faq’s

  • The NEXT Residency is not currently accredited through any universities. However, if your college offers the option of an internship for credit, and the NEXT Residency is approved through your school, our team will provide the necessary facilitation/signatures for college credit to be achieved. (Contact jmcneely@woodlandscamp.org for more details).

  • NEXT residents lives in apartment-style lofts – 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartments for eight.

    There is a common space consisting of a living room and kitchen area. The common space will come furnished with seating, a TV, and appliances.

    Each bedroom has a double set of built-in 3-tier bunk beds with 2 closets and a double vanity with separate toilet and shower room.

    Guys and Girls housing are separate.

    Communal laundry is accessible on the lower level of the cabin.

  • 9 months worth of clothing appropriate for all temperatures. As for the warm seasons, 5 inch inseams are required for all bottoms. Undergarments cannot be visible at any time.

    Church attire

    Winter attire

    Clothes/shoes you do not mind getting dirty/bleach stains

    Non-slip shoes

    1 Piece, modest swimsuit

    Bath and Beach towels

    Twin size bedding

    Toiletries including toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, hand soap, trash bags, etc. Personal and housing toiletries are not provided.

    Suitecase

    Residents are welcome to bring any furniture or appliances not provided by Woodlands. (ie. air fryer, blender, crock pot, pressure cooker, coffeemaker, etc.)

    Residents are welcome to bring any apartment/dorm decor

  • A large couch and TV in the common space (not connected to cable; we recommend bringing a ROKU, Firestick, or AppleTV), mattress, bar stools, fridge, stove/oven, microwave, freezer, dishwasher, washer/dryer, curtains, coffee table, bedside tables, cups, plates, silverware, various cooking utensils, bowls, pots, and pans.

  • Clothing supporting beer/alcohol companies

    Clothing outside of our dress standard

    Weapons (guns, firearms, or knives)

    Fireworks and explosives

    Tobacco, drugs, or alcohol

    Pets

  • Woodlands provides a meal plan for residents. Whenever our kitchen is serving a retreat group, NEXT residents are welcome to eat the meal provided. When there is not a group on property, NEXT residents will provide food for themselves.

    A common meal schedule would include:

    August-December— Most days will have meals provided by camp.

    January-May— Most often, Friday-Sunday will have meals provided by camp.

    Meals are based on retreat schedule and are subject to change.

  • In the world of camp ministry, there is no typical week. Resident schedules revolve around our guest groups. A week will consist of these elements: Teaching/development sessions, serving guest groups, working in different capacities with our full-time staff, general leadership opportunities, and Bible study.

    A typical week also depends on the time of year, here is a breakdown of our two main retreat seasons:

    Busy Season (August-December):

    Busy season is our fall retreat season where we allow groups to come at any time of the week and their stay averages around 2-3 days. We facilitate all meals and free time shifts. We offer extensive safety training for all of our NEXT Residents to ensure our groups’ safety while experiencing our adventure and water attractions. Normally, there is a 24 hour turn around between retreats. Our residents work along side camp resources to clean camp in preparation for the upcoming retreat. The margin between group schedules will allow our residents to attend sessions, complete school work, and rest.

    Retreat Season (January-May):

    Retreat season is when we generally schedule groups to come Friday-Sunday instead of any time during the week. The work week for residents will consist of personal development, various tasks around camp, apprenticeships under our Full-time team, as well as more scheduled time-off.

  • There is no cost! All of the outings and conferences are covered by Woodlands as a part of the NEXT Residency. The Dominican Republic mission trip will be funded jointly through scholarship opportunities that can be earned and personal fundraising during the year.

  • No! Whether you are a high school graduate, college graduate, taking online classes, or just want to take a year off from classes, you can apply for the NEXT Residency. No Woodlands experience is required.

IMPACTFUL. UNFORGETTABLE.