"Go, Baptize and Make Disciples:" Summer Camp 2023 |
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As Camp Capers, Mustang Island Conference Center, and Duncan Park prepare to welcome 2,000 campers this summer, we are reminded of the diocesan 2023 theme: "Go, baptize and make disciples." At all camps, summer staff spend quality time together before programming begins, learning and training so that every individual camper can have a wonderful, meaningful and safe experience, surrounded by a loving community, and reminded daily of God’s love. At summer staff training, we try to instill a passion for servant leadership, creating disciples who minister daily to our children, youth, and families.
In John 13:35 Jesus said, "All men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another." This is the message for our staff, our campers, and our world. Come to camp and hear the message, feel the meaning, and know that you are loved!
If you haven’t already, please sign up now! We cannot wait to see you this summer!
Rob Watson
Director of Camps & Conferences
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St. Francis Chapel Renovation |
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Built shortly after Camp Capers was established, the beloved St. Francis Chapel was established and consecrated on the Day of Pentecost, May 16, 1948. The open-air limestone chapel was designed to hold 100 campers and staff total.
During Summer Camp today, we squeeze 225 folks twice a day into this well-used and well-loved chapel for worship services. Two hundred additional parents and family members join campers for a closing Eucharist service, overflowing into temporary seating set up outside the chapel, but this arrangement makes it hard for them to hear, see and actively participate. The chapel is also heavily used year-round by churches, diocesan programs, schools, families, and other retreat groups.
To accommodate Camp Capers' steady growth through continual outreach to new campers and communities, all the buildings on site have been torn down, repurposed, or rebuilt over the years to better serve the present day camper population - all except the spiritual center of camp, St. Francis Chapel.
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The chapel holds great meaning for many, many current and past campers. This "thin place" has been witness to over 75 years of memories, songs, friendships, moments of personal transformation, and the quiet stirrings of a call to ministry. It is natural to have misgivings about changing this special place.
Preserving the integrity of the chapel is central to the plan for its renovation. The original footprint and design will be kept. To increase the number of campers it can hold, the space will be enlarged by moving the walls out and the ceiling up. The original altar and front of the chapel will remain intact.
The chapel renovation is a gift to honor Bishop David M. Reed's wonderful, life-giving ministry to our diocese. Once completed, it will seat more than 300 worshipers comfortably, while maintaining the character and feel of the existing building. Expanding the St. Francis Chapel allows Camp Capers to live into its potential by serving people with respect and grace and providing a special place for future generations to come.
Click the button below to receive email updates about the St. Francis Chapel project as it moves forward.
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Celebrating 20 Years of Mustang Island Family Camp! |
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In 2003 Mustang Island Conference Center held its first Family Camp on the Gulf of Mexico beach near Port Aransas. Construction on the conference center was still in progress when Family Camp began that first year, presenting plenty of adventures for the staff and guests to navigate. That didn’t deter families from signing up for the next summer or the summer after that, and soon many Family Camp sessions had waiting lists, forcing us to turn guests away.
And so, it is very fitting that for Summer 2023, on our 20th anniversary, we begin the season with a new, 10-room lodge, that can accommodates up to 60 people.
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Construction finished in the middle of the 2022 summer sessions, and the lodges quickly filled for the rest of the season. This summer is the first year we can book the building all summer long!
And on this special anniversary, Family Camp guests get to worship in the new Chapel of the Holy Family for the first time. Consecrated on October 30, 2022 by Bishop David M. Reed, the beautiful wooden, open-air chapel was carefully constructed atop and amongst the dunes, in order to complement the natural landscape and weather future storms. It seats up to 180 people and boasts panoramic views of the beach and ocean. Families can feel the coastal breezes and hear the majestical surf while singing glorious hymns to God.
It's not too late to sign up for a session this summer and experience the joy, relaxation, delicious meals, and special community that is Mustang Island Family Camp. Join our story that's been 20 years in the making!.
