Welcome to T Bar M Camps!

 

We are FUAGNUM (fired up and going nuts every minute) that you are joining us this summer!!

There is no place like camp and campers tell us it’s like a home away from home. Camp is a place that fosters fun, provides an opportunity for growth, and builds a long-lasting community.

We want to invite you in on some of the phrases and traditions that set T Bar M Camps apart and to help you get ready for your week at camp!

“This was my first year at T Bar M camps. I was both excited and nervous, but I had a wonderful time. If you are looking for a week full of fun my first suggestion would be T Bar M Camps. I loved it; it was the best experience.”

— Cate O’Neal, T Bar M Base Camper

 

Alphas and Omegas

 

Who will win the summer?

From the beginning of time, when every star, and living creature were coming into existence, there began a rivalry between the Alphas and the Omegas.

Alphas represent their team in red clothing and the Omegas put on their blue.

Since then, the colors and competitive nature still remain. Campers, this summer is your time to have a part in the longstanding tradition of games and races. Pack your team’s color and get ready for the biggest competition of the summer!

Summer staff

We call our college summer staff “coaches.”

The word “coach” indicates someone who provides guidance, deepens relationship, and speaks encouragement. This is exactly what our coaches do. Your camper will have 2-3 coaches in their cabin, and by the end of the week campers often say they love and look up to their coaches.

Throughout the week, coaches facilitate various activities, from ropes to crafts to sports for their campers. Coaches play an integral part in the campers experience. We spend all year interviewing college students, because you deserve the best.

Summer Themes

Each summer is marked by a theme, which corresponds with a passage in scripture. As the years go on, you’ll remember the people who impacted you, the lessons that transformed you, and a few random stories that made you laugh.

You’ll also remember each of your summer’s themes, because they are so unique and so imbedded into everything we do!!

In addition, each year there is a song written and a dance choregraphed to match the summer’s theme. Your kid will surely be singing it on the car ride home…watch out…you too may be singing it not long after.

Make sure to pick-up this year’s theme shirt from the camp store and start your collection.

Check out last year’s summer theme, Full Send:

Cabins & Cabinmates

Cabins become home base throughout the week, where campers will share laughs, stories, and lessons from the day.

A note for those who come to camp without a friend: This is super common!

We are confident your camper will make friends quickly. We’re intentional about setting up cabins and friend requests to not isolate any single camper, and our coaches are trained to help facilitate friendships and prevent “friendship-cliques.” This is camp! The week your camper gets to hit pause on things like hard friendship dynamics and grow in building new relationships with peers.

Fun fact about our cabin names:

  • Base Camp cabins are named after cities in Texas
  • Camp Travis cabins are named after bodies of water in Texas

At Base Camp, the cabins are air-conditioned and have bathrooms, with single, private stalls and showers, located inside of the cabin.
At Camp Travis, cabins do not have air-conditioning but are cooled by two massive fans. Campers can also bring battery powered fans to use.

MACs and WOGs

MAC: Men After Christ
WOG: Women of God

Whether it’s a song we sing, game we play, or activity we partake in, it’s our mission to glorify God in all we do. Each week, we set aside time for campers to meet, just as guys and as gals, during MAC and WOG time.

This is a special time to connect and encourage campers to walk after God’s heart.

Campisms

What’s a campism?

Here at camp, we use all sorts of unique phrases, which we call “campisms”. Some have been phrases for as long as camp has been around.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few that are commonly used:

“LOC” — Leaders of Camp — At Base Camp, we call the oldest campers, LOC’s. As the oldest campers, there is opportunity to lead the younger campers around camp. The LOC’s have the chance at the end of the week to travel to Camp Travis and experience what’s to come next.

“SEC” — Seniors Exemplifying Christ — Similar to LOC’s, Camp Travis calls the oldest campers “SEC’s.” Much like at Base Camp, SEC’s have a unique opportunity to model to other campers what it looks like to live out your faith and serve humbly. SEC’s have the chance to step in with our coaches and leadership, to help set-up the Monday night theme night. In addition, SEC’s have set aside time to meet together and discuss our worldview as a follower of Christ.

