Dates:
November 25, 2012–August 24, 2013
Financial Information
Required Class Tuition: $2,822. This is payable to Wheaton College by February 26, 2013.
Stipend: GAs receive a salary for the winter/spring retreat ministry and the weeks of summer camp ministry as part of their experience. Take home pay is approximately $2,500 for winter/spring and $1,600 for summer. You will not be paid during staff training or during any classes you take.
Room and Board: Room and Board is deducted from your paycheck during the ministry seasons. GAs will be housed in a HoneyRock lodge with dorm-like housing with 1–3 other singles or a studio apartment for married couples. Three family-style meals are served daily in the HoneyRock dining hall.
Affordability: We have done our best to make this high quality program affordable for post-college individuals knowing you likely have student loans, car payments and insurance. GAs receive a life changing, personal and professional development experience with graduate-level classes. Compare this program to Youth with a Mission Discipleship Training Schools, a NOLS semester, or a Capenwray Semester Program and you will see it is a foundational experience to launch you into ministry or full-time graduate school.
Basic Schedule for Graduate Apprentices
September–December: Program Orientation and Foundations
Students will be part of a two-month discipleship training program starting with a three-week orientation to HoneyRock involving a week at camp and a two-week wilderness trip (Nov 4–17). The program fee for the wilderness trip is $895 (not included in the class tuition stated above).
During November and December (November 25–December 19), GAs will go deeper into training with three weeks of study in retreat ministry philosophy and strategy. Training will also include skills in winter sports such as cross-country skiing, broomball, ice-skating, hockey, tubing snowshoeing and some exposure to overnight winter camping. Training will conclude with a week off for Thanksgiving and another for Christmas. There is no charge for room and board during winter ministry training in December. GAs will need to be back to camp on December 26 to start ministry on December 27.
January–March: Winter Retreat Ministry
GAs will be paid for 10 weeks of ministry at a rate of $350/week minus $130/week for room and board. GAs will be directly involved in hands-on ministry as they host various retreat groups for college students, schools and church groups. GAs will design and implement 3- to 15-day programs for retreat guests.
When not working or preparing for groups, GAs will be assigned to different areas of camp to do special projects. GAs may work on operations crews, in the kitchen, in the office, or in housekeeping.
At the beginning of March, students will finish up retreat season and then have the opportunity to attend the Christian Camp & Conference Association (CCCA) Wisconsin Sectional as part of the program. The last two weeks of March will be Spring Break (March 14–April 2).
April–May
In April, all GAs are required to take CFM 663: Leadership Development in Outdoor Ministry (4). During this time, GAs will have time to prepare for class and write papers. Additionally, they will spend a week touring several camps throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. GAs will be charged $130/week for room and board during this time.
May starts summer training and ministry. GAs will participate in the two-week Adventure Challenge Course leader and philosophy training (4-credit M.A. option) and will also be participating in and be a part of leading a portion of summer ministry/staff training.
June–August
GAs will carry out summer ministry philosophy and training, serving about 1,000 college students and young campers through a variety of different programs. August starts our premier first-year orientation program (Wheaton Passage) for Wheaton College freshmen and transfer students. GAs will either lead a wilderness trip, help with logistics, or lead an in-camp small group of students. GAs will be paid $360/week minus $130/week for room and board for 13 weeks of summer ministry.