What is Hume Lake Christian Camp east of Fresno? There was a COVID outbreak there

Hume Lake Christian Camp is the center of COVID-19 concerns that officials from the Fresno County Department of Public Health stopped short of calling an “outbreak.”

Last week, a San Francisco television station reported that at least three Bay Area children who were at the camp tested positive for the virus and were sent home early. On Wednesday, the Well Church is Fresno announced the cancellation of its youth activities after members were exposed to COVID-19 while staying at the camp.

What and where is Hume Lake Christian Camp?

The camp is situated at Hume Lake, 65 miles east of Fresno in the Sierra National Forest near the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park.

According to its website, the Christian Bible camp was conceived by a group of men in Dinuba in 1945. They purchased 320 acres of lakeshore property that including the Hume Lake Hotel, store, service station, post office, 22 cottages and 22 boats. The camp opened in 1946.

That year it saw 670 campers (and 15 volunteer staff members). By 1966, some 10,511 campers attended three separate camps at Hume Lake: Ponderosa for high school and college; Meadow Ranch for junior high; and Wagon Train for juniors, 8-11.

Adult conferences were held in a lakeview chapel.

The camp now sits on 365 acres and has four chapels — the largest seating some 1,050 — plus three dining halls and a variety of room accommodations. It hosts some 2,000 campers in a given week, according to a representative for the Hume Lake organization, which also runs camps in San Bernardino County, San Diego and in Massachusetts.

Who it serves

The camp is run as a non-denominational, non-profit organization known as Hume Ministries. As such it hosts year-round programming and retreats for both youth and adults. It still offers week-long camps for high school, junior high and middle-school children, but also team sports and science camps, a worship leadership retreat and day camps for first to sixth grade students.

For adults, there are father/daughter and father/son retreats, a fishing retreat and retreats for married couples and pastors.

The camp also hosts a variety of outside groups, providing meals, lodging and facilities for anywhere from 50 to 1,500 people.

Hume Lake Christian Camp and COVID-19

Last year, Hume Lake canceled its in-person camps for the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Executive Director Dathan Brown said at the time that the camp was slated to lose about $19 million in revenue, though churches like The Well encouraged members to let the camp keep their dues and even donate additional funds to help keep it afloat.

The Well had 450 people – students in middle and high school and adult leaders – at the camp last week.

This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 10:22 AM.