Summerfest 2025 will be June 10-14th, 2025. It will be the same dates for both MS and HS students.
We will be venturing to a new camp for Summerfest 2025! Located right on Lake of the Ozarks, Encounter Cove is a Christian camp on 360 acres that is dedicated to making a way for both students and adults to encounter Jesus and all that He has created. With beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces for campers to worship, have fun and create memories, Encounter Cove carries on the legacy of Windermere, which was a life-changing camp many PV students experienced before we moved to SOTO.
In addition to great indoor paces for worship and messages, Encounter Cove has paintball, an outdoor pool, kayaks, ropes course, a zip line, lake inflatables, sand volleyball, mini golf, and great spots for fishing and hiking!
To see what Encounter Cove offers, check out their website!
We are always looking for ways to make camp an incredible summer experience for your students. While we have had some incredible years at Camp SOTO, we have already been outgrowing that space, which has caused us to look for other places that would allow us to host an excellent summer camp experience with all the elements students want: fun activities outdoors, engaging worship, challenging messages, and extended time away with friends!
Encounter Cove will allow us to not only host a high-quality camp experience, but will also allow us to us make this experience available for as many students as possible!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MINISTRY (MSM)
Middle School will be taking part in MIX, a summer camp experience for grades 6-8th hosted by Christ in Youth. At MIX, your students will experience high-energy worship, age-intentional Bible teaching, community with their friends and adult leaders, and a practical call to Kingdom Work.
Middle School students will be at MIX with other churches who are also bringing their middle schoolers to camp. You can find out more HERE!
HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRY (HSM)
High School will have separate programming from middle school, but also with lots of fun camp activities, engaging worship through song and prayer, and relevant yet challenging messages.
Josh Knight is our High School Speaker. He is a dynamic preacher and teacher who loves communicating the beauty of Jesus. Josh lives in Rhode Island with his wife, Desiree, and their two sons, Winston and Haddon. When he is not serving in ministry, you will find him in the mountains — skiing in the winters and hiking in the summers.
Joseph Tenney is the Worship Leader for High School Summerfest. Joseph has been in worship and creative arts ministry for nearly two decades, serving both in the Chicagoland area as well as Dallas/Grapevine area. He is married to Kimberly, and has two middle school daughters, Faith and Ruth. You can find some of his music on Spotify under 'The Tenneys.'
You can find the packing list HERE!
Encounter Cove offers different housing for middle school students and high school students. Middle School students will be in Wilderness Creek dorms, while High School will be in Lakeview Cabins and the Motel.
After registration closes on May 1, all students registered for Summerfest 2025 will have an opportunity to select a few students they would like to room with while at camp.
We'll be making the journey from PV to Encounter Cove via charter busses.
Yes! We'll be bringing licensed nurses to be available to address medical needs and medications.
There is a snack shop (Lakeside Grill) that will be open during the day at Encounter Cove. There is also a gift shop where students can choose to purchase apparel and souvenirs if they choose.
All other expenses (meals, travel, activities, etc) are covered in price of registration.
The full list of camp rules can be found HERE.
Camp rules will also be in the student camp booklet.
Encounter Cove offers an exciting variety of new and familiar activities including:
Paintball
Outdoor Pool
Fishing
Hiking
Kayakes
Canoes
Boating
Ropes Course
Zip Line
Mini Golf
Gym
Water Inflatables
Lakeside Grill (snack shack)
There will be plenty of activities around camp, something for everyone!
To see more, be sure to go to their website!
You can register for Summerfest 2025 HERE!
Sign up for the grade you are currently in for the 2024-2025 school year.
Students in 8th grade would sign up for Middle School camp.
After you have registered for Summerfest, you will receive a confirmation email.
Check the link on that email to find your balance or to make additional payments online.
Yes! All the lodges and meeting spaces will be air conditioned.
We depend on amazing adult volunteer leaders to pull off Summerfest each year. We look first to our ongoing weekly adult leaders to fill leadership roles at Summerfest. If there are still needs, we often bring in current MS/HS parents to help serve as volunteers. Interested in what roles are still available? Email our student ministry staff here.