Thousands converge on Brown City for Missionary Camp Week

BROWN CITY — For one week in August, the population of Brown City easily doubles, if not triples when thousands of campers from across Michigan and throughout the Midwest converge at the campgrounds on Wilcox Road, just southwest of Brown City. 

The 10-day, faith-based camp is typically during the first full week of August. 

Hundreds of visitors bring their motorhomes, campers of all shapes and sizes, while others stay in housing on the campgrounds. Approximately 3,000 people call Brown City Camp home for the 10 days, giving the downtown area of Brown City an economic boom for many businesses. Many attend the camp from churches in the Yale and Port Huron areas.

Every day there are planned biblical teaching sessions in various structures spread throughout the camp. Programs for children begin as young as 2 years old. Additionally, there are programs for pre-teens, teens, young adults and adults.

Each morning and evening evangelistic speakers address hundreds of guests gathering in the Eastman Tabernacle, a structure that has stood tall on the campgrounds since the late 1930s. In recent years the population has grown to where many visitors sit in lawn chairs and benches circled around the outside of the worship center.

Throughout the week several organized activities take place including specialized teaching related to missions and the Christian lifestyle. The camp also offers a fully staffed nursery for the night services. There are dormitories for junior and senior high school youth to stay in during the week, along with having their own praise and worship time each morning.

Brown City Camp is a 120-acre annual Christian family camp meeting in Burnside Township, Michigan, founded in 1928. Evolving from early 1900s tent meetings, it was established on 20 purchased acres at 8700 Wilcox Road, growing into a multi-generational tradition operated by the Michigan District of the Missionary Church.

The camp has grown to have a general store, a merchandise tent, and an ice cream shack. A number of special evenings, including “Bethel University” night, Missions night, children’s night and youth night are featured.

This year, over 500 children were on stage for children’s night, presenting a great opportunity for proud parents and grandparents to take pictures of their littles presenting musical selections. Next year’s camp is scheduled for July 29-Aug. 8.