For Parents

Safety is our number one priority. All camp facilities and activities are inspected and regulated annually by the State of Michigan. (See information about medical care, policy on bullying and swimming below.)

All waterfront staff are lifeguard certified. All ropes equipment (including carabiners, harnesses, ropes and cables) is inspected annually by Experiential Systems. The summer ropes staff, as well as all full time staff are certified through Experiential Systems on all high adventure elements.

Here at Portage Lake we take great care in hiring our staff. Your child’s experience is highly dependent on the quality of our staff. All staff members are hired because of their spiritual maturity and personal integrity. The young men and women who work here are truly dedicated to being positive Christian role models for your son or daughter. (They are also a lot of fun!) All staff members are certified in First Aid and CPR certified. To learn more about our staff click here!

We take the waterfront very seriously. Every camper takes a swim test on the first day of camp. (Except Pathfinders, who go in the lake, but not for open swimming.) Cabin groups test together. Each camper swims out and across the deep end and then treads water for 2 minutes. Four lifeguards are in the water with the groups while the waterfront director watches from the raft. If a camper cannot swim the entire distance or complete the treading, they are allowed to swim in the deep end while wearing a life jacket.

For any individuals who have special dietary needs, we request notification a week prior to your arrival date. We will accommodate the top nine allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame) to the best of our ability. Any guests who have two or more of these nine allergens or have another type of allergy that might be harder to accommodate are encouraged to bring some of their own food items with them for their stay. We will have a designated area for your food storage. Please note that we are not a peanut free facility. Any guests with severe allergies (i.e. airborne allergies, celiac disease, etc.) should email our Food Service Director, Courtney , at courtney@portagelake.org to discuss specific needs and accommodations.  Any guests who have dietary preferences (i.e. vegetarian, vegan, etc.) are highly encouraged to bring their own substitutions/alternative products.

Each week there is a Registered Nurse on site at Portage Lake. At registration, parents must must turn in all prescription medications to the nurse. There is no need to bring any over-the-counter medications (Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, etc.), the nurses station is well stocked to meet any aliments your camper may have. Emergency rescue medication like inhalers or Epi-pens may be kept with the camper, but all other medicine (prescription or non) must be checked in with the nurse.

Check in begins at 3:30pm in the gym on Sunday. On the last day of camp (Friday), check out will begin at 1pm. There is a short wrap up rally at 1:30pm. (Pathfinders is slightly different: check in begins at 3:30pm in the gym on Friday. check out begins at 9:00am and wrap up rally at 9:30am on Sunday.) This is a time for you to hear and see what your child has been learning and doing at camp. We will also show an end-of-week slideshow and video, so you will get a sneak-peak into your camper’s experience.

Scholarships are available. Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp believes every kid should be a camper! Every year we get more requests for scholarships, so we ask that you pay as much of your camper’s fee as possible. To get a scholarship application, simply call camp at (231)889-5911 and talk to our office manager Ruth. To learn more about donating to the scholarship fund, click here!

Portage Lake is designed to provide outreach programs, challenges and opportunities for kids to be encouraged while learning about Jesus Christ. For this to be successful, kids need to feel safe. This means bullying is unacceptable. The way kids treat each other at camp can make or break a camper’s week. We give rules and expectations to kids as they arrive. Our staff is trained in handling discipline and bullying so that every camper is safe physically, emotionally and spiritually.