The premier leadership training and experience for young men and boys in South Texas Royal Rangers is Summer Camp. No where else in his Royal Ranger experience will a boy encounter such quality and focused leadership & discipleship training. With a Spirit-led staff full of experienced, godly men – each young man will walk away a stronger servant leader and ready to serve others in his church, family, outpost and community with a strong sense of purpose.
I have been to multiple camps throughout the years serving as staff. My first camp experience was in 2004. I took my son Jacob Frazar to Discovery Adventure Camp (DAC), and stayed to serve as a Patrol Advisor at DAC in North Texas. We came back inspired, equipped, and motivated to transform our outpost. In 2005, I took a full patrol back operating as a well-oiled machine! I can still vividly remember the image implanted on me seeing those boys at the altar seeking God.
Summer Camp has had an incredible impact on my spirital walk and connection with the LORD. The services are intense, and the discipleship of both men and boys is both intentional and inspirational. The altar experience challenges me every year to dig deeper. I’ve witnessed some incredible testimonies of boys and leaders who attend these camps. I can remember in 2006 weeping overwhelmed in the LORD’s PRESENCE every time I walked into the altar area while doing clean up – after the camp was over. GOD moved!
The spiritual impact and leadership growth for me personally attending these camps is a big part of who I am today in service to my God, my family, my church, and the Royal Ranger ministry. I always leave better than I arrived! I can’t always say that for other type camps, but something special happens at these camps. Each camp holds a special place in my heart for the impact it had on me personally, as well as the boys & men I witnessed grow. The bond that happens with a Band of Brothers creates lifetime connections. I can still say to anyone that was at DAC in 2004, do you remember the “Parable of the Missing Shoe?” and get a laugh. This statement was part of a testimony from one of the young men, as I watched in awe boy after boy after boy line up to give his testimony of how God was impacting him at the camp.
I tell boys to find moments in his life where you know GOD is real, and anchor to those moments. If you know GOD is REAL, then you know His WORD is REAL and you need to follow where Jesus leads. When dark times come, and trust me they will, he can look back on these times with confidence knowing my GOD is real, because HE met me there!
I remind them of the Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
I encourage them with the words of American author, Joseph Bayly, who wrote, “Don’t forget in the darkness what you learned in the light.”
Summer Camp can be one of those anchoring moments for our boys, where he can feel God’s Presence in a powerful way and he can know with confidence he is in HIS light!
I can testify to the fact that South Texas Royal Rangers Summer Camps are indeed a “SUMMER CAMP WITH A PURPOSE!”
This purpose is to facilitate the process of preparing boys for leadership and engaging them in leadership roles. We encourage leadership, teamwork, personal and spiritual development in a fun-filled environment where boys develop new skills while they participate in the camp as part of a team using the patrol method. This is an integral part of what we do at Summer Camp.
Kenny McDonald once said to the staff: “Each person that attends these camps will grow 5 notches from wherever they are when they arrive.” We come expecting to see transformation, and we never leave disappointed. Each Summer Camp we witness an amazing evolution. It is predictable in many ways (from many seasoned Staff’s experience), but none the less – amazing.
Kenny Porter summarized one of my favorite aspects of the camps well when he commented: “Boys mentor boys, boys mentor men, men mentor boys, and men mentor men at these camps.” It is an amazing discipleship tool for church! Robert Lewis, Author of Raising a Modern Day Knight, made a similar statement that rings true: “Boys become men in the company of men.”
These camps grow a significant bond between the leaders and the boys! Many of the young men who attend will go on to be leaders in your outpost, at your church, on the mission field, or whenever God sends them better equipped for service! Some boys & leaders do not always achieve “The Standard” set for them at the camp, but if you really assess it – they grow, and that is what counts.
The Royal Rangers‘ Mission is to “evangelize, equip, and empower the next generation of Christlike men and lifelong servant leaders.”
This is the foundation of A SUMMER CAMP WITH A PURPOSE!
In His Service,
Frank H. Frazar
STXRR Summer Camp Coordinator