Dayspring Campground Ministries

Dayspring Campground Ministries is a nondenominational Christian campground located in West, Texas. Incorporated in 1997 as an outreach ministry for children and families who could not afford a traditional camp experience, Dayspring continues to operate on a love offering-basis, allowing churches to use the camp facilities at no cost.
History
In 1995, Larry Wymore, a construction worker and Sunday School teacher in Waco, Texas, began praying about starting a camp ministry for families who could not afford other camps. As the leader of a young couple's Sunday School class, he encountered firsthand the difficulty many church members faced when attempting to attend a sought after marriage conference or couple's retreat. Inspired by the biography of George Müller, an orphanage operator who shunned fundraising and instead prayed for all the ministry's financial needs, Larry envisioned founding a campground that also ran on a faith-basis.
After much prayer, the family discovered a virtually untouched parcel of land in West, Texas up for sale that they purchased with the financial support of several family members. Following several months of work, the camp opened with one dormitory. Since then, the camp has expanded to facilitate up to 150 campers.
Faith-based philosophy

Dayspring Campground Ministries was founded upon the belief that God would provide for the needs of any ministry that He had called. George Müller's example of his orphanages in Bristol, England served as a pattern for how the camp would also do ministry: every need would be prayed for, and the staff would rely on God alone for provision. Thus, the ministry does not ask for money from any individual or organization and does not advertise its needs beyond those who pray alongside the staff. They believe that this financial model gives the most glory to God as it takes away any emphasis on significant donors or capital campaigns. It also enables small churches to plan events on the grounds without feeling pressure to make a large donation to the ministry.
From the ministry's perspective, this operating philosophy has resulted in several miraculous answers to prayer. After praying for kitchen appliances to be provided for one of its dormitories, the staff received a call from an individual who wanted to donate appliances to the camp. One of the appliances was an almond-colored range oven. The kitchen was still in need of a refrigerator, so the staff prayed for one. Several days later, another individual, without knowledge of the camp's needs, donated several kitchen appliances—one of which was a matching almond-colored refrigerator. Much of the camp's facilities and resources have come through similar providential acts.
Operation
Although the camp is open year-round, none of the staff receive any sort of compensation. The camp is funded by traditionally small donations from camp attendees, local churches, and individuals, most from the Greater Waco area. The campground is nonprofit organization according to IRS code .
Dayspring typically offers two types of camps. Most frequently, churches reserve the facilities for a 2-3 day period and plan youth group retreats, couples conferences, or church-wide revivals. Church leaders and volunteers do all the planning, food preparation, and event facilitation.
At least twice a year, Dayspring hosts multi-church youth camps. 3-6 local churches raise funds to send their 8-18 year old children to a three-day camp in June. Camp staff select a theme, host a speaker and a worship band, and produce t-shirts for campers and counselors. These camps target Waco's urban population, especially those without the financial resources necessary for other Christian camps. Pastor Shane Pruitt regularly speaks at these events.
Facilities
Located on 83 acres in West, TX, the camp has 2 dormitories, 2 ponds, a gymnasium, and a chapel. The grounds also contain multiple recreation areas, including an obstacle course, softball field, and sand volleyball court. There are also numerous walking trails spanning the grounds.

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