All retreat groups must contact the Camping Office to reserve space for specific date(s) and building(s). We book on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Contracts are sent to the main contact person with the group and changed/edits should be coordinated between that person and the Camping Offices.
Deposit(s) are due by state deadline(s) along with signed contract, Certficate of Insurance (COI) and any additional required addendum(s) in order to secure reservation. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable; deposits are applied to the final bill at time of event.
The deposit structure is typically 20% of the estimated fees due within 3 weeks of booking; 30% of the estimated fees due at 90-days prior to the event start date, remaining 50% due at time of event. If you are booking the event within 90 days then we ask for 50% of the estimated fees at time of booking and 50% due at time of event.
We ask for final numbers and dietary issues to be reported 7 -day prior to the event. This will be the final billable number of guests; it cannot be less than the required minimum and subtractions cannot be made after reporting this number. Additional guests added after this deadline are at the discretion of the site director and may incur a 10% surcharge.
Minimum and maximum participant numbers, as well as facility capacities, may be adjusted and/or restricted in accordance with state, local or national requirements or recommendations on public safety.
Final payment is due at time of retreat or can be mailed in up to 10 days after event ends. Late fees of 5% a month will be charged on all late bills.
We ask for all cancellations in writing via email to be submitted to our offices. Please also call the site if you are cancelling within less than 7-days of the event start date. The deposit is non-refundable, non-transferable so any funds paid toward your event will be kept if cancellation occurs. Cancellations within the 7-days prior to the event may be responsible for the full estimated bill and will be responsible for any/all food orders that have been placed for the group.
For groups with multiple buildings booked that need to drop some buildings from the reservation, the group will lose the deposit associated with the cancelled building (overnight and meal charges) based on the minimum number required for that building, proportionally with the deposit on file.
Groups will be asked to provide proof of insurance for their group. Full details will be included in the reservation contract.
All activities require advanced notification and reservations. Our sites will do our best to provide trained staff for requested activities, but we reserve the right to adjust due to group size, staff availability, weather conditions and overall safety of staff and guests. Participants in staff led activities must sign a participation waiver.
Extra meeting space outside of the group’s rented facility will be at the discretion of the site staff. We will take all the group’s needs into consideration.
Per Camp Session
Any check payments mailed in must have the camper’s name and date of birth in the memo section. Checks should be made payable to BWC Treasurer and mailed to Summer Camp Office, PO Box 429, Churchton, MD 20733
Credit card payment plans can be made through the CampWise dashboard and will show on your credit card statement as Payment Brands/GIVE-UMC/BWCUMC. Payments toward camp are not a donation. Those with payment plans must have an active credit card number on record and make regular payments. Should the credit card number be declined/regular payments stop/payment plan cancelled this will inhibit your child being able to attend camp until the balance is paid in full.
ALL credit card charges will show on statements as Payment Brands/BWCUMC
By Check:
Camper(s) name and amount of payment per camper listed on additional paper must accompany the check.
Checks should be made payable to BWC Treasurer and mailed to Summer Camp Office, PO Box 429, Churchton MD 20733
By Credit Card:
Email or Fax a list of camper(s) names and specific amounts for each camper to Camping Office at (410) 867-0991. Then call the Camping Office and give your credit card information over the phone. Each camper has a separate account, so the card will be charged separately for each camper. There is a 3% processing fee for each separate charge. ALL credit card charges will show on statements as Payment Brands/BWCUMC.
All cancellations and refund requests MUST be made in writing/email form. We will not take cancellations over the phone.
If you have already registered your child and need to change your child’s camp date, please contact our office; if spaces are available, you may transfer your child to a different program or different week at the same camp location without any financial loss. If you need to transfer your child from one location to a different location, please contact our office; if spaces are available, you may transfer your child to a different location with a $20 transfer fee/per camper/per transfer. This fee is separate from the cost of the camp program. Transfer fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable. All transfer requests must be in written form — letter or email.
Campers MUST have a completed medical form with all required signatures in order to attend the camp session. If your camper has medications that they must bring to camp, please carefully read, and follow the instructions in CampWise system or on the paper health form. Not following proper procedures for medications will cause long delays at camp check-in and may prohibit your camper from staying at camp.
All registered campers will receive an email with this information closer to camp with details for drop off and pick up. Any person picking up a camper must be listed as an authorized person on the camper health form and must carry photo ID.
We have the ability to “waitlist” campers for the choice of camp if that program has filled. This is first-come, first-served basis and you can elect to be waitlisted for a program on the CampWise system or you can send an email to admin@bwccampsandretreats.com with camper name, date of birth, gender, email and phone number. We do not guarantee any available spaces and your credit card will not be charge if you are not moved into a program.
If space opens for a program, our administration staff will make phone calls to those on the waiting list. Campers will not automatically move off the waiting list when an opening occurs — we will contact the family to see if your child is still interested and available.
The West River Center has been owned and operated by The United Methodist Church since 1951. Come and enjoy the peace and solitude of God’s creation.