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Snow, Snow, More Wonderful, Beautiful Snow! |
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Duncan Park is located at an elevation of 9,500 feet and enjoyed a very white winter. The much needed powder brought the Rockies its first above-average snowpack in 5 years. Directors Gracie and Jody Davis left Texas earlier this month and have made it to the mountain. They report that the snow is appropriately receding, leaving beautiful drifts under trees and in the mountain shadows.
The directors are also happy to report that the camp survived the winter in great shape – the power is on, the buildings are ready to use, and the road is clear – all that is missing are the incredible campers!
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Duncan Park summer staff arrive May 20, training starts on the 22 and our first guests arrive June 4. A sold-out Veteran and Wounded Warrior Family Camp is the first lucky group to kick off the summer.
If you haven’t been to Duncan Park, now is the time to go. Sign up for one of our youth camps, backpack trips, or family camps, or have your organization or church retreat. But you better hurry, slots are filling up very quickly!
Duncan Park is also hosting its first Service Retreat, September 18 - 22. Projects will be tailored to the people who sign up, and may include grounds clean-up, trail maintenance, chapel beautification, or minor renovation projects. There will be no registration cost, but participants will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements.
Follow the link below to sign up for sessions at Duncan Park, or email [email protected] for more information.
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Senior High Camp A
Primary Camp A
Junior High Camp A
Intermediate Camp A
Senior High Camp B
Junior High Camp B
Good Sam Camp
Primary Camp B
Intermediate Camp B
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June 4 – 10
June 11 - 16
June 18 - 24
June 25 – July 1
July 9 - 15
July 16 - 22
July 24 – 28
July 30 – August 4
August 6 – 12
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Spring Break Family Camp
Family Camp Session 1
Family Camp Session 2
Family Camp Session 3
Family Camp Session 4
Family Camp Session 5
Family Camp Session 6
Family Camp Session 7
Family Camp Session 8
Family Camp Session 9
Family Camp Session 10
Family Camp Session 11
Labor Day Family Camp
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March 16 – 19
June 1 - 4
June 8 - 11
June 15 - 18
June 22 - 25
June 29 - July 2
July 6 - 9
July 13 - 16
July 20 - 23
July 27 - 30
August 3 - 6
August 10 - 13
September 1 - 4
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Veterans Family Camp
DWTX Family Camp 1
Jr. High Adventure Camp 1
Sr. High Adventure Camp
Jr. High Adventure Camp 2
DWTX Family Camp 2
Explorers Camp
Backpacking Camp
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June 4 - 9
June 11 - 16
June 18 - 23
June 25 - 30
July 2 - 7
July 9 - 14
July 16 - 21
July 23 - 29
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Misplaced your Ultracamp registration information? Click here to retrieve your password and log-in.
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Summer Staff Applications |
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Work at the beach this summer! Mustang Island Family Camp has openings for Summer Staff hourly and session positions for the 2023 camping season. Family camp staff works in all aspects of camp: from checking-in families and welcoming them to the island to setting up the beach, leading beach activities and more.
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Camp Capers Summer Camp, Mustang Island Family Camp, and Duncan Park Summer & Family Camp offer multi-faceted programs that serve children, adults, and families – churched and unchurched, Episcopalians and non-Episcopalians, people from the diocese and beyond. Our programs are enriched by the presence of children and families from Good Samaritan Community Services, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (SJRC-Tx), the Magdelena House in San Antonio, and the Wounded Warrior Project. Their opportunity to experience the love of God and the love and acceptance of others is absolutely transformative.
We are all called to share this transformative love, especially with those who are in need. Many of our participants can attend the programs offered at our camps only as a result of the generosity of those who give to fund scholarships. 1/3 of all camper families receive partial or full scholarships every year. We do not want money challenges to ever keep someone from attending one of our camps.
Thank you to the individuals and congregations who faithfully support scholarships by hosting Camp Sundays and giving to the Camps Annual Campaign. To join their generosity, click the link below and give to camp scholarships.Contact each camp directly for their scholarship request form.
Click here, or text "Camp" to (210) 796-6805, to provide camper scholarships through the Camps Annual Campaign.
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