“Don’t Waste Fun!” — We don’t like to waste fun around camp. Camp schedules are packed full and planned down to the minute. We love to implement fun in any way we can, from the games we play, meals we eat, and activities we participate in.

Farkle — Everyone knows rock, paper, scissors…we made up our own version, called Farkling. To add to the fun, there is often an outcome at the other end, such as jumping in the pool with your clothes on or getting an extra dessert to make things a little interesting.

“FUAGNEM!” — “Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute”

“Think Twice.” — After finishing an activity period, coaches will ask campers to think about how the activity they’ve just completed relates back to their walk with Christ or a passage in scripture. Often campers say they find themselves subconsciously thinking twice about things, long after they have gone back home.

“God is good, all the time.” Often someone will call out “God is good”, and a common response from the crowd will be “all the time.” And then the reverse is called out, “all this time, God is good.”

Theme Nights

Get your creative brain going. Each year we have different Theme Nights and we love seeing how campers come dressed up. There are some Theme Nights that routinely stay the same and some that switch up year after year.

An all-time favorite at Base Camp is Mission Impossible: a chance to work as a cabin to complete your mission and gather the most points. This night also ends in the most epic Mission Impossible dance party.

Each year at Camp Travis, Thursday nights have traditionally been the Boot Scoot: a night under the lights, two-stepping, line dancing and, of course, eating watermelon. Make sure to pack your boots and your finest Texas attire.

Tips for a First-Time Camper

PACKING IN A TRUNK

Many campers pack in a trunk. This makes packing and transport easy. As the years go on, a fun tradition is for campers to fill their trunks with stickers of past cabins and pictures from previous summers. Some campers prefer to pack in a suitcase, which works great too!

WRITING LETTERS 

Many parents will write letters for their camper to read throughout the week. All you need to do is write your camper’s name and the day you want them to open it on the front. Then bring the letters with you on opening day and we will ensure they are labeled accordingly and received by your camper.

SHOPPING AT THE CAMP STORE

Each week, campers visit the camp store during one of their activity periods. Each year there are new shirts, sweatshirts, hats, memorabilia, snacks etc. to purchase. Before going to camp, you can add store money online to your campers account.

BRINGING WATER BOTTLES

We encourage all campers to bring their own reusable water bottle that they continue to fill throughout the week. There are many places to fill up and we want your camper to stay hydrated as we play during the hot summer months.

Celebrate your birthday at camp!

We love celebrating birthdays at camp!!! Our kitchen crew become professional cake decorators by the end of the summer, adding together chocolate sauce, candy, and sprinkles to ice cream to create what we call a “ruckus cake.” And of course…we sing…no ordinary song, but a T Bar M Birthday Song:

Base Camp Birthday Song:

Today, yes today. Today, yes today. Today is ______ birthday. And we’re here to say…Happy Happy Birthday, The Bar M way, God loves you and we do too, So everybody say…Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

Camp Travis Birthday Song:

Today is the day. It’s a very special day. Today is your birthday and we wanted to say…Hoop diggy diggy diggy ha ha. 3x. CT is the place that you want to be, on this very special day in history. Hugs and kisses you don’t want to miss. So let’s celebrate with a big ole kiss (everyone blows kisses)

Your camper will leave feeling celebrated on their big day.

A Glimpse into Teaching Time

Gosepel Presentation:

Every week our summer staff shares a presentation of the Gospel, working together to share the story of salvation to campers of all ages. After the presentation, coaches take time to sit, talk, and pray with campers, walking alongside them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Throughout the week, coaches also lead campers through a bible study each morning. Take a peek at last summer’s Base Camp 3rd & 4th grade bible study!

2022 Bible Study

Get ready for camp!

Packing list, summer theme, theme nights and MORE!
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