About the History…
Camp David of the Ozarks, CDO, began in the fall of 2003, and is incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry. 10 acres of land was donated and in the spring of 2004, with the help of a few friends, we began to chop down trees and clear brush. Within 10 weeks a donated swimming pool and borrowed rivial tent had been set up, a kitchen shack and two covered wagon cabins built, and a shower house and outhouses were constructed. That summer Camp David hosted 18 campers over two weeks of camp, with just 6 counselors and 12 volunteers. Nine at-risk youth made decisions for Christ.
Now, 5 years later, over 100 campers get to experience love and joy at camp each summer. In 2008 there were 88 volunteer staff members that served over 7 weeks of summer camp. God has continued to grow the camp since 2004~ now there are 4 covered wagon cabins, 2 shower houses, a ropes course, archery range, and horse trails. We are in the process of building a multi-purpose building to replace the revival tent, and pray that we will be able to use our new kitchen and staff housing in the summer of 2009.
But in spite of the growth, some things remain the same. We still have a 1:2 counselor:camper ratio, special events that show the campers love and affirmation, and Bible memory incentives. Most of all, CDO continues to be focused on reaching at-risk youth with the love of Jesus Christ. The exciting part is that not only are the campers being impacted and changed, but so are our volunteer staff. We hope you will join our team too – it will change your life!
About the directors…
Hi! I’m Benjamin Smith, and this is my wife Grace. To our campers we are Sheriff Big Heart and Lady Rose. Over the past 12 years Grace and I have worked with troubled youth in Guatemala, Russia, and in our own home. We know how imperative it is for troubled children to find hope in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
God gave us a vision for starting a summer camp for at-risk children in the fall of 2000. We joined Christian Camping International and at one of their conferences we met camp directors Cliff and Susie Johnson, who run a scholarship summer camp for children of prisoners. They shared many inspiring stories with us about the difference that camp can make in the lives of these kids, and encouraged us to start a camp in South-Eastern Missouri. We began Camp David of the Ozarks in the fall of 2003 with the encouragement and support of our parents, Dan and Cindy Smith , who donated the land to the camp. My father continues to serve as a Board member, and many of our siblings have served as staff or currently support the ministry.
We have four children, three girls and a son, and they are our pride and joy. We home school and stay busy with our large extended families and church ministry, as well as direct camp and take care of all the off-season events, fundraisers, and recruiting needs. We enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and singing together!
Mission Statement
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Camp David of the Ozarks
Our mission is to provide a Christian camp where one can experience love, find hope, and grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Statement of Faith
- The Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, trustworthy and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
- The Triune God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
- God the Father, creator of heaven and earth, who made man in His image, and in His likeness;
- The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His substitutionary atonement for sin, His resurrection and His personal, visible return to righteousness;
- The Person of the Holy Spirit and His work of conviction, regeneration, and who indwells every believer equipping them with gifts for service and witnessing;
- The necessity of new birth, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and the importance of a life fully committed to the will of God in Christ;
- The church, both universal and local, which is the body of Christ; Christ being it’s Head; and
- The Church is commissioned to evangelize the world by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and by living as His servants among men.
