Gary and Lisa Thomas have been married for 37 years and have three children and two grandchildren. 

Gary is the author of 20 books that together have sold over two million copies, have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and won numerous awards. His writings have established him as a thought-leader in the areas of marriage, parenting, and spiritual formation. 

Gary has been a part of numerous family camps through the years and has reveled in the stories of multi-generational memories. He says that there’s something about a special shared place and time that sticks with a family and becomes part of its lore and history that is really precious and profound. 

Ken & Rita are celebrating the 26th anniversary of God’s blending of their family together this year. They have 3 daughters (Alex, Sammi & Sarah) and one grand-daughter, sweet Amelia Rose. They have served together as God’s under-shepherds in churches in Texas and Arkansas and currently celebrate Jesus at Heights Community Church in San Antonio where Ken serves as the lead pastor. Ken is also the Founder & CEO of 360 Enrichment Group, which proactively partners with companies to build Healthy Marriages thru the workplace, and currently is a partner in a Home Remodeling & Construction company as well. 

Ken is always willing to talk about his beloved Baylor Bears if you’re so inclined. Sic ‘em! If you even ask Ken about family camp, he will immediately encourage you to come and experience life-giving fellowship, and an amazing week learning to enjoy Jesus together. 

We are thrilled to have Adam Griffin join us at camp this year! He and Chelsea been married for 12 years. They have three busy boys – Oscar, Gus, and Theodore (10, 8, and 6). Adam is the lead Pastor at Eastside Community Church in Dallas. And, he is the host of the Family Discipleship Podcast. 

The Griffins absolutely love the adventure of camp! They love to focus all of their attention on Christ as they take a break from their regular routine. They’re excited about the opportunity to play as a family and to enjoy our time together.  

John Elmore (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary / MA Youth and Family Ministry, John Brown University / BBA Baylor University) is the Teaching Pastor & Senior Director of Pastoral Care at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas. He is married to his best friend Laura and they have three children: Hill, Penny, and Judd. Their family enjoys kids’ sports, hiking, road trips, fishing, and making intentional memories together.  

For the Elmores, family camp is a highlight of the year to bond deeper as a family without any distractions, schedules, unplugged from devices and work demands. It’s so much different than a usual vacation because of the purposefulness of Family Camp – they love how it provides a chance to be away together, while also having shared experiences and growth in the LORD.  

Dr. Yancey Arrington is the Teaching Pastor at Clear Creek Community Church, a multi-campus congregation of 5,000 in the Bay Area of Houston, where he has served since 1998. He is passionate about and coaches others on gospel-centrality, preaching, theology, leadership, and church planting. He is the author of Preaching That Moves People and Tap: Defeating the Sins That Defeat You. Yancey holds a BA in Religion from Baylor University, a Masters of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Seminary. He is husband to Jennefer and father to three boys, Thatcher, Haddon, and Beckett. Yancey has written for The Gospel Coalition, the Acts 29 Network, Christianity Today’s ‘Preaching Today’ and others.

A note from Yancey:
I’ve had a high value for T Bar M ever since I was a coach the summer after graduating from Baylor in 1993. I saw how sincerely the staff wanted to help kids be better followers of Jesus. I knew when my own children were of age that Jennefer and I would send them to T Bar M. We did, and our kids experienced the same kind of Christ-centered care and love I witnessed 30 years ago. I have never come away from an experience at T Bar M where I wasn’t grateful to God for what took place in my children!

Tyler grew up in the small town of Bridge City, Texas with great parents and two brothers that are still some of his closest friends. He graduated college from Lamar University in the spring of 2006 and began a career in the health and fitness industry. Tyler and his wife Lindsay were married in the summer of 2007 and now have two beautiful daughters. “God invaded my life in 2010 when a health club member and local pastor shared the gospel with me. I trusted Jesus as my Savior and everything began to change.” In the fall of 2012 the Briggs family moved from Beaumont to Dallas where Tyler was trained in ministry leadership at the Watermark Institute. In the summer of 2014 they moved from Dallas to become a part of Watermark Fort Worth.