The Camp Road that has carried generations of campers to and through their time at Deer Run is falling apart. Erosion, runoff, and heavy traffic have left it cracked and unsafe.
This winter, we’re asking the Deer Run family to help raise $200,000 to repave the Camp road and install a new security gate.
This new road will carry future generations to the same place of joy and discipleship that has shaped so many lives. Together, we can preserve the path — both physical and spiritual — where countless children have learned to love the Lord their God as they walk Along the Road.
Pave the way
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Small moments, big impact

Every kid who’s spent the school year counting down to Camp Deer Run knows the feeling of turning onto the Camp Road. That last mile seems to stretch forever as excitement builds. When they finally pass through the sign, the world falls behind. A week or two of authentic fun, friendship, and worship lies ahead. It’s a feeling every Deer Runner knows — the feeling of coming home.

Once they’re here, campers spend their days walking that same road countless times — from breakfast to Group Bible, from the Rec Hall to the ballfields, from Night Devo to the cabin, all while, they’re surrounded by friends and counselors who love them. As they walk along the road, campers and Staff talk, laugh, sing, listen, and grow together.

These simple moments often go unnoticed, but their impact is immeasurable. They’re filled with laughter, love, discipleship, comfort, and joy. In those everyday moments, the gospel takes root and faith becomes real.
MAKE AN IMPACT

The amount we raise determines
how much we can pave!

YOUR GIFT CHANGES LIVES

“The best part by far of all my camper’s spiritual experiences is being around and developing relationships with people who highly value and prioritize their relationship with God… It is the impact of the relational whole that makes the biggest difference to my kids. And it is the room and freedom to seek, be curious, and challenge themselves spiritually that makes the biggest difference to me.”
2ND SESSION PARENT
“Camp Deer Run is the place where I see the Lord working in more ways than I see anywhere else. He works in small, subtle ways, but also in big, bold ways. I have made a lot of my best friends here; people who I want to raise my children with. Camp Deer Run has completely transformed my faith journey and made me more aware, confident, and intentional in my faith.”

2025 SUMMER STAFF MEMBER
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Camp Deer Run is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Every donation will support Camp Deer Run’s mission to provide a camping experience where God is seen, His love felt, and lives are transformed into the image of Christ. Funds from this campaign will be used for the project described. If, by God’s blessing, we exceed our fundraising goal for this campaign, those funds may be applied to other needs that help further the mission of Camp Deer Run.

Day 1 - God Comes First

SCRIPTURE:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-6


DEVOTIONAL:

This is a verse that we hear often. It’s a common memory verse. It’s the basis for countless worship songs and hymns. It strikes at the core of all Christian faith and life. These words come from Moses, as He speaks to the Israelites before their entry into the Promised Land. Behind them, there has been a long journey – from slavery to freedom a promise of a land of their own that is very good. But along that journey there has been temptation, and the Israelites have time and time again lost sight of their covenant with God and forgotten the salvation that He delivered to them. Because of that, they spent 40 years wandering in the desert instead of going straight to the new homeland that God had promised.


It’s a lesson to all of us that when we lose sight of God, when we forget about Him and His Word, when our focus drifts away from Him, we end up wandering in a desert instead of enjoying the good things He intended for us.


At Camp Deer Run, we leave behind many of the things in our day to day lives that distract us from God. We leave behind the phones, the TVs, the social media, the stress of school or work, the trials and struggles that we carry with us. When you step through the gates as your session begins, you can leave all of it behind you and just focus on God, pure and simple.
When we set those burdens down, and remove all the distractions that are keeping us from seeing God clearly and putting Him first in our lives, we come closer to Him, we grow deeper in our relationship with Him, we feel His love. And when we know His love for us and understand that we are His beloved children, our love for Him grows too.


But Camp doesn’t have some kind of magic forcefield around it that makes you leave your worries at the door. It’s definitely easier at Camp to leave those things behind. There’s so much fun to be had, so much nature to enjoy, and so many friends to surround you. But at the end of the day, it’s still up to you to let go of the things that distract you from God and to put Him first. Sometimes that’s hard to do, and sometimes it takes a little while to figure it out. That’s ok!


As you prepare for Camp, we just want you to know that God wants to have a relationship with you. God knows you. God loves you. And He wants you to keep your focus on Him, because He doesn’t want you to be lost in the desert. He wants to lead you to the Promised Land!

 

DISCUSSION:


What are some of the things that make it hardest for you to focus on God at home?


Can you leave that behind when you go to Camp? How?


Camp Deer Run is all about seeing God in everything, not just worship or Bible lessons, but in the games and activities and friends and fun. How do you keep your focus on God in all of these different situations?