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Christ in the Smokies - Navigating the Masculine Journey

Christ in the Smokies Navigating the Masculine Journey

  • Camps
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Leaders
    • Statement of Beliefs
    • Our Values
    • Ministry Partners
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Give Online
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    • Sponsors
  • Register Now
  • Camp Registration
  • Volunteering with CITS
  • Contact

Welcome to Christ in the Smokies! Our goal is to assist you as a dad to equip your son to live an authentic and noble life. We do this through providing Christian retreats for fathers and sons in the magnificent Smoky Mountains. Outdoor adventure and biblically based content abound in summer camps based in the eastern United States. Forge a strong bond and pave the way to Christ-centered manhood at Christ in the Smokies—the adventure of a lifetime!

Recent Posts

  • Reflections from Passage to Manhood 2024
  • The Importance of Sharing Our Stories
  • Father/Son Spotlight: Wes and Jake Potter
  • Father/Son Spotlight: Barry and Stephen Peppers
  • Father/Son Spotlight: Paul and Thomas Metz

Categories

  • Adventure
  • Father/Son Spotlights
  • Passage to Manhood Camp
  • Reflections
  • Sponsorships
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Volunteer Spotlights

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Passage to Manhood Camp
January 13, 2025

Reflections from Passage to Manhood 2024

By Tim Strickland, Director of Christ in the Smokies Our Passage to Manhood camp took place in June of 2024. It was a huge success. Every camp is unique and tailored by God to meet the needs of those who attend. This camp was no exception. For the first time, we had two pairs of international […]

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Father/Son Spotlights
April 7, 2024

Father/Son Spotlight: Wes and Jake Potter

Wes Potter and his son, Jake, a college student, were gifted the opportunity to attend Passage to Manhood camp by Wes’s wife at Christmas. Wes shares that both he and his son were at a difficult time in their lives, so the timing for the trip was perfect. Wes could see that he and his […]

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Father/Son Spotlights
February 4, 2024

Father/Son Spotlight: Barry and Stephen Peppers

Barry Peppers was able to bring his oldest son, Stephen, to Christ in the Smokies’ Passage to Manhood camp at a truly special time—just after Stephen graduated from high school. One of Barry’s lifelong friends, Jason Carr, gifted the camp to the two men through a Taylor Strickland Legacy Foundation scholarship. As they prepared to […]

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Father/Son Spotlights
April 14, 2023

Father/Son Spotlight: Paul and Thomas Metz

When Paul and Thomas Metz joined us at Christ in the Smokies Passage to Manhood camp, Thomas had just graduated high school and would be heading off to college in the fall, and Paul had been in search of a unique one-on-one adventure with Thomas.  Back at home, “he and I didn’t get much time […]

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Passage to Manhood Camp
November 4, 2022

David’s Stones

written by Tim Strickland, Director of Christ in the Smokies On a recent trip to Israel, we visited the Elah Valley to see where David, as a young shepherd boy, slew Goliath who mocked David—but more importantly, mocked David’s God. The short version is that the Philistines gathered their armies for battle and stood on […]

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Passage to Manhood Camp
May 20, 2022

Meet Tim Strickland, CITS Director

Meet Tim Strickland, CITS director and Passage to Manhood Camp Teaching Leader. Tim is well-loved, and his outgoing, friendly, and positive leadership style is appreciated by all who serve with him.

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Father/Son Spotlights
March 11, 2022

Father/Son Spotlight: Jeff and Andrew Pettit

Jeff and Andrew

s a junior in high school when his dad Jeff signed the two of them up to attend Christ in the Smokies Passage to Manhood Camp. The father and son were going through a tough time in their relationship, so when one of Jeff’s friends told him about the camp, he signed them up…

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Passage to Manhood Camp
March 4, 2022

Meet Scott DuBois, Volunteer Extraordinaire

Scott and his son Austin

Meet Scott DuBois, Volunteer Extraordinaire!

