Camp History

Before the establishment of the St. Nicholas Summer Camp, there were only two summer camp programs in the Metropolis of Detroit; one in Michigan and one in Upstate New York.

His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit believed that the central and southern areas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit needed a camping ministries program that was accessible to the youth of their communities.

With the vision of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, and under the direction of Nicolaos Kotsis (then Metropolis of Detroit Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries), the Metropolis of Detroit Southern Camp was established in 2000.

The Metropolis of Detroit Southern Camp had its humble beginnings at Cedar Ridge Camp in Louisville, KY with 37 campers. But the program quickly grew. In the summer of 2004, the directorship was passed on to the Metropolis of Detroit Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the time - Eva Konstantakos.

The program continued at Cedar Ridge Camp from 2000-2008 . The program achieved a milestone 5th anniversary season in 2005 with 100 campers in attendance. In honor of this 5th Anniversary, the Metropolis of Detroit Southern Camp adopted St. Nicholas as its patron saint and officially became the St. Nicholas Summer Camp.

Outgrowing its original facility, the St. Nicholas Summer Camp program spent one last summer at Cedar Ridge in 2008. From 2009-2016, the St. Nicholas Summer Camp program operated at NaCoMe Camp and Conference Center in Pleasantville, TN.

The St. Nicholas Summer Camp program currently operates at the Loucon Training and Retreat Center in Leitchfield, KY. In November 2022, Eva Konstantakos was appointed to serve as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America after almost 20 years of service in the Metropolis of Detroit. In June of 2023, Michael Hostetler was appointed and currently serves as the Metropolis of Detroit Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries and the St. Nicholas Summer Camp Director.  

With the blessings and guidance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the St. Nicholas Summer Camp will continue its mission to provide a safe environment where youth can worship, learn, grow, and have fun.

If you are an alumnus of the St. Nicholas Summer Camp program, please contact us at snsc@detroit.goarch.org. We would love for you to share photos and stories of your experiences at camp!