Of course! We welcome mail of most kinds, just make sure it has enough postage and time to get here. Lanyards and other bulky items require more than a First-Class stamp. Please do not send food or candy to your camper -- any food received will be held by staff until the camper completes check-out at the end of the week. All mail that arrives after the final day of camp will be forwarded or returned to the sender. You can send mail to:

Murdock, KS 67111

If you wish to send an email message to your camper, please send an email to camper@campmennoscah.org with the camper's name as the subject line. The message will be printed and given to the camper with all other mail.

All camps, except for First Camp, begin on Sunday, with check-in from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. First Camp begins on Thursday, with check-in from 4:30 to 5:30 pm and check out on Saturday from 10:30 - 11:30 am. Pre-Junior camps end on Thursday, and Junior, Junior High, and Senior High camps end on Friday. All check-out times are from 10:30 - 11:30 am. Please contact us if you will arrive late to either check-in or check-out.

Many activities are available at camp. We have interest groups and recreation every day that include options such as: friendship bracelets, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, hair braiding, borrow the balls, sock dodge ball, canoeing, fishing, basketball, gowling, river or pool games, and many others! Check out our activities page here.

A typical schedule looks something like this:

At camp, we "live by the bell" which can be heard on all of main camp grounds and signals the beginning and end to many activities.

Cabin assignments are completed with respect to age and home church or home town, doing our best to separate those campers from the same place. This is to help facilitate new relationships and to avoid campers feeling left out. Cabinmate requests are accepted - this is a part of online registration. In order for a cabinmate request to be honored, both campers much request each other on their registration forms. Cabinmate requests are not guaranteed, first-time campers receive priority. If you have a special request in regards to cabin assignments, please contact Camp Mennoscah at office@campmennoscah.org or 620-297-3290.

Please send mail! We want campers to be focused on the activities in which they are involved. If special arrangements are made or an emergency situation occurs, phone use will be permitted.

During the summer, visitors are welcome on the first and last days of camp. This is to help get your camper(s) settled and adjusted to camp as well as allow you to see camp grounds and meet camp staff.

Certainly! We recognize that in our busy world, one cannot always work around the camp schedule. Please respect that no one may arrive or depart camp grounds after campfire (10:30pm) or half an hour before breakfast (7:30am). Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

If you need to drop off your camper late, please contact Camp Mennoscah (620-297-3290) as soon as you are aware of this. When you arrive, we will go through the check-in process and get your camper involved in whatever we're doing as soon as possible.

If you need to pick up your camper early, please indicate this during check-in on the first day of camp. We will have you fill out a form, and make sure the camper and their counselor are aware of the early departure. This is to be sure your camper has everything they need and is ready to go when you arrive.

If your camper should get sick while at camp or sustain an injury, the primary contact on their medical form will be contacted about the situation. If the primary contact cannot be reached, then emergency contacts will be contacted (in the order on the camper's form) until someone is directly notified. Our camp nurse will do their best to explain the situation and work with the parent or guardian of the child to best fit the needs of the situation. Our nurse's station is equipped with a room that has air conditioning and beds if a child should need these. 

If a camper shows signs of homesickness, camp staff and counselors will do their very best to help encourage and involve the camper. As needed, the camp nurse will be in contact with a parent or guardian in regards to homesickness. Camp Mennoscah will work with parents and guardians to best fit the wants of the parent or guardian and the needs of the camper. If you are concerned about your camper becoming homesick at camp, please notify Camp Mennoscah as soon as possible.

Emergency situations are taken seriously at Camp Mennoscah. We recognize that allowing your camper to join us at camp requires a great deal of trust and we will always do our best to maintain that trust. While emergencies are hardly ever the same, a protocol to contact parents/guardians of campers will always be enacted. If your camper was injured or directly affected in an emergency situation, you will be contacted as soon as possible. If there is a camp incident in which all campers were involved, every household with a camper at camp will receive information regarding the incident as soon as possible.

