Lives Changed Here

Camp Joy, located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, is a year-round ministry that offers a multitude of camps, conferences, and retreats for all ages and is dedicated to serving as an extension of local churches.

It’s not hard to have fun in an outstanding facility that offers over 65 different recreational activities on 65 acres and a 650-acre lake.

We hope you’ll enjoy our comfortable, home-like accommodations.

Our camp verse teaches believers to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). When a believer comes to know the Lord better through His Word, he finds himself joyfully responding with a desire to please his Savior, a response that both glorifies and gladdens Him.

Because of our desire to share this wonderful relationship with others, each camp’s schedule reserves daily quiet time for our guests to spend with God in His Word, and we select speakers who carefully study the Bible to proclaim the truths found there.

Challenge, encouragement, and fun await our guests.

In a society filled with distractions, it can be difficult to focus on God and draw near to Him. Everyday cares can choke out spiritual growth like thorns to a healthy plant. That’s why camp is so important—it functions as a spiritual greenhouse, filtering out everyday pressures and creating an ideal environment for spiritual growth.

For the brief time you’re at Camp Joy, we work to create an environment free from the world’s distractions, so you can rest and be refreshed, resulting in accelerated spiritual growth. 

A concentrated exposure to the light of God’s Word, through the consistent preaching and ministry of God’s Word, will help you refocus on Him. 

The atmosphere of Camp Joy—godly mentors, wholesome fun, and an emphasis on personal time in God’s Word—is designed to nourish your spirit. 

Our goal for everything we do is to help you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Would you like to experience Camp Joy’s greenhouse effect for yourself?

Click the link below to explore our many camp and retreat programs.

Camp Joy is a ministry founded on the Word of God.  Camp Joy remains true to the Word, steadfast in its resolve to help you take important steps of spiritual growth.

To learn more about what we believe, please see our doctrinal statement below.

Doctrinal Statement

  • We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, both Old and New Testament; that it was written by men divinely and uniquely inspired by God; that it is absolutely trustworthy and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:21; I Cor. 2:13)
  • We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Deut. 6:4; Is. 44:6; Gen. 1:1; I Pet. 1:15-16; Prov. 15:3; Rom. 11:33; Job 42:2; Rom. 2:4; Ps. 65:2; Rom. 6:23)
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sin of the world by His death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His Ascension into heaven, His high priestly intercession for His people, and His imminent, personal, visible, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return for His bride according to His promise. (John 3:16; Matt. 1:20, 23; II Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:11; I Cor. 15:4; Acts 1:9; Heb. 4:14, 7:25; I Thess. 4:16-17; Acts 1:11; Titus 2:13)
  • We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from God to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ. (John 16:7-8; John 3:5; I Pet. 1:2; John 14:16)
  • We believe that all men by nature and by choice are sinners, but that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We believe, therefore, that those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior will rejoice in God’s presence forever, and those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord and Savior will forever be separated from God and consigned to a literal hell. (John 3:16, Rom. 3:10-18; Rom. 5:8-9; Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:14-15)
  • We believe in the Church, a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that a visible church is a company of believers in Christ, buried with Him in baptism and associated for worship and fellowship. We believe that to these visible churches were committed for observance “till He come,” the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of persuading the lost to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, and to enthrone Him as Lord and Master. We believe that human betterment and social improvement are essential products of the Gospel. (Col. 1:18; I Cor. 12:13; I Cor. 11:23-31; Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; II Cor. 5:17-20)
  • We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; and that he should live an exemplary life in the sight of God and before others. (II Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12; I Pet. 1:14-16)
  • We believe that each church is independent and autonomous, and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other. (Matt. 22:15-21; Rom. 13:1-7)
  • We believe that Separation demands that Truth and error cannot be mixed; therefore, we will not cooperate with inclusiveness in any way, seeking to obey the command, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you.” (II Cor. 6:14-17)
  • We believe that lasciviousness, fornication, adultery, homosexual or lesbian conduct, abortion, and drug abuse, including the use of tabacco and the drinking of alcohol, are wrong, based on the express statements or plain principles of the Bible. The Joy Baptist Camp Association will not knowingly hire or keep on thier hired staff, any person who practices, promotes, or condones any of the above-mentioned activities.

Our History

Camp Joy History Provided by Charlie Hatchett

Reflecting on God’s faithfulness we have witnessed many changes – from sleeping in tents, washing in the lake, and cooking over campfires to clean, furnished air-conditioned rooms with private showers and eating in a spacious dining room.  But there are some things that will never change – our purpose has always been to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in all things.  God has been faithful in changing lives through the preaching of the Word and we continue to witness young people surrendering to full-time ministry.

In 1959, Pastor John Loggans, a pastor in the area, had a vision for a Baptist youth camp that could be used by local Baptist churches.  He and four other pastors encouraged 23 conservative Baptist churches to join in the formation of a non-profit corporation which could borrow money to buy land and build a camp.  In 1961, they purchased a total of 21 acres for $12,500, including the beautiful frontage on Whitewater Lake.  Some years later, they were able to purchase an additional 20 acres.  A variety of pastors from area churches provided leadership for the camp, and by June of 1962, the camp opened its doors to youth of all ages.  The ministry flourished as many young people were challenged and refreshed, and lives were changed.  In 1976, the board of directors decided the camp needed a full-time director.  Through God’s perfect direction, Charlie Hatchett became the first full-time director of the camp in the fall of 1976.