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Passage to Manhood Camp
February 17, 2022

Meet Mike Haddorff, Volunteer Extraordinaire!

Mike Haddorff

Name: Mike Haddorff Christ in the Smokies and Christ in the Rockies Teaching Leader
Role(s): Director of Christ in the Rockies
Volunteer superpower: Memorizing everyone’s name before meeting them!

This gifted teacher is one of the many dedicated volunteers who make our Passage to Manhood Camp a success! See what others have to say about Mike.

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Father/Son Spotlights
January 21, 2022

Father/Son Spotlight: Victor and Caleb Matos

Victor and Caleb Matos

Victor Matos shares the experience he had with his son Caleb at our Passage to Manhood Camp.

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Passage to Manhood Camp
January 7, 2022

Meet Greg Dyson, Volunteer Extraordinaire!

Greg Dyson

Name: Greg Dyson, CITS VolunteerRole(s): Hospitality, Team LeaderVolunteer superpower: “Coffee Beast”One of many shining moments: Keeping the coffee machines full and functional, helping everyone face the day… or into the night! What others are saying about Greg: Greg does just about anything that needs to be done. He is friendly, engaging, has loving demeanor, is wise with age, and […]

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Adventure
December 10, 2021

Mark and Jack’s Great Adventure

Mark and Jack

Pam Boyett gifted her brother and nephew the adventure of a lifetime—a trip together to grow in their relationship to each other and to the Lord.

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Father/Son Spotlights
November 26, 2021

Father/Son Spotlight: Kenny and Barrett Caldwell

Kenny and Barett Caldwell

Father and son Kenny and Barrett Caldwell share their experience at Christ in the Smokies Passage to Manhood Camp—and how it was just the beginning of the journey toward a deeper relationship.

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Passage to Manhood Camp
November 5, 2021

God of the Mu

Christ in the Smokies board member Mike Teston shares how God is meeting him in the mu, or the middle, especially in his recent cancer diagnosis.

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Father/Son Spotlights
July 2, 2021

Meet Darrell Schoenig, Volunteer Extraordinaire

Darrell Schoenig, Volunteer Extraordinaire!

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Passage to Manhood Camp
June 21, 2021

Meet Tim Baker, Volunteer Extraordinaire

Meet Tim Baker, Volunteer Extraordinaire!

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Father/Son Spotlights
June 4, 2021

Father/Son Monthly Spotlight: Stephen and Michael Brandes

Michael Brandes shares what he and his dad experienced at Christ in the Smokies Passage to Manhood Camp—and how their relationship is forever changed because of it.

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Adventure
May 14, 2021

Strengthening a Father-Son Relationship

written by Jim Forgan, Ph.D., Christ in the Rockies board member and alumnus Life is built on relationships, and the father-son relationship is a special one. Regardless of where a father and son are in their journey, it’s a process that is always in development. With intentionality, you can improve a strained father son relationship or increase […]

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Passage to Manhood Camp
April 16, 2021

The Enemy of Isolation

written by John Ellard, Christ in the Smokies committee member and alumnus Last fall, I listened to my voicemail from a friend and heard, “I’m in trouble. I have really messed up and need your help.” I received an email from a different friend on New Year’s Eve saying he was checking himself into rehab.   One thing that […]

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Father/Son Spotlights
April 9, 2021

Father/Son Monthly Spotlight: Bill and Will Gerdes

“I felt humbled, grateful and just eager to continue to get to know my boy—the way I envisioned when I held him as a baby.” Bill Gerdes shares how there is no price that can be placed on the gift that he and his son left with after their time at Christ in the Smokies.

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Passage to Manhood Camp
March 19, 2021

A Week with Eternal Impact

written by Jason Carr, Christ in the Smokies volunteer I’ve had the honor of working with and investing in teenage guys for almost 25 years. In that time span, I’ve seen God do some incredible things in the lives of generations and I’ve also seen some frightening changes in our culture. As culture has moved […]

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Father/Son Spotlights
March 12, 2021

Father/Son Monthly Spotlight: The Clarke Family

David and Preson Clarke started out their time at camp feeling a little hesitant to share their feelings and regrets, but they drove away from camp closer than ever and “seeing each other as men with a common purpose to lead as Jesus intended.” Read more about this experience that changed this father and son’s relationship.