Weather and radar are checked daily by camp staff, in addition to having weather radios in every building. If there is a concern about bad weather or a storm, the radar will be checked frequently and program directors will be in consistent contact with the camp director about when activities will be brought inside, swimming canceled, or shelter required. Camp Mennoscah has two storm shelters. Our most preferable shelter is the basement of the Retreat Center, with outside stair entrances on each side of the building for easy access from both the boys' and girls' cabin areas. In the case of a storm warning indicating the need for shelter, counselors and summer staff will be notified and kids will be taken to the shelter immediately. The second shelter is our nature center underneath the pavilion of the Dining Hall.

Camp Mennoscah recognizes the important role summer camp staff have in helping create a safe, fulfilling camp experience for campers. Every year, for each staff member and other volunteers involved in the summer youth camping program, Camp Mennoscah requires the following documents and training:

• A criminal background check, including sex offenders registry
• Three references from non-family members are checked
• Training about recognizing abuse and signs of abuse
• Training about safe relationships with campers, abuse prevention, and healthy boundaries
• Two staff members shall be present with any individual camper or where campers are gathered
• At least two counselors will stay in each cabin overnight

By including these steps, Camp Mennoscah strives to keep camper safety our primary concern by reducing the risk of abuse and misconduct.

If your camper feels uncomfortable or unsafe at camp, they are encouraged to reach out to an adult and share about their experience. The adult who listens to your camper will then inform the Camp Director or Executive Director as soon as possible and action will be taken to ensure your camper’s safety. Camp staff will explain these steps to all campers on the first evening of summer youth camp.

Camp Mennoscah is committed to taking all claims of abuse and sexual misconduct seriously. We strive to make reporting abuse and misconduct a safe process.

If you have concerns about possible misconduct or abuse, please contact the Camp Mennoscah Executive Director. See contact information below.

Please contact the Executive Director with any questions or concerns you might have on this subject. If you need to report abuse or misconduct by the Camp Mennoscah Executive Director, please contact the Board of Directors President.

Delicious! Meals are prepared by a different group of cooks each week. Typical meals may include Bierocks, Verenike Casserole, Taco Salad, our picnic meal (hot dogs / hamburgers), and Tator Tot Casserole. Breakfast always includes cereal options and lunch meals often have a salad bar available. We have an evening snack every day, usually after our evening singing time. Typical snacks include kettle popcorn, crackers and cheese, fruit, and cookies. Camp Mennoscah will do its best to accommodate any dietary needs or restrictions, please include these on your campers registration form.

Please note that our Dining Hall during meal times can be very loud. Camp Mennoscah has earplugs on hand to help with the noise, if needed. These earplugs are for dry use only and not meant for the pool or river. Loud noises include the scraping of chair feet against the concrete, loud talking, and general mealtime noise. 

During lunch, we often have silly singing that involves all campers and staff. This may include singing a song for the rest of the camp, singing chants at our tables, and running around the tables for having your elbows on the table while eating! We intend for this to be fun and no one is forced to participate.

Additionally, at the end of each lunch is mail call where those people who accumulate three points of mail get to sing. A white letter is worth one point, a colored letter is worth two, and a package is worth three. This is meant to be a way to involve the greater community to our camp week, by encouraging those who are not at camp to write letters to those that are!

Camp Mennoscah often has a few special meals and activities during certain weeks. With the exception of First Camp, camps usually have a taco salad meal where campers and staff have the option to eat without silverware and/or without their hands. In recent years, one table is reserved for those who might feel uncomfortable with others eating with their hands or faces and where silverware is required. 

Often during Junior High weeks, a late-night activity is the game of Persecution (sometimes known as the Anabaptist game). This link provides a short description of the game. The game is meant to be an interactive way to reenact the persecution of Christians in the 16th century. Participation is not required. Those who would like to participate may find dark clothing useful.