In 2027, your church has two ways to make BigStuf™ part of the summer: our beachfront home in Panama City Beach and our first Midwest week at Lake Williamson in Illinois.
Both make room for students to encounter Jesus, build friendships and spend five focused days with their church. The difference starts with the setting: the Gulf and a beachfront hotel in Florida, or a lake and a retreat campus in the Midwest.
Here is a practical look at the two experiences, with the details that help a church choose its week.
How far is your group from camp?
Enter your starting point, then choose a camp to see driving time, distance and routes in Google Maps.
Have your travel estimate? Use the camp comparison and budget planner to compare transportation, registration, meals and your total trip cost.
Florida: the beach is part of the week
BigStuf™ Florida returns to the Boardwalk Beach Hotel & Convention Center in Panama City Beach. Your group stays beside the Gulf, with worship, teaching and time together woven into the energy of a beach week.
There is a reason churches have made this trip part of their summer for years. The setting gives students shared memories beyond the sessions: time on the sand, meals with their group and the conversations that continue after everyone leaves the room.
Florida has two 2027 camp weeks: June 14–18 and June 18–22. Visit the Florida camp page for current availability and registration details.
Midwest: a lake, green space and a new chapter
Our first BigStuf™ Midwest takes place July 7–11 at Lake Williamson, a Christian retreat property in Carlinville, Illinois. Lodging, meals, meeting spaces and recreation areas share one campus.
It gives this week a character of its own. Woods and water shape the setting, with places for groups to gather between the main events. For churches across the region, Illinois also brings the BigStuf™ experience closer to home.
The purpose stays familiar: worship, teaching, small groups and time to build the relationships students take back to their church. Read the story behind our first Midwest summer for a closer look at the property and why we are coming.
The trip details, side by side
Choose a setting to see the details
Two settings. The same BigStuf™ purpose.
Florida · Panama City Beach
- Dates: June 14–18 or June 18–22, 2027
- Venue: Boardwalk Beach Hotel & Convention Center, Florida
- Lodging and 10 camp meals included
- Your group makes its own plans for dinner on night four
- Morning Leader Labs included for adult leaders
Midwest · Carlinville, Illinois
- Dates: July 7–11, 2027
- Venue: Lake Williamson, Illinois
- Lodging and all 11 camp meals included
- Lodging, meals and meeting spaces on one retreat campus
- Morning Leader Labs included for adult leaders
Current prices and availability live on the individual camp pages. For a fuller view of the group budget, the 2027 camp comparison and budget planner brings camp and travel costs into one place.
Start with the summer your church is planning
For a group that loves making the beach part of its camp tradition, Florida offers that familiar Gulf setting. The June dates may also fit churches whose summer calendars fill quickly in July.
For a church looking for a retreat-campus experience in the region, Midwest offers a July week with a different landscape and a closer destination for many central U.S. groups.
New students, returning students and the adults who travel with them all bring their own hopes for the week. As you choose, consider the setting your group will enjoy, the dates that work and the complete trip cost. Neither experience asks your church to trade away the heart of BigStuf™.
Explore the week you can picture your people in
Open the Florida camp page and the Midwest camp page with your team. Each has the current details for its setting, and our team can help with questions specific to your church.
Whichever week you choose, we want it to serve what God is already doing among your students and leaders. The setting creates the shared experience. Your people bring the relationships that carry it home.