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Father/Son Spotlights
January 29, 2021

Father/Son Monthly Spotlight: The Campbell Family

“This was a special time with Cameron that will leave me with no regrets, knowing that he was blessed and called into manhood by his Dad while honoring our Heavenly Father,” Trip Campbell reflects on his time with his son at Passage to Manhood Camp in 2020.

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Father/Son Spotlights
December 8, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: The Smith Family

Brandon Smith reflects upon the liberating experience he and his son Shannon had at Passage to Manhood Camp that brought the two men closer as father and son and helped them heal wounds of the past.

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Father/Son Spotlights
May 29, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: The Routt Family

Greg Routt had such an amazing experience at our inaugural Passage to Manhood Camp with his oldest son that he brought his middle son the next year, and plans to bring his youngest son too!

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Father/Son Spotlights
May 22, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: John and Sebastián Muñoz

Adult son Sebastián Muñoz was thrilled to attend our Passage to Manhood Camp with his father John. The two men had an incredible experience and grew in their relationship. Read Sebastián’s reflections on their experience.

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Adventure
May 8, 2020

We are Sons, Together

Passage to Manhood Camp alumnus Scott DuBois shares how fathers can be life-givers to their sons by affirming them for who they are, not what they’ve done.

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Adventure
April 30, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: Gavin and Tristan Philipps

From time to time, we want to bring you the stories of some of the fathers and sons who have attended Christ in the Smokies’ Passage to Manhood Camp. In this post, read about Gavin and Tristan Philipps’ experience.

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Adventure
April 20, 2020

Worth the Risk

Christ in the Smokies committee member and alumnus Mike Teston shares why it’s worth the risk to attend Christ in the Smokies’ Passage to Manhood Camp.

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Father/Son Spotlights
April 5, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: Mike and Josiah Gross

From time to time, we want to bring you the stories of some of the fathers and sons who have attended Christ in the Smokies’ Passage to Manhood Camp. In this post, hear about Mike and Josiah Gross’ experience.

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Father/Son Spotlights
February 24, 2020

Father/Son Spotlight: Daniel and Andrew Watkins

From time to time, we want to bring you the stories of some of the fathers and sons who have attended Christ in the Smokies’ Passage to Manhood Camp. In this post, hear about Daniel and Andrew Watkins’ experience.

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Passage to Manhood Camp
January 24, 2020

A Surprise Discovery

CITS visits the Eastern Caribbean on a fact-finding mission and finds something else! Guy, a taxi driver, picked us up at our hotel in St. Lucia for the hour and half drive to the airport. He began pointing out noteworthy places along the way, sharing his country’s history and culture. As our time together increased, […]

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Passage to Manhood Camp
December 16, 2019

Full Circle Moments

by Tim Strickland I recently attended the National Coalition of Ministries to Men Conference and got a chance to hear about what is happening across our nation in regard to men’s spirituality. One of the speakers was the President of Promise Keepers (PK), a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus so they will […]

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Passage to Manhood Camp
December 3, 2019

2020 Passage to Manhood Camp Dates!

We are excited to announce that the Christ in the Smokies 2020 Passage to Manhood camp dates are June 14-18.  To read more about these game-changing camps that provide the father-son adventure of a lifetime, click here.

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Passage to Manhood Camp
November 24, 2019

The Power of Giving

This past summer, several fathers and sons were sponsored at our Passage to Manhood camp. One of these was a father of nine who longed to share this time with his oldest son. Due to the size of his family, these types of events are a stretch for them, financially and time-wise. Through the generosity […]

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Throughout 18 years of compiled survey data, 99% of alumni indicate they would highly recommend our programs supporting men along the masculine journey.

Let the adventure begin!

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