Bring the Joy of Camp Home!

The diocesan Camps & Conferences Department invites you to participate in The Big Give - an online day of giving to support nonprofit organizations in South Central Texas from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20 through 6:00 p.m. Thursday, September 21.

Proceeds from The Big Give 2023 will fund camper scholarships, providing safe opportunities for members of our congregations and our broader community to deepen their faith and experience the transformative love of Christ through our programs - this year and for many more years to come. Together we can equip young people and families in our community with the emotional, social, and spiritual tools to transform the world and sustain the future of the church.

We gathered some of our favorite camp activities from this summer to bring joy and faith to your home. Spend time together with activities from Camp Capers, Duncan Park, and Mustang Island Family camp and experience the faith and fun of our camping programs.

Share your creations with us by tagging us on Instagram and Facebook by using #DWTXBIGGIVE or #DWTXCAMPS!

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Camp Capers - "Your Future's so Bright"

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

We know God has a plan for us and our future is so bright we might need some shades!

1. Grab a pair of old sunglasses! If you don’t have a pair, make a pair out of paper, cardboard, plastic, foil, or whatever you have handy! Click here for a template to get started.
2. Collect your decorations. This could be beads, shells, glitter, stickers, etc.
3. With glue, decorate around the edges of your glasses.
4. Let the glue air dry.
5. Show off your new style!

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Duncan Park - "Build a Tabletop Ecosystem" 

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

Learn about the joy of Creation Care with Duncan Park; follow these steps to bring a bit of nature indoors and make your own tabletop ecosystem.

1. Find a jar! Any size works, and it must have a lid.
2. Head to a local creek, river, lake, or ocean.
3. Find some nice green moss on the ground near the water and gently put it at the bottom of your jar.
4. Find some rocks to place on top of the moss to hold it in place.
5. Add some sticks or small pieces of wood and plants from the water.
6. Collect water from the ocean, creek, river or lake, and add it slowly into the jar. Close the jar.
7. Bring the jar home and place it indoors, somewhere that receives natural light.
8. Once a day open the jar next to a window for 15-20 minutes to allow oxygen to enter the ecosystem and sustain life.
   

Enjoy your baby ecosystem!

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Mustang Island Conference Center - "Prayer Chain" 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28: 19-20

1. Recite Matthew 28: 19-20 in a repetitive pattern to help create memory verses.
2. On strips of color paper, write down the names of those in your household, names of two people who are not here, two people from your church, and one person who has been a disciple for you, and the name of a person with whom you disciple and a person to whom you are being sent.
3. Make the strips of paper into connecting loops, using tape, a glue stick, or stapler. String them up around your family room to show how many people to whom we are connected.
4. Add empty rings in the chain to represent those to whom we will be sent but do not yet know.

‍Contributed by Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, San Antonio

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Show Your Support, Share the Joy

Church leadership, congregation members, and camp families are invited to participate in The Big Give 2023 in three different ways:

1. ‍Donate - The Big Give has added more time for you to make your gift. Mark your calendars for 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20 to make your gift online, at www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/dwtxcamps. Giving continues through 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 21.
2. ‍Invite Friends and Family to Give - Help support our scholarship program by personally inviting three to five of your friends and family members to support DWTX Camps during the Big Give 2023. We understand this can be intimidating, so we've provided a sharing toolkit below.‍ Click here to save the social media graphic.
3. Share the Joy on Social Media - Spread the message with your network by posting our donation link, www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/dwtxcamps, to your social media pages, updating your profile picture with a photo from camp, and sharing promotional posts from our Facebook and Instagram accounts in the days leading up to the Big Give 2023. Make sure to add a personal note sharing why you choose to support our camping ministries.