Camp S’more Fun with Jesus!

• Have a life that exemplifies a relationship with Jesus Christ which also impacts the lives of others.

• Must be able to present a contact reference from a pastor or ministry leader.

• Are a active participant or member in fellowship with a Bible-believing church.

• Must have a desire to minister to children and/or teens from diverse backgrounds in a camp setting.

• Must be a willing participate to engage in all camp related activities such as outdoor camping, canoeing, mud runs and hiking.

• Must be able to adapt and relate, cross-culturally and embrace diversity.

• Must be able to pass a state and federal background check.

• Must be authorized to work in the United States of America (USA).

• This position requires temporary relocation to St. Charles, Illinois (55 minutes west of Chicago) to live on our campus for 10 weeks from May-August.

Pay Structure: Summer staff positions have a starting base pay of $4,500 (before tax withholding) in total for 10 weeks of service. Compensation is broken into bi-weekly payments in which staff receive their paychecks on the 15th and 31st of each month of their service.

Bonuses: The following bonuses are awarded to summer staff:

• $100 Signing Bonus for staff that commits to serve and submit a complete application by Dec. 30th.

• $200 Bonus for returning as a summer staff employee.

• $100 Bonus (referral per person) for any summer staff who recruits any new staff team member that completes their initial summer staff training.

Schedule: Our summer camp staff work Sundays-Fridays (6 days a week) which usually include 14+ hour work days. Summer staff can expect to work up to 70 hours a week for the duration of 8 weeks of camp.

Training: Our summer camp program starts in the third week of May with initial orientation and mandatory training for all camp staff. Once hired, staff will go through two weeks of paid training. Training ends the second week of June.

• Leadership staff members arrive on campus on May 17th.

• Support & Teen Staff arrive on campus on May 19th.

• Counselors arrive on campus on May 26th.

All summer camp staff members will be provided room and board which includes daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and lodging as a addition to compensation.

Housing: It is a requirement for all camp staff members to live on our 85-acre campus for a duration of 10 weeks while summer camp is in session. Staff members stay in one of our well air-conditioned cabins which has a laundry room, full Male and Female bathrooms, kitchen and living room space with a fireplace. All cabins and office buildings are equipped with Wi-Fi which is also accessible to summer staff.

While camp is in session, our staff sleep in the cabins with the kids with 1 staff to every 7 kids (1:7 minimum supervision ratio) in each room. There are 5 rooms in each cabin, which have 8 beds in each room. In total each cabin can sleep 40 people.

We do not provide married or family housing for our summer camp staff.

Meals: During the week meals are prepared by the kitchen staff. Because of our limited staffing and resources we will try our best to accommodate any special dietary (lactose, vegetarian, food allergies etc.) needs of our staff members however if we are not able to, a per diem voucher would be offered to the staff member so they can purchase there food off campus.

Depending on the job position, most of the time our staff will be working on-site at our campus in the Summertime. Summer staff can expect to work most days outdoors in hot temperatures with bathroom facilities nearby. There are camp activities that require staff to get messy and dirty with minimal time to change clothes. Some activities may also require a lot of physical excursion such as running, jumping, and lifting when necessary. While we encourage breaks, there may also be times where you have to be standing for an extended period.

It is our best practice to offer a safe and healthy work environment that caters to the needs of the mental health of all staff members. We teach and train our staff to use proper self-care techniques and approaches when having feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. These approaches may include allowing staff members to schedule time with their therapist, have extended breaks or attend our weekly skill groups.

Camp staff are given weekend breaks starting from Friday evenings until Sunday mornings. During the 8 week live camp program session, summer staff will be able to have a minimum of 6 Friday evenings and 6 Saturdays (full-day), and 6 Sunday mornings off to either go home for the weekend or stay on campus.

Staff are given two 15-min breaks and one 30 min break daily during the workday. Camp staff also eat lunch with kids at mealtime.

FVCA understands that there are possible events in which staff may be involved during the summer (i.e. weddings, registering for classes, etc.). The Camp Manager will consider requests for time off and has the discretion to approve or deny requests based on factors, such as whether the requested time off conflicts with your commitment to serve, prior requests of other missionaries, and/or the best interests of FVCA. Requests for additional days off must be made in writing and sent by email to the Camp Manager prior to the staff member’s first date of service.

