Our Place
More than 200 acres on Lake Catherine, in the Ouachita Mountains near Hot Springs, Arkansas. The grounds include cabins, the Tanako Life Center (TLC), Fawcett Chapel, the lakefront, the high ropes course, and miles of nature trails.
Our Purpose
This is our why.
We have witnessed individual lives transformed by the experience of God in creation, and by time spent together in community apart from the routines of daily life. Campers leave here and return to their local congregations revitalized — ready to engage in local community and ministry with renewed empowerment and a deeper relationship with God. The ministries of the Spirit that happen in this beautiful setting take children, youth, and adults into a place set apart, where they are valued and loved, where they try new things that build confidence and broaden horizons. At camp, there are opportunities to grow into the person God plans for you to be. Mission Statement The mission of Camp Tanako is to welcome children, youth, and adults to a place set apart where they can grow in their faith by experiencing God through nature and time spent in community, and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit. |
Our Connection
One Body
Camp Tanako, Inc. is an Arkansas 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and an extension ministry of the Arkansas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Our property is held in trust for the Annual Conference, and our work is conducted in compliance with The Book of Discipline. Together with local congregations and other extension ministries across the state, we share in the connectional life of Arkansas Methodism — making disciples of Jesus Christ, equipped to transform the world with excellence and passion. Participants leave Camp Tanako and return to their congregations revitalized — ready to engage in local community and ministry with renewed empowerment and a deeper relationship with God. Camp is part of a process that begins in the home and the local church. Camp is full of rich experiences that immerse participants in opportunities to meet Christ face to face — a chance for spiritual revival, shifting focus from the trappings and stress of daily life to the One who is the Source of Life. Our goal is to fan into flame the embers already sparked in the local church, so that the flame burns brighter through the experiences of camp. |
Our Story
Camp Tanako has welcomed generations of children, youth, and adults to a place set apart on Lake Catherine since 1948. Read the camp's full history — including the story of its name, the 1948 founding, and our 75th-anniversary milestone — on Our History page.
We Are Connected
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American Camp
Association The American Camp Association (ACA) accredits camps that meet rigorous standards for program quality, health, and safety — more than 250 standards of practice across every aspect of camp operation. Camp Tanako has held ACA accreditation since 2003.
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Arkansas Conference Camping
and Retreat Ministries Christian camps and retreats invite people into sacred settings within the natural world, where the creation can speak to their hearts of God. Working with the Holy Spirit, camp ministries offer participants opportunities to focus on the deeper meaning of life — away from the routine and distraction of daily living. These intentional times apart catalyze new possibilities, embodying the Church's mission to nurture Christian discipleship and engage people in transforming the world through love and justice.
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United Methodist Camp &
Retreat Ministries (UMCRM) United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries (UMCRM) is the connectional body for camp and retreat centers across the United Methodist denomination. Founded in 2013, UMCRM advocates for, supports, and connects camp and retreat ministries that share the work of forming Christian discipleship in places set apart. Camp Tanako is a member of UMCRM.
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