By Jason Prewitt, Director
• Rest, Regroup, Refocus and Renew — Daniel Springs Baptist Camp was privileged to serve and invest in over 2,200 lives in 2024. Between fall and winter retreats and summer camps, over 2,200 people took time from their day-to-day schedules to leave their routine and simply retreat. They did not run away from life but retreated to find rest, regroup, refocus and renew so they could return and better face the challenges of life. We find many examples in Scripture of Jesus showing what life looks like when we retreat to shrug off the noise of life and concentrate on hearing from the Father. Jesus often and intentionally made time to be alone with the Father and seek guidance and clarity to lead and invest in others. Here, He could be encouraged and strengthened to continue the course even as the hard times progressed leading up to His crucifixion. He needed the Father’s presence and the community that came from getting away from the crowds with His disciples to strengthen and encourage each other. God also wants us to take time away from the pressures of life to just enjoy some time away together. He set the perfect example of setting aside time to retreat, rest, regroup, refocus and be renewed.
• Things to Celebrate from 2024 — Summer Camps of 2024 allowed Daniel Springs Camp to see God work in so many ways and opportunities. We continue to be amazed at the doors He opens for the gospel to be shared and for people to dive into ministry. We were honored to be able to organize and host five associational summer camps along with the Girls Discipleship Retreat put on by the National GMA, host two churches that rented parts of the campus with their own camp program and travel to Lueders, Texas, to help our fellow BMA churches in West Texas put on their camp. Over 1,850 kids, students and adults were connected to the camp ministry in 8 weeks of summer. Daniel Springs Camp was thankful to be part of the SOAR Conference again in 2024 and to help with the SOAR Village. It was a blessing to have a few days off to rest and recuperate in the middle of summer. If you add all those weeks up, the camp was able to invest in lives for nine weeks this past summer.
The Summer Missionary Staff of 2024 was outstanding. Every year, Daniel Springs Camp goes through a process of hiring young adults 16 to 28 years of age to spend part or all of their summer investing in lives through camp ministry. This summer allowed not only 24 young adults from 3 different states to invest and lead in ministry but also allowed them to be poured into. They worked, played, led and prayed through all parts of camp, including leading small group Bible studies, large group worship services each night, large group recreation games, small group tournaments games, socializing with campers of all ages, helping with camp registration, leading groups to their cabins, checking on campers throughout the day, serving in the camp store and being available at all times for facilities maintenance. The list of how they serve is truly endless. They did all of this from their heart to serve. While doing this for all the campers, they also lived with each other, loved each other, cried and laughed with each other and built a summer family. Keep in mind that the summer staff comes from all walks of life. It is always amazing to see a group of strangers move into housing together, work long days in the east Texas heat, be pulled in so many directions with a million responsibilities and always rise to the occasion together. Willing servants with willing hearts and willing hands equals amazing ministry, and the Summer Missionary Staff of 2024 is another example that students and young adults are longing to be in a deeper relationship with the Lord and want to experience His kingdom in action. What has been phenomenal to hear is the phone calls, text messages and emails from parents, pastors and church leaders sharing how many of these same young adults have gone back home and have taken active parts of serving in their local church. It is exciting that Daniel Springs Camp gets to be a part of the process of allowing young adults to stretch out into ministry and go back to their local church and serve.
Things to Get Excited About
• 60 Years of Ministry! — 2025 will mark the 60th year of ministry for Daniel Springs Camp. The camp hosted the first National Camp in 1965. A thank you is not enough for all those that felt led and worked so hard to dream, raise awareness, donate funds to build buildings, plan out the campus, put together activities and pray for groups to come to the facilities in East Texas. There could never be an exact number calculated to report on the lives that have been impacted through the ministry of the National Camp Ministry. So many have accepted Christ as their Savior, pastors in the pulpit and missionaries on the field who responded to the call to ministry, and leaders in their homes and communities that committed their lives to follow the Lord. Countless Summer Missionary Staff who have spent their summers working, investing and leading at camp have set their focus on ministry as a lifestyle and not just a job. The campers have not just received the blessings but have given them also. Over the years, each week of camp has taken up offerings that have been sent all over the world to help the gospel be shared in many areas and languages. So many have given with the camp in mind but have been a part of the kingdom work globally.
