American Interfaith Camps and Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp to Host International Campers

American Interfaith Camps and Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp to Host International Campers
Delegation of Children from Israel, Palestine, and Costa Rica at 2009 Interfaith Camp in Western North Carolina
American Interfaith Camps, Inc. (AIC) in association with The Peres Center for Peace and Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp is preparing their 2009 summer season interfaith camp program for youth of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths. This year's camps will have an international flair as AIC and Elk Shoals will host boys from Israel and Palestine and girls from Costa Rica. This event will continue American Interfaith Camps’ commitment to promoting peace through cooperation, understanding and trust.
“The occurrence of 9/11 threatened the cause of hope and peace,” says Rev. Peter Parish co-founder of American Interfaith Camps, Inc. “The formation of AIC came through the knowledge that ethnic, cultural and religious diversity can separate us from our common humanity. I am particularly pleased that the Peres Center for Peace recognizes the importance of the work AIC is doing and that we are able to include an international delegation from Israel and Palestine in our 2009 camp.”
The goal of the AIC camp is not to persuade any one particular belief, but to provide the opportunity for children of different backgrounds, age 10 to 13, to play, eat, learn and grow together as friends both in body and spirit. The traditional camp setting, in the mountains of North Carolina, provides opportunities for campers to express their own faith, observe other faiths, and participate in ecology studies, hiking, river activities, and sports.
Registration for the 2009 camp program is now open. Dates for the boys camp is July 19 - 24, 2009 and for girls the camp runs from July 26 - 31, 2009.