific time to meditation and prayer. It’s not about studying for the sake of studying. It’s about learning more of God and His ways and His thinking, which are so much higher than ours, and developing a relationship with Him, which requires us to listen to Him through His Word and to pour ourselves out to Him in prayer.

At Camp Kaio, each family looks after one meal, which has worked very well and allows everyone to participate fully in the daily schedule. Brothers are organized in advance to preside over a meal and to do a daily reading. Others are asked to look after an activity or a fellowship evening. Many memories have been made in the annual epic capture-the-flag game, or Chris’s Game (a game that Chris Winter invented during one of the weekends), or the hike to the hippie hole at the Okanagan Ecclesia’s Annual Camp Kaio, which takes place on the Thanksgiving long weekend in October.

One of the benefits of this concept is its flexibility, which makes it useful in many different ways.

Length: It works for a week vacation, a weekend getaway, a whole day, or just an evening. Working on an exhortation, for example, I’ll often do a Kaio Saturday. Some families have a Kaio evening each week, where the family gathers, and everyone works on their personal study for an hour or two.

Study time flexibility: Make it work for your needs and who you are with. You may be camping and choose to have a one-and-a-half-hour session each day. Preparing for a study weekend? Adjust the schedule accordingly. Be mindful of the group and what you are trying to get out of it, and make it happen.

Who: As already indicated, you can do it on your own, as a couple, a family, multiple families, as an ecclesia, or as an open invitation to interested brothers and sisters.

Where: We have done Kaio vacations at retreats, rented homes, campgrounds, ecclesial halls, and private homes. It is nice to have a change of scenery and get away from daily distractions, but don’t let finances stop you from doing so.

The fact that the Kaio concept works is shown in how it has spread. Kaios have taken place across Canada from Victoria Island to Ontario. In both the East and West coasts of the United States. In Australia and New Zealand. If you are in the UK, you can register for the 10th biannual Camp Kaio at campkaio.co.uk. At the Okanagan Ecclesia, we have held back-to-back Kaio weekends at the Whatshan Retreat simply to make it available to all who wanted to attend, as there was more interest than a single weekend could accommodate. We would encourage everyone to give it a try—it works!

The last verse of Hymn 151, which has become the unofficial camp Kaio hymn, sums up the effect that Camp Kaios aim for and contribute to.

Grant us Thy truth to make us free,

And kindling hearts that burn
for Thee,

Lit by Thy word with heav’nly flame,

Whose glow shall glorify Thy name.

Stephen Bartholomew
Okanagan Central Ecclesia, BC