The Tejas Pages 2012 | Page 8

Summer Camp Providing a place for our guests to teach and encourage one another is our hightest priority. We would like them to experience a very comfortable and welcoming retreat from the regular pace of life. Service is Heart the Since 2004, Alex Morison, from Brenham First Baptist Church, never missed a summer at Camp Tejas. He tells us why he chose to come back every summer. Each July for the past 10+ years, Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, First Baptist Church of Longview and Brenham’s First Baptist Church have traveled from near and far to join forces at Camp Tejas to fight the forces of evil and train kids to follow Jesus with all of their heart, mind and soul. Seven months of planning go into one week. We spend many hours, and thousands of dollars to prepare for this time with kids. This is an important week in each of our ministries, and in the lives of the kids who attend. We can go to practically any camp facility in Texas, but we choose to bring our kids to Camp Tejas. So, you may be asking why we have chosen Tejas to be our training ground for this very important mission. The answer is simple, and can be given in one word – service. 7 | Pages 2012 Before the four zip lines were running from the 50’ climbing tower, and the pool was just a little bigger than the Clampits’ concrete pond, service ran rampant throughout the camp. It was not repeated in as many examples as it is now, but each member of the summer leadership team ran with service like a shield or a humble badge of honor. If a member of the summer crew did not know what it meant to be a servant before they came, they did before the summer was over. In joining the team, they agreed to begin a discipleship process, and not just to accomplish a job. As part of their training, they were taught to model after Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve others. This has been inspirational to kids who have attended camp there. Several of the children that we bring to camp leave stating that they hope to one day join the ranks of the Summer Ministry Team. They acknowledge how well they were served, and how that made them feel. They grow up wanting to be that for other kids, and, consequently, many join Tejas for the summer to serve. Camp Tejas is a great place to get away and meet with God. It provides us with fun, excitement, quiet and the beauty of God’s creation. However, I believe the strongest quality that the camp offers us is the servant heartedness from each of its team members, which is why it will be our first choice in the years to c ??????q?????????M??????5????????????????)?????????????????????????????!?????????????????????t)5?????????()???????????????((0