Once on the block, Cale grows to meet demands

By Norman Jameson

BR Editor

Cale Retreat campers use long-handled spoons to serve each other a gallon of pudding colored to match their team. First team to finish wins. Campers could have eaten the pudding themselves, but they quickly learned it is better to serve another. This year’s “Endurance” them, involves using horse manure in one game ... but not with spoons.

Contributed photo

In 2001 "Camp Cale" was an outdated, under used drag around the neck of Chowan Baptist Association. Leadership debated whether to close up shop and sell the enormous asset or commit resources to upgrade it and make it an attractive, versatile, effective facility.

They bit the bullet and committed.

Today Steve Carter is the full-time director at the 93-bed Cale Retreat and Conference Center near Hertford, and he is painstakingly and relentlessly carving a year round facility out of the 76 acres fronting the Perquimans River. Demand is up, effectiveness measured in changed lives thrills the association and Cale is becoming a conference center of choice for the burgeoning population of northeast North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.

Cale is about to break ground for a 72-bed sleeping and conference facility that will enable it to fill a retreat niche year round in a modern, comfortable environment. Most other cabins used in the summer programs would be considered "rustic."

A summer camping program is growing steadily and over the past six years 283 young people have confessed Christ.

After one young girl became a Christian at summer camp her father attended a men's retreat and accepted Christ. The following summer his son came to camp and also became a Christian. Today the entire family is attending church together.

Cale is 20 minutes south of Elizabeth City and 20 minutes north of Edenton.

It has lodging for 32 in climate-controlled cabins with bunk style lodging. Three-season cabins with a bathhouse and private showers will sleep 61.

The large meeting hall has seating capacity of 120.

Cale is a recreational treasure, with swimming, canoes and sailing. It offers a rock climbing wall and low ropes course with work being done to construct a high ropes course. A two-acre sports field provides plenty of space for field games. There are horseshoe pits, archery, rifle and trap shooting ranges, as well as a nature trail, fire ring at water's edge and many acres in which to be quiet and enjoy God's bountiful beauty.

Programming is strong in men's areas, too, where Carter leads men's groups through competitions in archery, golf, skeet, horse shoes, and riflery. Cale earned a national safety award after being nominated by North Carolina wildlife officers.

"In Mark 6:31 Jesus says, 'Come away to a quiet place and rest awhile,'" Carter said. "As Jesus Himself withdrew to seek and find direction from the Father, the Master now calls us to do likewise. Cale offers a quiet setting for individuals or groups to seek and find the Master's calling and direction on their lives."

Lodging at Cale is $16 per person per night. Costs for day use vary based on the number attending and runs from $2 to $6 a person. There are small fees for use of recreational equipment.

Dad testimonials

Two notes from "grateful dads," following father-son retreats at Cale.

"I thought it would be a nice time away with my son but I had no idea how enlightening and wonderful a time we would have. The lessons you gave, the testimonies we heard, and the trap shooting were fantastic!

My son is still talking about the Friday night hike in the woods and the bear trap. That was an excellent illustration for all of us to see. I asked my son his favorite part of the weekend and he started listing everything, the camp fire, the singing, the dads against the sons in hide and seek Friday night, the lessons you spoke of, and he even mentioned the time you asked the dads to pray over our sons right there in the meeting hall. The food was fantastic too, better than my wife's!

"My son and I talked the whole way home about the dad and son retreat. My son really liked the way you talked about your first car and using the right manual to get it fixed right and how the manual to fix a man right is God's word, the Bible. He said it made sense that since God made us, He should be the one to tell us how we should run as men. He mentioned this a couple times. He also talked about the bear trap and how he really thought you were going to step in it. The meals, devotions, testimonies, and activities were all perfect."