• 2025 Summer Camp Theme — “The Good News” — This year, in recognition of the 60th anniversary of camp ministry, the focus will be sharing the gospel. The prayer is that not only a clear presentation of the gospel is shared, but that kids, students and adults will be given tools and resources to be able to share their faith each day of their life.
• Daniel Springs Camp Intern Program — The Intern Program is focused on recent high school graduates who want ministry opportunities while they are attending college or for some students who need a small gap of time to search and pray about the next step in their life. This program allows college attendees or gap-year students to move to the Daniel Springs campus in East Texas and have the opportunity to invest in ministry, grow in their faith and serve others. If you know someone or would like other information, please contact the Daniel Springs Camp office about the Intern Program.
• Summer Missionary Staff (SMS) — This is for young people between the ages of 16 to 28 who invest their summer by working at the camp for the summer camp season. This is an opportunity to build leadership skills and grow spiritually, emotionally and professionally. Staff will learn people skills, time management and have an opportunity to build lifelong friendships. They get hands-on ministry experience by leading in Bible study, worship, recreation games, photo and video production and many other opportunities. This is a summer of mission investment where each summer camp or event allows the SMS to live out the Great Commission calling on their lives each week, using their gifts and abilities to share the gospel.
• Junior Summer Missionary (JSM) — This is someone between the ages of 14 and 18 who would like to volunteer 1 to 2 weeks of their summer and work alongside the SMS Team. They might not be able to commit a full summer but would like to experience what it is like being a SMS. This is an opportunity to learn leadership skills, grow spiritually and emotionally and see and experience active ministry firsthand.
• Camp Sunday — June 1, 2025, kicks off the summer as we ask churches to participate in Camp Sunday. Many groups will be traveling to events this summer where everyone will have the opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior, refocus their commitment to their relationship with the Lord, surrender to ministry or build bonds with their church family that will follow them for the rest of their lives. We ask that congregations commit to praying over your groups, kids, students and leaders that the Lord will speak and that they will respond. We also ask that you join Daniel Springs Camp in praying for the SMS, camp pastors, other church groups and camp leadership. Pray that people respond to the Lord is heard as the gospel is shared.
We also ask churches, Sunday School classes, small groups, Vacation Bible Schools, families or individuals to take an extra step in partnering with Daniel Springs and consider taking up a special offering or making a donation. These funds will be used to continue to improve the facilities and add activities to draw groups to a retreat or camp with the main purpose of sharing the gospel.
Things to Pray For
• SMS — Pray for the 16-28-year-old young adults as they invest their summer. They will have the opportunity to grow in their faith, grow in their leadership and build relationships with each other as we build our summer family together. They will work hard, serve hard, and invest in campers of all ages. Pray that this will be a summer that they fall deeper in love with the Lord and His Word.
JSM Staff — Pray for those students 14-18 years of age who will spend one or two weeks investing, growing and loving on campers as support staff. Pray that they fall more in love with the Lord and His Word.
The 2025 Summer Camp Schedule: May to July
• SMS Move-In and Training, May 25-31 — The Summer Missionary Staff move in, start training, continue to get to know each other and help with facilities preparation in anticipation for an exciting summer full of adventure, lives being changes and building relationships with other SMS and kids, students and adult campers.
• Stand Firm Camp, June 1-5 — A team from Daniel Springs Camp will travel to Lueders, Texas, to Big Country Baptist Assembly Camp to partner with West Texas Churches to assist in the Stand Firm Camp. If you are in the West Texas area and would like more information, please contact the Daniel Springs Camp Office and we will share how to be a part of that camp.
• Girls Discipleship Retreat, June 10-13 — Girls Discipleship Retreat, sponsored by National GMA, is a camp planned by girls, led by girls and designed for all girls in 4th-12th grade. It’s four days of encouragement, powerful teaching and studying the Word, and tons of fun activities! If you’ve been searching for a way to help the girls in your church truly grow and thrive in their Christian Walk, you won’t want to miss this! You can go to nationalgma.org to learn more.
• Pre-Teen Combo and Student Combo Camps, June 16-19 — Two more exciting camps, a pre-teen camp (3rd–6th grade) and a student camp (7th–College), all in the same week! This was originally designed after hearing about those churches that had bi-vocational leaders who could not take off two weeks of work to bring kids and students to camp. This camp has become so fun and exciting, with double the potential impact.