Shuttle: Staff can bring their own personal vehicles and park them safely on our campus. If a camp staff member does not have a personal vehicle on campus, we will schedule and arrange a FVCA shuttle bus to transport summer staff to go to Walmart, Target or any other store.

Relocation Assistance: FVCA will pay a hired summer staff member’s travel expenses to travel to FVCA up to a maximum of $300 for staff members who are out of state residents. The expense benefit will be paid on the next payroll following a summer staff member's completion of their training and after having submitted applicable travel expense receipts to the business office.

Eligible Travel Expenses: Gas, Hotel, Flight Ticket (Air fare), Train Ticket (Train fare), Bus Ticket, Tolls, Checked Bag Fee, Rideshare or Taxi Fee, Car Rental

Eligible expenses do not include car maintenance, apparel, coverage of family members expenses, parking tickets or moving violations.

Benefit Requirements: The summer staff member must pay their travel expenses with their own personal funds. Following the completion of their training, staff members must present a digital or physical copy of their eligible travel receipts and submit them to the business office. The benefit amount will only cover what was actually purchased by the staff member and will not cover anything over the $300 max. For example: If a hired staff member only spends $150 on gas and meals to travel to FVCA, the ministry will only pay that actual amount. Summer staff will not receive the remaining allowance or balance. This benefit only applies to expenses related to an employee’s initial travel to FVCA.

If there are expenses that go over the max $300, anything in excess will be the responsibility of the staff member to cover.

The benefit amount will not be taken out of the summer staff’s regular compensation. It is to be used for arrival travel expenses only and not for departure expenses.

Non-Resident of Illinois: This benefit is only for hired summer staff that are currently out-of-state residents. No residents of Illinois are eligible for reimbursement. This even applies to students who go to school out of state but are current residents of Illinois. If you are a resident that’s out of state but attend a college or university in the state of Illinois you are eligible for reimbursement.

Non-residents of Illinois must also present a State ID or Driver’s License to the Camp Program Manager to verify residency out-of-state.

Taxes: This is a taxable benefit and the employee will be required to pay normal taxes and have payroll tax withholding on the benefit amount.

Once hired for one of our summer camp positions, it’s the prospective staff member’s responsibility to book and coordinate travel arrangements to FVCA’s campus upon the start of training and at the end or closure of summer camp. We‘re open to providing assistance with your pick-up from and drop-off to an Illinois airport, bus, or train terminal if necessary. The most preferred airport for pickup would be O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, IL.

All summer staff take part in a fundraising process called the Missionary Support Assistance Program (MSAP) which helps raise funds to provide an opportunity for 700 children and teens to attend summer camp at no cost to their families. As a mandatory requirement of employment, summer staff must consistently participate in the MSAP fundraising process before official employment starts and while employment is active in the Summer of 2023.

All staff members are to conduct themselves in accordance with FVCA’s policies and procedures as well as our ministry’s statement of faith. Summer Camp staff members are expected to fulfill all ACA (American Camp Association) regulations and requirements to safely serve as summer staff team members. The use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and non-prescription drugs is prohibited during the time of service.

The main goal of FVCA’s Annual Summer Camp is to give all campers an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. The hope is that they will make a commitment to serve him and live a life that honors him so that others can also know about Jesus.

We present the gospel in 3 key ways:

• Daily 30 minute Chapel object lesson.

• Official Gospel presentation and invitation on Thursdays.

• Cabin devotionals at night with Campers and Staff.

A 6-day summer bible curriculum is selected before camp starts and also adheres to our statement of faith and belief. Campers and staff are encouraged to bring their bible to camp with no preference of a standard version.

International college students are encouraged to apply for one of our amazing camp staff roles for the summer. For more information about working in the U.S. as an international student please visit https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment

While campers and staff are present and actively living on our campground for the summer, we have several checks in place to make sure that our campus is safe from any trespassers. Other than our basic emergency procedures (active shooter, severe weather, missing person etc.), our leadership team conduct walking rounds across campus to make sure cabin doors are locked, all persons are accounted for and monitor any suspicious activity on campus.

FVCA also adheres to both the state and federal guidelines regarding COVID-19 policies and procedures.