Stronghold Foam Sword Camp

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

My fingers for battle.

He is my loving God and my fortress,

My stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples under me.

Psalm 144:1-2

July 27 – August 2, 2025

Stronghold Foam Sword Camp

Stronghold overnight camp is unlike any other experience.

Coming to camp you will learn how to play a sport we call Stronghold. A medieval-styled foam battle game with swords, shields, arrows, and more.

You will be immersed in a community of fellow warriors, striving as one to honor Christ as you dive deeper into the study of His Word, work with your team to complete challenges on an Imagination Adventure, and hone your skills on the battlefield through the guidance and instruction of excellent teachers. 

Stronghold overnight camp also offers all the parts of a traditional camp experience like singing, campfires, and devotions to create memories that will last a lifetime.

This year we will have an in-person overnight camp at Machen from July 27th to August 2nd.

The theme of this year’s camp adventures is digging for treasure. In our imagination quests we will be mining for treasure and inevitably disturbing monsters from digging too deep. Campers and staff will enjoy seeing parallels when reading the scriptures about finding treasure which God has for those who seek for it.

Machen‘s Stronghold camp is for boys and girls ages 10 through 17. 

Camp check in starts at July 27th at 3:00 pm on the Sunday and camp programming starts at 5:30 pm, and ends Saturday August 2nd at noon.

 

Registration will open up for anyone on December 6th.

 

Register For Stronghold Foam Sword Camp

Camp Staff

Stephen Ippolito
Stephen Ippolito (Aka: Sir Estivan) created the club/game Stronghold in the year 2009. God called him to use the club as an afterschool ministry that teaches youth about the game of foam sword fighting and challenges them to serve the one true King: Jesus Christ.

With the Lord’s blessing the ministry has grown to summer camps and overnight camps. Stephen Ippolito became a full-time missionary this past summer and now serves with an international organization called Push the Rock where he hopes to spread the joy and gifts of the Stronghold programs to Pennsylvania and beyond.

Register for Stronghold Foam Sword Camp

Stronghold Camp Fees

$300 for a single camper

$250 per camper for 2 or more siblings

Machen Retreat and Conference Center

Mail

P.O. Box 203
Mt Crawford, VA 22841

Location

6 Job’s Hill Rd
McDowell, VA 24458

Phone

Retreat: (540)396-3650
Information: (703)477-5670

Email:

Director@Machen.org
Webmaster@Machen.org

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2