After Texas Flooding Tragedy: Calvary Chapel Hill Country Ministers
A group of pajama-clad girls from Camp Mystic in Hunt, TX, wade through ankle-deep water after the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks, killing 27 people at the camp.
Nearly half of the beloved girls-only camp, set to celebrate its centennial in 2026, now lay in ruin.
Outside a Camp Mystic sleeping cabin, a young woman is overcome with emotion after viewing the destruction.
Salvaged campers’ belongings are neatly organized, awaiting retrieval by their owners or surviving family members.
In the wake of the record-level flooding along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, TX, on July 4, leaders at Calvary Chapel Hill Country (CCHC) in Kerrville, TX, questioned if they should—or even could—hold their annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) the week of July 14-18. Pastor Brandon Walsh stated, “VBS does not happen overnight. It takes many, many months, and my children’s ministry director had been planning since the beginning of the year—and then Fourth of July happened. Obviously, it was devastating. In that moment, you face a lot of questions. What do we do?”
In the close-knit town of Kerrville, nearly everyone was impacted by the loss of life and destruction from the flooding. When the Guadalupe overflowed its riverbanks, the powerful current swept away homes, vehicles, and lives. Particularly heart-wrenching to the community was the loss of life at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp where 27 youth and counselors died. To date, 130 people were killed in the tragedy, of which 37 were children, and two people remain missing.
“Last week was such a tough, tough week for our community,” said Max Teague, the associate pastor at CCHC. “We just wanted to give the kids a little chance to have a little bit of normalcy back in their lives.” After praying and seeking the Lord, Pastor Brandon felt the Lord say, Let’s move.
Supported by nearly 30 volunteers, the five-day VBS event ministered to 40-50 children each day. Mercy Chefs was on site to feed everyone, including families, breakfast and lunch as CCHC no longer had the means to prepare or serve food. CCHC children's ministry director, Lydia Belew shared with the congregation that the lessons for the week came from the Book of Matthew. Voice choked with emotion, she said, “Day three [lesson] was [about] when we feel powerless, we can trust Jesus. And the Bible verse, again hitting so close to home with everything going on, [was] ‘Do not be afraid. He [Jesus] said, ‘Take courage. I am here.’”
Photos provide by CC Hill Country TX
Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Calvary Chapel Hill Country (CCHC) in Kerrville, TX, helped foster a sense of normalcy for children and adults alike in the aftermath of tragedy. Children learned that they can trust Jesus, "no matter what this wild and crazy world brings,” shared Pastor Brandon Walsh.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27.
Brandon shared, “God is doing some amazing things in the lives of the kids as well as all those volunteering. You’d be amazed at how much this disaster has impacted the little ones. VBS has helped bring a sense of normalcy to them, if only for a few hours. The Lord is moving powerfully, and they learned that we can trust Jesus no matter what this wild and crazy world brings."
As they continued to seek God’s direction for how to best reach their community during the past four weeks of the search and recovery phase, the small congregation of CCHC has been able to branch out in several meaningful ways.
“We had a God-ordained run-in with an owner of an RV park that was hit hard along the Guadalupe River. She expressed the need for bedding, pillows, and clothing. We immediately spread the word to our fellowship, and, within a few hours, we had more supplies than requested,” Brandon marveled. “She was able to distribute that to those still in the RV park that were in need. To God be the glory!”
Desiring to reach the community with prayer, CCHC sought the Lord about setting up a pop-up prayer outreach. “Our church is small, and we don’t have the parking space to utilize an outdoor pop-up outreach,” Brandon remarked. “We prayed last Sunday, and within hours, the Lord opened a door for us to set up our pop-up prayer outreach in the parking lot of an Ashley Furniture store.” Mercy Chefs came alongside them once again supplying nutritious home-cooked meals while CCHC volunteers prayed with people in the community during the week-long outreach. In a heart-breaking revelation, a manager at a nearby IHOP shared that one of his restaurant server’s 1-year-old child was still missing in the flooding. “We were able to hear hurting hearts from those affected by the flooding as well as those who were hurting because of other means, but through it all we were able to connect and pray and share Jesus with people,” Brandon divulged.
Volunteers with CCHC and Mercy Chefs brought hope, nutritious meals, and the Gospel to those hurting in their community.
A few men from the fellowship along with Calvary Disaster Relief worked as a team recently through Samaritan’s Purse for a week. One of the toughest places they went to was Camp Mystic in nearby Hunt, TX, where the loss of life and devastation of the camp left many reeling.
A group from CCHC, in coordination with Blue Tape Ministries, distributed burritos and prayed with volunteers, first responders, and rescue divers from as far away as Mexico who were working in the Ingram and Hunt communities. Brandon stated, “Trust me when I say an outpouring of volunteers has come in droves. We heard many stories from people that were directly affected by the flooding. We heard testimonies from people volunteering that have been here for two weeks! One such young man drove nine hours from Louisiana and has been at Camp Mystic the entire time.”
Continue to pray for the two people who are still missing, the first responders—some who were directly impacted yet continue to work while grieving their own personal losses—the community, and the groups of individuals who will be going out to help with physical labor over the coming weeks and months. Pray for CCHC to remain open and flexible to the Lord’s leading, desiring to move when the Lord moves, and walk boldly through the doors He opens.
“I love how the Lord uses us and works in different ways. Our prayer is that the Lord be glorified and magnified through this difficult time. Our city will never be the same. And I pray it isn’t—but for the better—because of what we see God doing. To Him be the glory always!
Children excitedly experienced an Alaskan Adventure during VBS at CCHC, where they learned that Jesus will be with them always.
For more information about CCHC’s Disaster Relief efforts, click here: https://www.cchillcountry.org/give
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