The 10th Annual Champs Camp is underway at the First Baptist Church with approximately 140 kids enjoying a fun filled week of sports and learning about God’s promises.  According to organizers, it is not too late to enjoy the camp which is still accepting participants.

Children in kindergarten through 6th grade have come to enjoy the camp this week which runs through Friday with a parents’ night at 5:00PM on Thursday.  Champs Camp is a Christian day camp which is designed to aid families who have a need for child care during the week of spring break. The ministry opportunity, offered by FBC Brownwood, is spearheaded by the Children’s Ministry of the church.

Volunteers from college Baptist Student Ministries (BSMs) come each year, devoting their spring break to camp. This year, 61students from Lamar University in Beaumont, Howard Payne University, Texas A&M, Blinn College and UT Dallas have joined in the fun along with some of the youth from FBC assisting. Darin Ford, the BSM leader from Lamar enjoys volunteering and this year is serving his 6th year at Champs Camp.

“Church members have provided snacks and evening meals,” said Children’s Ministry Director Celeste Church.  Local businesses have also helped by providing the funding for the camp t-shirts, said Church.

This year’s theme is Champs Camp Commander which is “loosely modeled after a popular television show about bearded men,” according to Church.  Each age group within the camp is named after a type of duck, such as rubber ducks, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, sea ducks, swans and geese and whistling ducks to make it a little more fun for the kids.  Leaders have used duck calls instead of whistles to “command” attention from the kids.  According to Church, these duck calls alert the kids to stop and listen, just like sometimes people need to stop and listen to God.

The camp, which is set up as a children’s ministry, is also a ministry to their families and has become a ministry of sorts to the college volunteers.  Some campers and volunteers find it to be a life changing experience.   One such example is Joseph Stone who met another college volunteer, Jessica Kerr two years ago at Champs Camp. Stone attends Lamar University and is from Texas City.  Kerr attended HPU and is from Round Rock.  The two became engaged last year when Stone visited Woodland Heights Elementary where Kerr was student teaching and proposed in front of 21 kindergarteners. The two will marry at FBC Brownwood, where they met, in just 11 days.

Champs Camp runs through Friday, March 15th and according to Church, it is not too late to join in the fun.  To learn more about Champs Camp, please visit