LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (March 21, 2025) — The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas (MFA) has announced a grant to reduce the cost of participation in the four-day, three-night “AC Kids Camp” at Camp Tanako to just $75 per child — half of the amount charged in previous years.
This fee reduction will create a more affordable and enriching experience for school-age children who have a parent or guardian attending the 2025 Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, held in Hot Springs June 18-20.
“We at MFA really appreciate the summer camp experience — a number of us grew up attending Camp Tanako ourselves — and we are pleased to help make this adventure happen for children of clergy and laypersons while the adults attend this statewide gathering of business, worship, and fellowship,” said the Rev. J. Wayne Clark, MFA’s President and CEO. “It helps resolve the logistics of childcare arrangements for families, and it encourages a new generation of United Methodists to start building friendships with their fellow campers that we hope will last for years to come.”
AC Kids Camp is open only to children and dependents of Annual Conference (AC) attendees, and registration is included as part of the parent’s registration for Annual Conference, which will become available later this month at arumc.org/annual-conference-2025.
“Camp Tanako is thrilled to be able to host AC Kids Camp, which we’ve called PK Camp in the past because so many PKs—Preachers’ Kids—attend each year,” said Camp Tanako Executive Director Kayla Hardage. “But every year we also have children of United Methodist laypersons from around the state participating alongside the children of pastors, and we wanted to honor that with this new name. We are so grateful to the Arkansas Annual Conference for helping to make the AC Kids Camp experience happen, and to the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas for putting it within the financial reach of more families. We look forward to welcoming this group of campers that is so eager to come back together each year and to welcome new friends, too.”
About the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas
With a mission to establish and manage charitable funds to strengthen and expand Methodist ministries across Arkansas, the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas manages over $220 million in endowment funds and other charitable assets that benefit local churches and other United Methodist ministries. Founded in 1963, the Foundation has grown into one of the largest United Methodist foundations in the country, managing more than 800 funds that support Methodist ministries. To learn more, visit methodistfoundationAR.org.
About Camp Tanako
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 spending time in community and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit. Located on the outskirts of Hot Springs and the shore of Lake Catherine, Tanako offers a beautiful setting that features opportunities for new experiences and personal growth. Part of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Tanako is accredited by the American Camp Association and affiliated with United Methodist Camping and Retreat Ministries. Learn more at tanako.org.