• Rest, Regroup, Refocus and Renew, June 20-July 30 — Open for groups that want to rent the facilities. We also take time to do repairs and allow the staff to catch up on Rest, Regroup, Refocus and Renew so that they finish well in July.
• SOAR Conference, July 2-4 — This is a time for our partnership with the Conference Division of the BMA and the SOAR Conference. The camp is so grateful and excited every year to be able to attend and help with the SOAR Conference, especially in the Village. It is a great time to show adults and kids that we can have fun as believers while hearing great worship and preaching from God’s Word. Thank you to the Conference Division for allowing Daniel Springs Camp to partner with SOAR.
• Pre-Teen Camp (3rd-6th grades), July 6-9 — Focused on 3rd through 6th graders. The music, Bible study, worship and recreation are geared toward helping preteens meet Christ and move forward in their spiritual journeys.
• The Ark-La-Tex Church Family Camp, July 13-16 — This camp is a true example of a church because the attendees range from five years old to senior adults. Campers of all ages come together to have a great time learning, worshiping, and playing together.
• Student Camp (6th Grade-College), July 20-23 — A week focused on junior high, high school and college students. Student camp is fast-paced and has high energy to match the pace and energy of this age group. They spend time building relationships, worshiping and diving into God’s Word.
• Summer Celebration Banquet, July 24 — An evening with all the ones that invested their serving at Daniel Springs. We celebrate the accomplishments of the Summer Missionary Staff.
Ministry Partners
• Prayer Partners — Pray that the ministry is a continuous resource to pastors, churches, leaders, missionaries, students and kids. Pray that Daniel Springs Camp is a ministry where lives of all ages hear and see the truth of the gospel and are challenged and changed.
• Helping Hands Team — If you have a group that you want to see grow stronger together, join our Helping Hands Teams. These groups come and take care of projects at the camp — some large and some small. It is amazing when we get busy on a project how we grow together. People ask all the time, “Do you have projects?” and the answer is, “We always have something we need help with!” Partner with your camp ministry with your hands and time.
• Facilities — Encourage people to use the property. The Daniel Springs Camp facility is a beautiful piece of 54 acres in the Piney woods of East Texas that offers a time to relax and enjoy being away.
• Summer Camp — Bring your group to camp and enjoy an energized time away from the business of life and see God change lives. He could change yours!
• Need a retreat location? — We have the Daniel Retreat Center that has a full kitchen, a meeting room, two sleeping quarters that will sleep 100 people (50 per room) and enough open area for games or just hanging out. The opportunities are endless!
• Financial Partners — The camp is so blessed to have the financial support it has. God has truly shown favor to the camp because of our donor base. 144 churches, ministries, businesses, families and individuals gave to the camp in 2024. Each one of those donors has a place in the process of the Lord changing lives. We need others to partner with us in this journey of being a ministry that the Lord uses to change lives. Each of us knows that the cost of life continues to rise. The camp is not immune to feeling the results of inflation. Water chemicals, facilities insurance, food costs, electricity and pool repairs, to name just a few, over the last year have all increased. We work so hard to keep the cost of camp affordable for all kids, groups and churches. We are blessed to be able to not charge what it truly costs to put on summer camps because of the amazing donors who contribute. Pray about being a part of the team that invests in lives being changed by your camp ministry. The Lord does not need our money, but He does need our obedient hearts. Would your church, family or you consider being a ministry partner with Daniel Springs Camp? The ministry of your national camp is not possible without you!
If you would like me to visit your church and set up an information table or share about the camp in a church service or meeting of any group, please contact the camp office. I would love to share all the exciting things your camp ministry is doing and all it takes part in throughout the year.
Recommendations
• Recommend the adoption of the 2025-2026 Daniel Springs Baptist Camp Budget
• Recommend and encourage all churches of the BMA to participate in the Camp Sunday emphasis on June 1, 2025, by praying for and considering taking a special offering to help Daniel Springs Baptist Camp continue to broaden the opportunities to be a ministry extension of the local church.
• Recommend that Jason Prewitt stand as the nominee for the position of Executive Director of the Department of Camp Ministries.
