Salkehatchie Summer Service
Salke-what?
What is Salkehatchie?
The Salkehatchie name comes from a river that flows through the coastal plain of South Carolina, where many of the towns and neighborhoods the program serves are located. Just like the river, Salkehatchie’s service follows a course through time that is influenced by location, people, circumstances and historical events.
The first Salkehatchie mission group has now transformed into 46 Camps across South Carolina and 2,000+ campers every summer.
John Culp, the Salkehatchie program’s founder, started leading youth groups into dedicated service in 1978. A group of 40 United Methodists stepped into the lives of four families affected by some of the worst poverty in America. They worked for one week restoring dilapidated houses on the Sea Islands of South Carolina. With one week of work, the lives of these youth and families were forever transformed.
Salkehatchie Summer Service is entirely supported by its participants, the communities it serves, and the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.