Camp Tejas is hanging over 1 million lights for their second annual Lights of Tejas. The event is open on 19 select evenings from November 26 to December 23. Last year was the first Lights of Tejas with over 800,000 lights and was attended by almost 3,200 visitors. They are expecting over 6,000 people this year.
Camp Tejas is a Christian Camp and Retreat Center just south of Giddings and north of La Grange on U.S. Hwy. 77. The camp is owned and operated by Tejas Ministries, Inc. Over 18,000 guests visited the camp last year. Most of them were from Christian churches and organizations in central Texas, including the Houston metro area. During the summer months, the camp is full of children and youth enjoying multiple sessions of summer camp. In the fall and spring, the camp functions as a retreat center and guests usually stay over the weekends.
The purpose of Camp Tejas is to be a discipleship extension of the local churches of central Texas. They provide a place for training and discipleship to happen as well as participate in discipleship with their staff. Their goal is to help pass on truth to the next generation as described in Deuteronomy 6.
The month of December has always been a slow time at Camp Tejas as churches do not typically organize retreats between Thanksgiving and Christmas. About four years ago, the camp began seriously exploring the idea of decorating the facility for Christmas and opening it up to the general public for a special Christmas event. They were encouraged by a camp in the Seattle area that has been holding a similar event for the past 15 years with great success. “Warm Beach Camp in Washington is very similar to us in size and function. Their ideas helped us create our own. We learned from their advice and adapted what they do to fit our vision. They have been a great assistance to us,” says David Jones, the Executive Director and CEO of Tejas Ministries. Warm Beach now has an annual attendance of over 45,000 people for their Lights of Christmas event.
Families are always looking for fun things to do around Christmas and there’s no greater favorite than looking at Christmas lights. The Lights of Tejas will not only provide the lights, but several extras as well.
The highlight will be two light show venues where hundreds of thousands of lights will be orchestrated to music and Scripture narration. One of the other anticipated features of the event is the food. There will be plenty of options available for a full dinner or just a fun holiday snack. A variety of items will be on the menu such as Mexican food, a Cuban sandwich, pancakes, hamburgers, and mini-donuts. Open outdoor fires will be available for hotdogs and s’mores. Other activities will include hayrides, a 50’ climbing wall with two zip lines, inflatables, a hay bale maze, and face painting.
Entrance fees will be $8 per person and $25 per family. Food, gifts, and some of the activities will cost extra. For more information and ticket sales, go to www.LightsOfTejas.com.
